Thursdays always come quickly, but this one was extra speedy after the May long weekend! Here’s my contribution to the #3ThingsThursday linkup hosted by Pink Chai Living, The Write Balance and Love Laugh Mirch. If you’re a blogger and want to join us, please visit any of the hosts and add your link!

And I want to thank you, dear readers – I can see you love this series and it’s fun for me to participate! Helps me be a little ‘creative’ with my posts. Speaking of which, today’s topic is one of my favourites. Tell me in the comments which point you enjoyed the most! I love hearing from you.

1. Creativity is not the same as artistic ability.

Often when people say they are not ‘creative,’ they mean they can’t draw or write or play an instrument…or something within the fine arts category. What they are actually saying is, they are not artistic.

But that’s not what creativity is. 

Creativity is using your imagination to solve problems. You can bring creativity into your artwork, for sure. But you can also bring it into everyday problem-solving in business, relationships, hobbies, and in raising your children. (If you are a parent, you are probably side-stepping, navigating through and tripping over problems during any given moment and you really do have to think outside the box sometimes! Am I right?!)

You can use art to express yourself creatively, but if you can’t draw a stickman to save your life, you can still be creative.

[Tweet “Creativity is using your imagination to solve problems. No pastels required.”]

I like to think of creativity like an endless pool of limitless potential. Each of us has a 2-way channel through which we can access it. Intriguing, right? More on that below.

2. Creativity is important. Like, SUPER important.

What’s the big deal? Well, aside from helping us get through everyday messes (like figuring out a different route to work when there’s a traffic jam, or coming up with a dinner idea from the 5 ingredients hanging out in your refrigerator), thinking outside of the ordinary can mean the difference between clean clothes for street residents or not (as in this amazing mobile laundry service). It can mean more children get to go to school (as in this initiative to send shoes where they are needed). It can mean a new app that gives you better home security. Really, the possibilities are endless.

And that’s another SUPER important point! Where there is a problem, there is a solution. And it really could be YOU who reaches that solution. Like I said above, we all have access to this limitless pool of potential. Which brings me to the 3rd thing you should know about creativity.

3. Creativity can be accessed in a multitude of ways.

In my experience, there are 2 ways an idea reaches us. We either seek it intentionally or it hits us over the head when we least expect it. (Why do you think some brilliant person invented the shower notepad? Can I get an AMEN?!)

Personal access to solutions to the world’s problems sounds like a lovely thought! But if ideas are flying around, and we’re grabbing for them or they’re colliding with us, then why do we ever feel stumped, blocked or totally uninspired?

Sometimes our creative channel gets cobwebby. Just like anything we don’t use for awhile. So, we need to do creative channel sweeps! I share 52 such ‘sweeps’ in my workbook, Tuesday Tasks: 52 Activities Designed for an Entire Year of Creativity.

Helping people clear up their channels is important to me because, coupled with kindness, this really is the thing that’s going to have a positive impact on our world. It’s the thing that will boost our children’s self-esteem. It’s the answer to our social issues. It’s a key ingredient to cooking up an amazing life!

Let’s chat more about these things here and on Facebook! Until then, thanks for reading this edition of #3ThingsThursday!