Creativity

I am amazed by what God has created in our world.

Last year, I traveled to Croatia.  When the boat pulled up to Red Rock in Hvar, my eyes lit up. A feeling of awe and delight filled my being. I was so grateful to see this gorgeous rock formation. It reminded me of how beautifully creative God truly is.   

Red Rock in Hvar, Croatia

You can see the cave entrance in the photo. Filled with excitement, I jumped off the boat and swam into the cave. For a few minutes, I was alone. Various shades of rust, white, and green colors, were woven throughout. My heart was full of joy and gratitude as I savored each minute.

God’s beauty is all around us.. Even in our backyard with the various plants and flowers or watching the sunset. We can stop and notice at any given time.

God has put creativity in each one of us. Sometimes we neglect our creativity cause life gets in the way. Or perhaps we are too busy and neglect that part of us. Or there is self-doubt that we can create something. 

One way I express creativity is through writing. I have a rough draft of my Dad’s story sitting in the closet. For many years, I dreamed of writing a book of all these stories he shared with me. His family migrated to America from Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution. They settled in northern California and took up farming. A mixture of tragic stories, hope, and survival. After my father passed, I reached out to some cousins to gather their memories of what their parent (Dad’s sibling) shared with them. Then I sat down and wrote it. I decided to hire a coach to help.  

After paying a lot of money, this writing coach told me it wasn’t good enough to be published. So I put it away.  Recently, my writing critique group encouraged me to keep at it. Shape it up. Don’t give up. Keep writing.

So, I went to the closet and took out my rough draft.

How do you express your creativity?  If not, what keeps you from being creative?