Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header
Share for a Cause









Expressing Your Creativity

Written by: John Toomey

Article Overview: You are not creative you say! Of course you are. HAve you ever cooked a meal or written a story, or told a big fat lie for taht matter. We are all creators in our own way. Find out how expressing your own creativity contributes to peace, harmony and good health.

Free Download - Service and Wellbeing By John Toomey
Name: Email:

Expressing Your Creativity

Creative Expression and Learning

“But I’m not very creative!” A common statement by people who don’t see themselves as being artistic. But, you don’t have to be artistic to be creative.

Everyone Needs Creativity.
We all need to express creativity irrespective of the form it takes. Denial of the natural creative urge is an impediment to health as it causes a person’s inability release their unique gifts and, in turn, make a contribution to the world around them. Creative expression guards against a life of routine and boredom and ensures a sense of play, excitement, fun, challenge and risk taking. These are the childhood qualities often deemed inappropriate for adults.

Creative Expression and learning are based on a “Flow Dynamic” which utilises imagination, spontaneity, perhaps some magic and self-confidence without fear of judgement. Who taught children to play? Nobody! It is a natural instinct.

Modern day life has too many rules, restrictions and behavioral doctrines. These anchors to human expression lay waste to the wonderful joy found in letting oneself “go with the flow”.

As quoted by Norman Cousins in his book “Anatomy of an Illness”, “Long before my own serious illness, I became convinced that creativity, the will to live, hope, faith and love have biochemical significance and contribute strongly to healing and to well being.”

Look at Your Own Life

 Are you stuck in a set routine in life, or do you approach your daily responsibilities with a sense of flow and creative challenge?

 Do you spend any time in your day, thinking about how to make the mundane things more fun and more enjoyable?

 Do you have any pursuits or activities in your life that allow you to express your creativity?

 Do you see life’s hardships as a challenge, as an opportunity to learn and grow as a person, and not allow yourself to be a victim?

10 Steps to Creative Expression

1. Develop a Vision of what it is your want to create.

2. Examine and Evaluate the Existing Reality.

3. Identify the Gap between your Vision and Reality as the place to exert your Creativity.

4. Accept Trial and Error as a workable means to achieving your goal. Then, you are learning as you go, making your own mistakes, and your own discoveries.

5. Turn your back on old speak like “The Right Way”, “Self-consciousness” and “Rules” and ask yourself “What if…”.

6. Continually remind yourself that you have the Power to Create.

7. As you go and your Creativity begins to flow, use the Momentum as confidence to push on further.

8. If you get stuck, go back to your vision, see the big picture again, and try again.

9. When completed, celebrate your creation.

10. Use your successful creation as energy to drive you forward to your next creation.

What can you do in Your Life?

Which of your daily tasks can you approach with more creativity? Consider the following:

 Cooking
 Cleaning
 Gardening
 Driving (In terms of the route you take)
 Activities you participate in with your friends or family.
 How you play with your kids.
 The layout of your home.
 Mundane tasks at work.

Can you find and participate in other activities that will allow you to express creativity?

 Local Art Classes
 Clay Modeling
 Wood Working
 Gardening
 Theatre Groups
 Choirs
 Book Clubs
 Movie Clubs
 Wine Making and Home Brewing
 Cooking Classes
 Vegetable Growing

There are, of course, many other options available.



Reference: Hoptman, Neal and Carla, Help Yourself to Health, Millennium Books, Alexandria, NSW, 1996.

Related Articles
  Is Your Creativity Supported or Stifled at Work?
  Creative Conflict
  Here's why you should build creativity in the workplace.
  Nurturing Creativity at Work
  How You Can Discover Your “Daily Creativity Window”

Home > Work-Life > John Toomey > Expressing Your Creativity
Article Tags: anatomy of an illness, anchors, book anatomy, boredom, creative challenge, creative expression, creativity, denial, doctrines, excitement, hardships, human expression, impediment, judgement, natural instinct, norman cousins, rules restrictions, self confidence, spontaneity, unique gifts

About the Author: John Toomey
RSS for John's articles - Visit John's website

John Toomey is one of Australia’s leading Health Educators. Holding a Degree in Physical Education, John has worked in a number of diverse areas involving Health, Fitness and Sport. Since 1982, he has served either as a Conditioning Coach and/or Nutritionist to seven different AFL Clubs. He has also worked extensively in Australian corporations as a People Development Presenter, where he has presented over 1000 seminars in companies like BHP, Telstra, AON, ANZ, NAB, and Esso. Further, John has lectured at many of Melbourne’s Universities in Physical Education, and at Monash University’s Department of Medicine where he taught Wellness and Lifestyle enhancement courses to Medical Students. He is a prolific writer and has been published in many professional journals and in daily newspapers like The Melbourne Age and The Herald Sun. Further, he has served as a regular commentator on Health and Wellness issues on Melbourne ABC’s 774, 3AW, 3AK and Sydney’s 2GB. John is also a licensed Avatar Master and serves on a number of courses each year guiding students through an exploration of their own consciousness. Contact John: Email: john@lifebalance.com.au Telephone: +61 404 710 886

Click here to visit John's website
Dashed Line

More from John Toomey
Chop Wood Carry Water
The Balancing Act Part 1
Hydration Energy and Wellbeing
Service and Wellbeing
Meditation and Quieting the Mind


Related Forum Posts
Essential Leadership skills Essential Leadership skills - Delegate Serve Creativity optimistic smart Focused Reliable honest Good sense of judgment consistent... It all comes from the confidence from within
3 for 1 3 for 1 - Thats a tough job, a single word as an expression of thought for a word like 'internet' is sure a difficult one ! However, I could think of a number of them - they are : 1. Creativity 2. Freedom 3. Universe Hope this is of help.
Re: your personality type? Re: your personality type? - Hi Michelle! If you are the present-moment focused, this is your result. If it doesn't seem spot on, I'll give you the big-picture focused result. The Enjoyer of Life. You enthusiastically enjoy experiencing the five senses, creative pursuits and social harmony in the here-and-now. You are independent, socially upbeat, and enjoy creating a positive and happy atmosphere. Despite your outgoing “persona,” you are a private person and few people truly know you well). #1 Strength: Comfort Creator #2 Strength: Expressing Social Feeling 1) Comfort Creator -- Creating a comfortable physical environment. Feels the ?ve senses vividly. Adept at using objects, or ?nding or building objects, to make a physical space the most soothing to all ?ve senses. Also organizing so objects are easily found in a convenient way. Both the physical comfort of self, and others, is important. Often feel a need to ensure those close to them are warm enough, fed, rested, etc. Will easily offer help to others in these areas, lending a jacket, or offering a snack. 2) Expressing Social Feeling Setting an emotional tone, vibrant, energetic, or serious, etc. Concerned with the emotional environment as it?s happening -- the vibe of people at a party, the tone of a situation, other people?s responses. Setting the tone -- dramatic and serious, or lighthearted and a celebration. Emotional displays are important for knowing how others are feeling, whether bad or good. Someone talking in a monotone about feelings seems insincere. Feels should be shown, so they can be read by others. Your best type would be: The Conceptualizer. You are an inventive creator of logical systems of possibilities that you use to create processes, products or strategies. Socially, you are sometimes quiet, but also find yourself acting as the life of the party, especially when you get caught up in a debate or entertaining topic of conversation. #1 Strength: Generating Future Possibilities #2 Strength: Systematic/Rule Logic
Internet Marketing Internet Marketing - Creativity or originality would be good words. you might want to try two words; after all, you are trying to suggest a complex idea that combines at least two concepts: marketing and internet. in other words, the concept has to evoke an action (marketing), how (honestly, responsibly?) and by what means you are going to carry that action out (internet). I hope this helps; Good luck!
Re: Being a Success Re: Being a Success - [quote="IWDCanada":19ulfruj]I believe it is important to define what you think a success is so you always have an end goal. BUT when you see yourself approaching the goal, revisit the definition and push it higher so you keep pushing yourself to do better.[/quote:19ulfruj] Hi IWDCanada, I like what you said about "pushing yourself to do better" because I feel that a successful person is also someone who is constantly learning and improving/evolving, and who always lives outside of his/her comfort zone. People do not achieve success by simply "settling" or being stagnant. Bruce Lee once said "you might as well be dead. Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it'll spread over into the rest of your life. It'll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level" (Little, "The Art of Expressing the Human Body" 23).


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.



Featured Article


Bottom Footer
Share for a Cause












Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

Ten Twitter Tips For Work-at-Home Moms

Unspoken Yet Important Rules for Book Proposals

How to choose your executive coach -1

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.