So You Think You Aren’t Creative? Think Again!

If you aren’t handy with a pencil and paper or don’t know how to mix paint colors to create beautiful landscapes, then you may struggle to call yourself “a creative.” Yet, we all have creativity within us; it can show up in our personal style or other ways.

Don’t do yourself a disservice by belittling your unique way of thinking and expressing yourself. Instead, honor the ways in which you connect with your inner-creator. You needn’t be a painter, writer, musician, crafter or maker to have creativity in your life. Still don’t believe us? See if you answer ‘yes’ to at least one of the following questions…

Are you a fashionista? Look at your personal style

Personal style is one of the most commonly overlooked forms of creativity. If you take great care to make sure your outfits are well put together, that the colors, textures, fabrics and prints match (or mismatch), then that’s a for sure sign that you’ve got creativity!

The next time you’re out shopping, try to tune into the process you’re using to select pieces of clothing that stand out to you. It may or may not be because of what’s in style at the moment. Is it because of the color? Can you see it pairing well with something else that’s already in your wardrobe? Consciously celebrate your shopping habits, because — whether you believe it or not — this is creativity in motion!

Perhaps you want to share your creative eye with others, by offering fashion tips to friends and family. Or maybe even train to become a color analyst or personal stylist.

Are all your rooms immaculately styled?

You may care less about your personal style, but choose to invest a lot of time and effort into decorating your home. Color-coordinated rooms? Check. Lights with ambiance? Check. Dishes to match the changing seasons? Check. If you’ve ever thought long and hard about the right mood and setting for your home — indeed, if you’ve ever made a cut and paste mood board, or used Pinterest to collect furnishing ideas — you’re more than likely a very creative person.

DIY home decorating isn’t easy, and not everyone sees the worth and benefit of being so attentive to details. People like you, who go the extra mile to create the ideal home for themselves and their families, tend to also be very warm and caring individuals.

Do yourself a favor and take a seat in your favorite room in the house. Simply look around and acknowledge the immaculate detail you’ve captured across the color palette, furnishings, storage solutions, and lighting effects. Salute that homegrown creativity of yours!

Do you like cooking and entertaining?

They say that baking is a science, but cooking is an art. That’s because, generally speaking, baking requires highly calculated quantities of ingredients to achieve the rise and the fluffiness of the desired result. Cooking, on the other hand, is more of a freehand activity. Sure, you have to follow a recipe a few times before you learn it. But then you can add and remove flavors, and experiment with new techniques, until the original recipe becomes your own creation.

So, if you consider yourself a whizz in the kitchen, you can consider yourself a creative. Think also of how you plan for a dinner party or similar event. Do you think of the bigger picture, considering how you’ll serve the dishes and which drinks you’ll pair with the spread to fit within one dinner party theme? If so, you’re being highly creative in your approach.

Next time you’re planning to have guests over, speak aloud your vision to a friend or family member. You may be surprised at the level of creative thought that’s gone into your ideas!

Are you always looking to fix things?

Problem solvers are naturally keen creatives. Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to see a new route of inquiry to meet the challenge at hand. If you’re the person everyone comes to with their issues — both big and small — then this is evidence that friends and family have noticed your creative ability, maybe even before you have.

It could be that your ability to fix and problem solve shows itself more around the house. Are you always tinkering with old items, trying to restore them back to new? Have you ever thought of up-cycling furniture? Or trying to sew clothes that fit with your personal style? The hands-on skills you have may mean you’d be a natural at crafting.

Are you a creative mom? Do you create games to play with your kids?

As Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” So, you could certainly argue that those who spend more time with kids are closer to that original inner creative, which children portray so readily and confidently.

Moms are often creative without realizing it. Not everyone would be able to pick up a plastic toy and immediately conceptualize a voice and character for it, and then create a fun game to play based around this persona. If you’ve ever found yourself putting on a voice while reading a bedtime story, or playing ‘make believe’ in the yard with your kids, then you’re a creative parent.

Watch the way your child plays and uses their imagination in everyday life. Make the most of your proximity to their innocent creative minds, then try and adopt even more of that into your life.

Everyone is a creative

Hopefully now you see that just because you can’t draw doesn’t mean you’re not creative. Throw out your misconceptions about what it means to be a creative person and learn to embrace, celebrate and strengthen your own personal channel of creativity and innovation. Keep spending time designing your outfits, bedrooms and dinner plates — you never know where your next idea may take you!