Why Creativity is Innate
When I was younger, a fresh box of crayons welled up a rush of excitement in my chest. My fingers itched to create. The colors begged to fill the page and showcase their vibrant spectrum. While I’ve heard of writer’s block and authors staring at a blank white screen, a smile will curve my lips at the thrill of possibilities and potential that a blank page poses.
I’m a creative at heart and feel most alive when I’m crafting something new. Whether it’s writing a story, painting a picture, refinishing furniture, making a new dish, or designing my home to be more inviting and welcoming, I derive joy from creating and restoring things.
If you’re thinking, well that’s just you. I don’t have a creative bone in my body. You’re wrong.
I’m not usually so definitive. There are a lot of exceptions in this world, but Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” God is the Great Creator. He painted the skies with a mighty stroke of his hand. He set the stars in the sky, breathed life into the world, and made man out of a lump of clay. Since we were designed in His image, we too are creatives. Don’t worry. You don’t have to be artistic. We are each creative in our own way. If you’re a numbers person, you creatively find solutions. If you’re an organizational lover, then you creatively make order out of chaos. Even accountants are innovative in applying tax law to help their clients obtain the best possible return.
When God was finished, Genesis 1:31 states, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
“It was very good.”
There’s a sense of satisfaction and pleasure in that statement. God enjoyed creating, and being made in His image, it makes sense that we would also derive joy from creating.
The Bible’s first reference of God’s spirit filling a person is in Exodus 31:1-5, “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, see, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.” It says something that God’s first manifestation of His indwelling spirit was in a craftsman.
Creating is an attribute we are gifted by God, and I believe it honors Him when we invent, formulate, and render, just as it is endearing when a child emulates a parent. We will never be as good as God is at creating or restoring, but it draws us closer to Him and deepens our connection to our Father when we try.