Creativity Is For Everyone

366 Days of Creativity Week 28 in Review: July 8th - 14th

Have you ever thought....
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I can't do that.
That's not me.
I'm not good enough.
Other people are way better at that. 
I'm not the creative type.

You are needed. 

​The world needs you and the uniqueness you bring.

I was at Brick Fiesta this past weekend where they had a public exhibition they advertised as a place where you could "view hundreds of unique, custom-built LEGO creations on display." 

Here are some of those creations:

And that was just a sampling.
Let's just say I was very inspired by what some people are able to create out of LEGO® and I may have only taken pictures of ones that felt like something I could aspire to or use a technique from or had a personal connection to, so you are missing some other giants and intricacies. 

I was going to the convention membership part of the Fiesta to get to learn more about the brick building world, but would never have thought to display some of the creations I was building everyday until I read this about registering them:

"Should I bring tiny MOCS (My Own Creations)? 
YES! The smallest builds often have the most interesting techniques!"

So I decided to do it if it could possibly be interesting to someone. 
I'm pretty sure all of even the kid fans of LEGO who displayed their creations were more complicated than mine. 
My creations felt very out of place, but they had a story behind them.

​And you know what?
People said they were inspired by them.

These simple builds (one only had 6 pieces and a mini-figure) inspired both adults and kids. The kids loved my sandbox with actual sand. The adults loved the tire swing and hammock and words. Some people even took pictures of some!

It was pretty amazing. 

But what if I had let the gremlins take over and I hadn't chosen to display mine?
They had told me they probably weren't good enough or even close to the level most builds are at an exhibition like this.

I think it would have been a disservice to people.
I truly feel like my ordinary daily creations and personal challenge to build for a whole year, from someone who has never really free built, inspired people and helped them see they could do whatever they wanted.
They could do this. 
They could play and be creative and accomplish challenges.

​And that's what it is all about. 
It's not about comparing, been there done that. 

It's about letting our unique self and creations be displayed in the world. 
As Brené Brown says, "The only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born of our creativity."

I have also been leading an art journaling course this week based on Brené Brown's 10 Guideposts for Wholehearted Living and heard so many people say or worry about not being creative enough or being the creative type.

Yes you are. Stop comparing with a definition of what you think being creative means. You are a creative being. We all are.

When you show up and bring yourself and what is unique to you and share it with the world, you make the world better.

You inspire others.

​I have been so inspired this past weekend with BrickFiesta and then this week with the participants in my WholeheARTed course that my inspiration well is overflowing.

I am so thankful for all of the people who, again as Brené Brown says, "Show Up, Be Seen, and Live Brave."

Are you showing up in your life?
Are you truly letting yourself be seen?

My hope is that you will allow yourself to be creative, however that looks, and not compare.

Put yourself out there. 
Here's me, putting myself out there.

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As always follow along for my daily creation and musings on Instagram!

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Days 190-196

Day 190:
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us."
​-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Day 191:
"My philosophy in life is very simple; when in doubt, take a bath."
​-Sarah Ban Breathnach

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Day 192:
"Artist growth is more than anything else a refining of the sense of truthfulness."
​-Willa Cather

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Day 193
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
​-Winston Churchill

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Day 194:
"Embrace the technique of 'trial and error,' take the 1st step and the 2nd will follow.... if one of them wasn't the right step you will see, and if you do just take one in a different direction... trial and error."
​-Dana Komjaty

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Day 195:
"Mistakes and failures are my designs. I don't think I've ever create done design in my entire life that looks exactly like I originally envisioned it."
​-Betsy Cross, jewelry designer

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Day 196
The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.
-Emilie Zola