The Creative Type

 "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

I think of this quote often, not word for word, but its' truth that I felt when I heard it for the first time. And when I'm feeling a little like I need to spend my time on earth more truly, I realize, a lot of times, I'm feeling a need to create. 

Last week, my church group set up a Market Place and each lady had the opportunity to bring something to share with others.  You could make/buy/bring 50 (or less--I got to 36) of anything you were inspired to bring to represent you! 

I love writing and sending notes, and I love helping my kids learn new things, so I combo-ed and made stationary from a blending technique I helped my daughter learn with water colors. They turned out cute, and I love them obviously because they are mine :), but the time I spent creating them was lovely and clam and relaxing and didn't feel like a task! It's how I knew I'd chosen the right thing to create! 

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"You might say, “I’m not the creative type. When I sing, I’m always half a tone above or below the note. I cannot draw a line without a ruler. And the only practical use for my homemade bread is as a paperweight or as a doorstop.”

If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination.

But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy.⁴ Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things.

If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next.

You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us.⁵ The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it."