Summary: It's easy to think that creativity only involves the so-called finer pursuits of Art and Beauty, and that it is the exclusive stomping ground of a chosen few, but I happen to agree with Dr. Maya Angelou who said, Everybody born comes from the Creator trailing wisps of glory. We come from the Creator with creativity. I think that each one of us is born with creativity. The art of creating things involves so much more than the one-sided notion that it's only about birth and growth and light. Creation also demands its share of destruction and death as vital parts of the process. The seeds we plant in one season must yield to the fruit they bear. If we are to reap the harvest and feed ourselves by that fruit, another death must occur every time we eat; it's what gives us life. Taken this way, the loops of creation and destruction are inextricably linked. The same goes for our aspirations; in order to make room for the new, we must first say goodbye to what no longer serves us. For years I wanted to be like so many writing women I'd admired: I wanted to be a highly-respected, politically fierce, wire-tight, whip-smart academic with a slew of panels and publications to my credit. The only snag: that's never who I was at heart. It would take years before I finally gave myself permission to discover and embrace my own voice. Strewn with old dreams of who I thought I wanted to be, my own path becomes that much clearer to follow now. You know what it's like to outgrow and old goal; it feels constricting and doesn't light you up the way it used to. Where it was once full and vibrant, it's now hollow and weak. The creation process means we must be willing to shed old skins, incubate new dreams and move them into the world so that they might grow, flourish, and inspire us in new directions. This is an act of courage and trust—and it's within each of us to do. It's those wisps of glory we come in with, honey. Remember?
