I read an article today about the importance of exercising the creativity each of us has. Paul David Tripp makes a compelling argument that the “bulk of humanity never realizes their creative potential.” He attributes that to fear - something we can all related to. Is it good enough? Will someone make fun of me? Will someone make fun of my art (which feels an awful lot like someone making fun of me)? Do I even have creativity in me? What if someone sees my creative product? What if no one sees it?

Tripp provides several meditations on allowing the creativity within us to be expressed, and to find grace in the making. I’ll leave you to read the article, if you choose, but thought I’d share here, because it got me thinking.

What’s stopping our children from expressing their creativity? We are a storytelling enterprise, so of course, I often think in those terms, but we could just as easily be creative with paint, music, sport, our bodies, our voices … you get the idea. Yet so often, our children immerse themselves not in their own creativity, but in the creativity of others. They consume the results of others creativity - movies, books, youtube or tiktok videos, music, board games, and video games - yet rarely take the time or effort (or risk) to create for themselves.

Much of this is caused by the ease with which we can consume versus the effort it takes to create. And yet the results of that effort, over time, are so rewarding, and fill us with life that mere consumption just offers a glimpse of. I encourage you to find what gets in the way of your child from being creative - of yourself being creative! - and work to take a step towards creativity. Maybe it’s just the arrangement of dinner on the table, tonight, or the way they make their bed. Find the ways that you and your children ARE expressing creativity, and celebrate that. Then work towards creating even more. Every act of creativity is a way to express something that is uniquely you. Don’t be afraid.