Creativity: This Time It's Personal

I often hear people saying they're not creative. And I say: rubbish! Creativity is personal – and therefore it comes in all shapes and sizes, just like people. And I also think it emerges in different forms throughout our lives.

When I quit my job as a journalist and started my current one I wasn't doing any creative writing. I suddenly had my sanity and my evenings back and I found I had a lot of energy to cook. I tried all sorts of things. I deep fried for the first time – making onion bhajis for a somewhat shocked Future Hub. Who knew you could deep fry right on the stove top with a regular pot and some vegetable oil?

I was sort of lost at the time, but downright happy. After nine years as a journalist I was surprised by finding some spare brain capacity and energy to try something new. So I cooked – quite a bit – not anywhere near that whole Julie/Julia level, but still, I picked up recipes in the supermarket all the time and altered them to my own taste, writing them all down on index cards in a recipe box.

Future Hub's favorite is my Cincinnati Chili. I am partial to (and still somewhat shocked by) my Chicken Piccata.

Since I started this blog and we bought the flat and started planning the wedding I've just rolled out all the favorites time and time again. Plus there's been a little help from Waitrose's 'Easy Cook' range.

Creativity takes all forms. From thank-you note writing to cake baking, gardening to applying makeup, I believe there aren't boundaries when it comes to what constitutes creativity. There are people who can make you a good meatball and those who can make you laugh until tears are running down your face. It takes all kinds. Some people amaze me just when they speak – the phrases they use or their certain type of humor. I wish I could write it all down sometimes.

I think everyone can be creative, but here's what I think is the most important way to develop it: space. Just yesterday I wrote about this a little. Giving myself space in the morning (I hope) will be good for my creativity.

I didn't know how much I wanted to cook until I had the space to make that choice. And when I decided it was time to start writing, it took me a long time to figure out how I was going to do it. Not that I'm even close yet. But I took a summer narrative non-fiction writing course and it was wonderful. I was excited and I wrote a lot, but then for months and months afterwards I couldn't figure out what to do next. So I mulled and met with other writers and I waited until the blog idea finally came to me (and I was brave enough to actually do it).

Creativity is not a rush job. It must unfold in its own time. The most important way to lead yourself to it is to do something you're excited about. Whether it's cooking or writing. For me, I'm not sure if I would have gotten to the writing if I didn't have the cooking. It also gave me time to heal, and practically, time to do my physiotherapy exercises. I had had a hard couple of years (read The Whole Story if you're not familiar) and I needed to find some joy again.

And to me, when it comes down to it, that's what creativity is about most of all – joy. I think the best way to find your way back into life when things get tough is to seek some joy through creating. Because as long as you're creating, you're living.

This post is part of the Self-Discovery Word by Word Series which Margarita (of the great blog Weightless) kicked off this month by choosing the word creativity. To read more, check out her original post for the series on Body Image & Creativity

 Related Posts:

• Gratitude: Pumpkin Pie Mix In England
• Vulnerability: Being Broken Isn't So Bad
• Authenticity: Being True But Growing Too