My Creativity Blog

Welcome back to My Creativity Blog! My goal in writing this blog is to inspire you! Let me know through comments or email how I'm doing. Thanks for visiting! ~Terry

The key question isn’t “What fosters creativity?” But it is why in God’s name isn’t everyone creative? Where was the human potential lost? How was it crippled? I think therefore a good question might be not why do people create? But why do people not create or innovate? We have got to abandon that sense of amazement in the face of creativity, as if it were a miracle if anybody created anything.

Abraham Maslow

Thought:

Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist. He studied and wrote several books on the subject. Click on this link to Wikipedia if you want to read about Abraham Maslow and his theories. Maslow came up with a  Hierarchy of Needs, which I find to be interesting.  The hierarchy of needs is represented in the shape of a pyramid.  The largest human needs are on the bottom.  Creativity finds its place at the very top of the pyramid in an area called self-actualization.

I found the quote above as I searched the internet looking for people’s thoughts on creativity. Before today I had never heard of Maslow. I guess if I had studied psychology I would have known who Maslow was.

Maslow asks the question, Why in God’s name isn’t everyone creative?  Funny that he mentions God in that question.  I believe everyone is creative.  God made us creative beings. God gave us the ability to create. God is there by our side as we create. He helps us create if we ask.  We may not always use our creative potential, but we are still creative in some way.

Today, think about your creativity. Are you using the talents God has given you to create?  I hope so.

Prayer:

Great Creator,

Thank you for being there for us.  Thank you for making us creative beings.  Help us as creative beings use our potential.  Give us the drive, the strength, the ideas, the stamina, the ability to continue on our creative journey of life.

In Christ’s name. Amen.

I found a website that will randomly generate “word clouds”.  The site is http:www.wordle.net.  You are given several ways to generate these interesting images. I had fun playing on the site.

I created a “word cloud” by giving Wordle the address of My Creativity Blog. The image above is the one I chose after generating a dozen or more. I saved it on their public gallery so I could show it to you.

Click on the image in order to see a larger version of the word cloud. Saving is not a requirement.  Printing the images is an option also.

So, go to this site and play around with it. Homeschool parents could us the site to give their child a more interesting spelling list, or a visual aide for all the states in the United States.  You could also make it a list of all the people in your family. There are many uses for “word clouds”. Use your imagination and have fun being creative with words. 

Writing articles for this blog has its ups and downs.  I have gotten on a schedule of posting an article three times a week.

I write articles about creativity, art, art education, art techniques, children’s art, homeschool projects, books on creativity, etc. On Fridays I share a creativity devotional with my readers.  Sharing my creativity with the Lord is very important to me. I want my readers to have that experience also. So I include a photograph, quote, short thought and prayer. These devotionals seem to be pretty popular.

Many times the articles I write come to me out of the blue.  The articles have to be written because I can’t stop thinking about them.  Sometimes I have to do some things to get inspired like take a walk, read an art magazine, or a long hot shower. My mind relaxes and the articles come. Then there are the times when I feel like my mind is a blank. 

The whole purpose of my writing this blog is to inspire my readers.  I want you to become a more fulfilled creative person. I want you to see the world in a slightly different way from the norm.  I want to help you.

Today we are already in the second month of the year. Wow! How time flies!  Many people made creativity resolutions for the new year.  Many people are either continuing those resolutions or they have given up. Which person are you?

I am interested in hearing from my readers. What resolutions did you make?  Did you follow through?  What worked for you and what did not?  Do you feel as though you failed? 

Sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves. When we do this we shut down. Please don’t shut down.  You can start fresh every day.  Give yourself a break. You can do it. You can be creative. You are a creative being made in the image of God.

I would love it if my readers would write me and let me know what you want me to write about. Is there a technique you would like to learn?  Is there a subject you would like to see discussed. I am asking for more interaction with my readers. You are the reason I write. So, let me know what you need.

Thought:
I could not focus on any one quote for this week’s devotional so I am including several from the book, Treasures of Silver, by Jo Petty. The book was given to me by a friend when I graduated from Texas A & M University back in 1977.  Treasures of Silver is a compilation of quotes [...]

Shorewood High School has given the world an example of having fun with creativity. The school is in Shoreline, Washington.  The students in this school spent two and a half weeks making a video that has skyrocketed on the scene. The video has already been viewed over 790,000 times.
I heard about the school and video the other day on Rachael Ray’s [...]

Learn how to design beautiful bamboo water spout fountains to create an environment enhanced with spirituality and creativity.

“The important thing is that creation is God’s, and that we are part of it,
and being part of creation is for us to be co-creators with [him] in the continuing joy of new creation.”

Madeleine L’Engle
Thought:
Have you ever thought of yourself as being a co-creator with God?  Have you ever felt God’s presence as you worked [...]