We are, you know, very creative beings. We may not
write symphonies like Mozart, or have a collections of plays and
sonnets authored by us like Shakespeare, or even be known for
painting the Sistine Chapel. But we do create.
There may be days when our time doesn't allow us to do much
more than create a meal or even put together an outfit to wear to work.
Those creations count. They say something about us: what we like, don't
like, how we view the world.
But what happens in these busy times is we just rush through
those creations. We microwave our dinners; eliminating the sights, smells
and actions that come with cooking. There is no bubbling stew in the
saucepan. No aroma of freshly baked bread. There is no "stir
constantly until thickened". Where is the enjoyment of creating food
when you can cook a meal during the commercial breaks of a favorite sit-com.
Creativity takes time. Not a lot of time. Just
enough to make you aware of what you're doing. You don't need to get out the
paints or sit at the piano. Try rearranging a shelf of books or the
treasures on a table. Buy a bouquet of flowers and carefully place each
bud in a vase. Go into the kitchen and create a meal that will use the
stove top and a conventional oven.
Whatever you choose to do, do it slowly. Savor each
movement, each sight and sound. Take your time. As I tell my
psychology students when they're taking a test, this is not a race. Doing
it fast does not make you the winner.
Creativity is as much the process as the product.
Enjoy the doing as well as what you have done.
© 2018 – Cheryl Fillion
