I ran across an amazing post on Facebook recently that needs to be more widely shared as I could not have worded it more beautifully myself. So often we see creativity as something we lack if we are not amazing portrait or mural artists. Fear not, YOU are creative!

The following is wisdom from the page of Colorado CND Education Ambassador Mary Chhea. I strongly recommend following her as you will find invaluable advice on a regular basis!

"Creativity is not a talent; it is a way of operating." — John Cleese: actor, writer, my old guy crush.

I used to think that creativity was something you either have or don't. A quality that you are born with or not. A talent for evoking validation from others. (Everyone's a critic, right?) The end result always the paramount prize. I held so tightly to this expectation that it choked the life out of both art & artist.

Execution fell short of expectation 90% of the time. The 1x out of 10 I made something beautiful, I felt drained, defeated, heavy.

But the key to Creativity — the kind that changes minds & solves problems & shifts the heart — comes from a lightness within. PLAY. Releasing the expectation of how the end result looks. Relaxing the grip, lightening the touch. Trusting your methods, techniques, the process of creating itself.

True, embodied Creativity isn't a finite resource that can be used up; it is inside your fiery belly, an inexhaustible source of beauty. But it must come from INSIDE.