Creativity

A few weeks ago a video popped up on Facebook, which featured a friend of mine from grade/junior/high school. In the video, she discusses creativity. She says that creativity is seeing past what is give to you and points out that all professions require creativity, that it's not unique to the arts and crafts world. Profound. Creating is really magical. I mean, you take materials given you, organize them in new ways, and thereby bring into existence something new -- from crafts to an idea to a solution to an invention. Isn't that what magic is -- creating something from the proverbial nothing?

We can be creators in any realm, as my friend discusses. Surgeons, business people, moms, therapists, chefs, you. You take what is given you and stretch beyond it. We take creativity for granted, as if the solutions we now have are obvious. How confined we'd feel if our phones were connected to a cord, or if we have to move to change the channel, or if we didn't have spices to flavor food. But sometime in the past, these weren't there. Someone thought beyond what was given.

Elder Uchtdorf says that everyone wants to be creative. I think it's because I feel empowered when I create. It's like, viola! I've just solve a problem, increased beauty, made life better. And it's all yours. You did it. Perhaps, for this reason, it is so vital with children to let them work out their own solutions. Problem-solving is creativity. How cruel for parents to take away their children's creative powers under the guise of wanting them to be happy. Happiness comes out of creating creative solutions to problems. But enough on parenting...

I'm trying to be more creative at work. I wrote out my friend's definition of creativity on my handy-dandy white board - not for others to see, but to remind myself to see past what is given. I think I'm being more creative with my clients. I try this or that. I try to think what more can be done, what hasn't been tried yet.

Tonight I'll have a chance to be creative. My ward is hosting speed-dating. Brilliant plan or pathetic means to an end? Remains to be seen. I'm reminded of what a bishop on my mission said: we don't knock doors to find people, we knock doors to show the Lord we're willing to do anything.... At worst, it'll be a good story. Wish me luck!