Permission to Create

Have you ever felt guilty for creating?

As if taking time to do something creative for fun was too… frivolous? Unnecessary? Maybe even… selfish?

I know I have. My gosh. This has been a pitfall of mine for the last 8 years since becoming a mom. I don’t know if it has been due to my personality or my propensity to be productive at all costs or my life circumstances that shaped this belief, but along the way I started to believe that if the thing I was creating didn’t make money, get a big applause, or get enough likes, comments, views, affirmation, etc., that it was a waste of my time. That it was wrong to spend my time or effort on it. Maybe you can relate? And if you can’t, YAY. Us dreary, guilt-driven people need people like you to remind us that there is a better, more free way!

That’s actually what this blog is about. If you need a renewed perspective on why your creativity is a GOOD thing. That it is time well-spent. That it can be a beautiful, loving, wonderful way to spend your time - keep reading.

Create Anyway

I just started a book called Create Anyway by Ashlee Gadd. My friend Noelle dropped it off to me a few weeks ago and I am so so so thankful that she did because after just the Intro and Chapter 1 alone, my spirits have been lifted! The book title alone was an affirmation I needed deeply. Here are 3 a-ha moments I had while reading that have encouraged me in my creative endeavors and I hope will encourage you, too!

1. Creativity is in our DNA.

I believe in a Creator God. A God who made the whole entire world & all that is in it. Who finished each part of creation with the benediction “It is good," and at the end of it all, “It is very good.” A God who made me. And I believe I was made in His image. Made to reflect a glimpse of Him to the world. So quite literally, the desire and ability to create is in my DNA. It is hereditary.

And with this in mind, I believe He made us all differently. With different gifts and abilities and perspectives. So we each have something unique and wonderful to offer one another in our creativity. Using our creative gifts is one of the many ways we can be good stewards of what God has given us. He gave us raw materials & curious minds & imaginations & physical abilities to be able to take different things and make something new to share.

2. You don’t need permission.

Who the heck are we waiting to get permission from to create? We don’t need a sign off from some figurative boss. We don’t need a degree in “creativity.” We don’t need a certain number of followers or subscribers. We don’t need to master our craft first. We don’t need to be perfect! We can be creative right now, right where we are, with the materials & gifts we have at hand.

In my experience, the person I was lacking permission from was M E. And after exploring the thought that God blesses and encourages creativity, the next and only thing in my way was me. Why was I holding myself back? Out of fear of failure or others’ opinions? Out of false guilt that creating is too frivolous a use of time? UGH. Get behind me Satan.

In her book Create Anyway, Ashlee offers a creative exercise at the end of Chapter 1 to write ourselves permission slips. Here were a few of mine.

• You can wear glitter just because!

• You can write an honest blog.

• You can use nap time to create instead of fold laundry sometimes.

• You can make a video that you hope will make people laugh.

• You can share something that isn’t perfect.

• You can change your mind.

• You can create in front of your kids.

3. Creativity is not at odds with motherhood.

Ohhh, but how many times I have felt this over the last 8 years! How many times have I told my husband, one day when the kids are older, I will finally x…y…z… And I’d be lying if I said that having kids doesn’t change things. Of course, it does! Time is no longer your own and you have to take a lot more people into consideration with how you spend your time. BUT. Being a mom doesn’t mean that we, or I, have to put our creativity on hold!

Creating in front of our kids is such a wonderful thing to model for them. We don’t need to completely compartmentalize our creative efforts. (Though sometimes I do need silence to form a coherent sentence for a blog like this, ha.) But if there are ways that I can exercise my creativity in front of them, that is actually such a wonderful thing because it is teaching them that it is good and right to steward the creative gifts God has given us! Whether that be through writing or cooking or gardening or photography or WHATEVER. It is good to teach them that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be good. That it doesn’t need the applause or approval of everyone to be worthwhile.

And besides, we have a lot we could learn from our children. They need no permission to create. They just do! They just take what’s in front of them and get going. They let their imaginations run wild! I should take a page from their book! They are so free. And that’s where I have a lot of room to grow.

Creativity makes us brave.

I’ll finish with this beautiful quote from the intro of Ashlee’s book,

“Both motherhood and creativity have taught me to be brave, to relentlessly seek beauty and joy among the mudnane, to notice the remarkable grace flooding my unremarkable life.”

Your creativity is not frivolous. It is a way you can breathe life into the family, community, and spaces God has placed you. How might it be a conduit of love and service to others? It just might bring light to a world that feels dark. Even if it’s not profitable, or perfect, or applauded, I hope you’ll create anyway and share it with others. To not do so, is to leave a lovely gift to this world unwrapped.

To creating anyway, even in the margins of motherhood, Suzy