When “Getting It Right” Overshadows Creativity
Over the past several months, I have been intentionally trying to access the creative side of me again after realizing this got buried somewhere along the way in my life.
A couple of weeks ago, I was so excited to take another painting class, even though I still felt like I had no idea what I was doing. The painting we were using was an example of an olive branch.
As we gathered our supplies, I felt a twinge of anxiety as I heard some people in the room talking about painting at home. Each class I take is different, and this particular class seemed to have some people in it who had much more experience.
About halfway through the class, the woman next to me excitedly asked me, “Are you having fun?” I’m so glad she asked me that question, because that’s when I became aware of what was going on inside of me.
No, I was not having fun. I was frustrated. I was striving. I was trying way too hard.
‘If I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it right.’ is a motto that started running through my head at a very young age, and it showed up again while painting that day.
Suddenly, I heard a woman across the room loudly exclaim that her painting was turning out so differently from the original that she just wanted to give up.
Just like the other woman, my painting was also turning out so differently, and I was feeling so frustrated.
My flowers looked different, my background didn’t blend as well, and I had no idea where to put the leaves. I found myself looking around at everyone else’s paintings to see what I was supposed to do.
I wanted to get it right.
Something occurred to me, though.
Was I really there to copy the original piece of art, or was I there to stir up my own creativity?
Even the instructor said that each time she paints that scene it turns out differently.
I decided to put my brush down and take a minute to re-focus. I was there to create something, not copy something. I signed up for the class to enjoy it, not to compare my painting to everyone else’s.
After taking a few minutes to remind myself why I was there, I started adding more color to the flowers. Coloring them in like I wanted to. I wasn’t sure I liked how it was starting to look, but I was just going with it.
As I decided to add pink to the flowers, my olive branch started looking much more like a cherry blossom branch. (That’s my favorite kind of tree.) I still had no idea what I was doing or what the finished product would look like, but that was ok. I was finally enjoying what I was doing.
Finally, after a 2 ½ hour class that felt like only 1 hour, I was finished. I left there feeling joyful. Not because of how my painting turned out, but because halfway through I decided to relax, enjoy my time there, not worry about trying to get it right, and make the painting mine.
Yes, this post is about discovering and re-discovering our creativity, but it’s also about more…
God created each of us in a very unique way. We have unique gifts and talents, and therefore we will have unique ways of showing and representing Him to the world around us.
It’s great to learn and develop tools and skills from others, but if you feel like it has to look the same as the person next to you (or the majority of the people you see on social media, etc.) you will miss the unique way God wired you to do that very same thing.
