The Creativity Muscle
“You’re so creative”
Being a dancer and choreographer for my entire life, I’ve heard this little phrase more than most people do. I’ll admit, I’m pretty lucky to be able to live such a creative lifestyle and to do what I love every day, but personally, my thoughts tend to sound more like this: “am I that much more creative than the general public, or am I just used to harnessing my creative capabilities in an industry that makes creativity a natural part of my work?”
In my mind, creativity is a muscle that follows the same guidelines as “if you don’t use it you lose it”. It doesn’t matter how you use it, just that you do. With that being said, if you’re looking to add a little color and out of the box thinking to your daily routine, you’ve come to the right blog! It doesn’t matter if you work a 9-5 or if you’re a freelance artist performing on the regular. Creativity can brighten your day, focus your mind, and even help you with critical thinking skills in the workplace.
The first thing to remember is that your creativity is your own. What you do with it and how you use it is completely up to you. This also means that growing one’s creativity is going to be unique from person to person. So if one of these tactics doesn’t sound appealing to you, then try another one! Personally, I never try to force a creative moment because when I do, it typically turns out a lot less exciting than if I had taken a step back and simply let it come to me. So, let us tune into ourselves for a moment and see what feels right!
Like I mentioned before, I believe that creativity is a muscle. Now, just like any tangible muscle within our bodies, if we continue to work that muscle repetitively in the same way, we may experience what we call “creative block”. IT’S THE WORST. The best thing to do to get out of a creative block is to try and prevent getting into it in the first place. With this muscle metaphor we’ve got going on here, just like how we take PowerGLOW and Cycle on different days, we should try to find other outlets that work this creative muscle! I might be a dancer, but I enjoy wood burning, painting, solving puzzles, occasionally baking, and even some photography! Doing these things is not only extremely satisfying, but they connect me to my inner child in a way and allow myself some “me time”.
Now, maybe you don’t necessarily consider yourself an artist, but you definitely have to be creative within your jobs. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are crucial to being a part of the work force and can set you apart from your colleagues in a positive way. Being able to think “outside of the box” and gain a different perspective is how Steve Jobs got to where he was! You have to be different if you want to stand out - thinking differently comes from acting differently and creating new habits within your personal time.
Not sure where to get started on your creative journey? Here are a few ideas and random tips that I’ve learned over the years that may help!
- We all have cell phones, right? Take out that fancy camera and shoot a few pics of THINGS (not people) that seem interesting or beautiful to you. Taking notice of the environment around you can be a great way of connecting to your senses and becoming detail oriented for a project that may require you to be incredibly detailed.
- Enjoy food? Pull up Pinterest or TikTok and find a new recipe that sounds delicious! Cooking/baking is such an underrated way of being creative. You can always take it to the next step with baking and try to decorate a sweet treat with some icing and all the yummy things too!
- Want an inexpensive craft night that you can do with a loved one? Well, my husband and I did a few months ago, so we decided to look up a “paint and sip” video on youtube! We found “Michelle The Painter,” grabbed the necessary materials from Michael’s, set up a space at home and had a really nice date night with some wine! Highly recommend this one!
- Read a book! I know not everyone is a reader, but I definitely am and I know that there are a handful of readers at GLOW that you can connect with and receive recommendations from. Side note: I read a book recently called “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear” by Elizabeth Gilbert (yes, the same Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote Eat, Pray, Love). She is brilliant at putting what I’ve tried to explain in this one blog post into many more words - so if you’re interested in taking this a step further, check that one out!
Overall, give yourself a change to experience new places, things, activities, cultures, and people! You never know what can spark your next creative idea, so why limit yourself? You deserve to reach your highest potential, while also having a great time and doing something that genuinely interests you! I can’t wait to hear how you connect to your creativity (and to yourself!) and hope that this can get the ball rolling for you!
KJ, Barre & PowerGLOW Instructor
