Red bushes, Blue roses

Harvinder Kaur clarifies what creativity is all about and emboldens you to stir up your creative juices by sharing a few tips for taking the plunge

- Harvinder Kaur

What's your first reaction when a beautiful mug of tea slips from your hand and shatters? Or when you stare at titbits of scrap piled in the corner of a veranda? What do you do with single earrings left in your collection, the beloved pair lost? How does your mind deal with the disjointed, patchy, torn bits of things and life? Do you rush to throw out what's broken, wipe what's spilt, sweep away what doesn't fit, and try restoring order?

DON'T!

Welcome to the magic ingredients of the creative mind. We accept the mess, embrace the confusion, gather the brokenness, and allow the forces of creativity to take over. In this article, I'll share my understanding of creativity and how it has been unfolding in my life and work.

Creative? Who me? 

'Creativity' is a word often loosely used and thrown around a lot. When I ask someone, "Are you creative?" I often get the response "Oh no, I can't draw or dance or sing!" Is creativity merely about singing, dancing, or painting?

Let's begin by clearing a common misconception that creativity is just something to do with the fine arts. There's a difference between skill mastery and creative expression. Creativity means expressing or creating something new or unique, whatever the skill or work. You could be a creative cook coming up with new and unique recipes or you could also be a skilled artist who's not creating anything new but just reproducing. It's not about the kind of work but the way you do it.