I’ve never really thought of myself as a creative person. I like things to be “just so.” I want to know what my schedule is, and I enjoy routine. I don’t enjoy messiness, and I thrive on strategy. Yet, I’m learning day by day that I’m a creator at heart. When I’m creating something, I feel renewed and restored.

• I work with clients to create marketing strategies and all the deliverables.
• I enjoy capturing moments through photography.
• I put together written and audible words to tell stories and share ideas.

The term “creative” has so many connotations that don’t seem to fit me, but I do love to create. In fact, people now pay me to be creative.  They don’t pay me to do something that someone else can do. They pay me to do something that only I can do…something I was created to do…create things the way that I see them.

Did you know that you are a creator?

You were designed to create things…kids, businesses, dinners, moments, and much more. In the very essence of who you are, you are a creator! Unfortunately, many of us have the creativeness sucked right out of our souls as we grow into adulthood and do things that adults are supposed to do…like sit in cubicles from 8am to 5pm (and then take work home).

That creativity is still inside of you. It just needs to be stirred up. It’s not a waste of time, because it will actually feed your soul. You’ll be more in touch with your Creator and more motivated to live out your purpose…or actually find it if you’ve lost it in the process of “growing up.”

Here are three ways to stir up your creativity…

• Take a photo walk around your neighborhood.
  Grab your digital camera, and clear off all those photos from 2007. Put on your walking shoes and head out the front door. You have no agenda other than to photograph what captures your attention. Don’t just snap images from a standing position. Bend down. Get close. Zoom in. Turn the camera at a weird angle. Shoot the same object or person from all different angles. When you get back home, download them all to your computer. Take a look. You’ll toss a bunch of them (like I do), and you’ll find some that capture your imagination. Don’t just keep them on your computer. Print them at Costco or some other place for super-cheap. Put them on the refrigerator or on a corkboard or in a frame. Look at them and remind yourself that you created that moment. (For a look at my recent photo walk in NYC, click here.)
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• Make up a story and tell someone.
  I love to tell my kids fantastical stories as they’re getting ready for bed. I’ll ask them to give me a place, an object, and a color. They’ll dig deep into the recesses of their brains and come up with the wackiest combination, and my job is to interweave them into the story. I usually include both my kids as the main characters, and they do something heroic in the process. If you don’t have kids, make up a story for a co-worker. Don’t lie to them…just make up some hilarious, outlandish tale. Ask them, “If you were king for a day, what would the world be like?” They’ll look at you like you’re crazy and say, “I dunno…” That’s your chance to say, “Well, I’d…” That’s when you tell an amazing story that stretches your mind and theirs. I bet they’ll love it.
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• Buy a typewriter and start using it.
  While I was in NYC last week, I bought a 1970′s Omega 30 typewriter from a man without a home. All it needed was a new ribbon, and it works perfectly. Although I learned to type on a manual typewriter in junior high school, I had long forgotten the amount of pressure needed to actually get that ink on the page. I’ve been collecting fortunes from Chinese restaurant over the last couple of years, and I’ve been waiting for just the right time to use them. So, I tore out a sheet of 8.5×11 paper, and I started typing random thoughts to accompany certain fortunes. I bought a display frame from the local store, and I mounted everything with simple straight pins. I “created” it, and no one has anything like it in the rest of the world…that I know of. It’s all mine, and I love it. It’s sitting on our table in the entry of our home, and you’re welcome to read it at any time. I also typed two small notes to different clients on 3×5 notecards this week. They were shocked to get a typed note. Typing on a manual typewriter slows me down and makes me crystal clear about what I want to say and how I say it. It’s deliberate and creative.

How about you? Do you think you are a creator? Are you willing to stir up your creativity? If so, tell us how it goes!