As women, we often find that we get can lost in the day to day mundane tasks that need to be done. Sometimes we can miss our calling and forget to be our authentic selves. Here are a few ways to find your creative voice:

1. Deal with the difficult voices

• Your own limiting voice that says:

I am not creative.

I don’t have time.

I have nothing of value to offer the world.

We scoop up our true feelings and dreams as we have been taught and bury them in the ground below our feet where daily routines and tasks walk all over them. Ask yourself: Who am I? What do I want to create?

• Others’ critical voices

Don’t let one person’s criticism of your creative idea determine its value. As a people pleaser, it took a while for me to realize that my creative ideas were not for everyone, and that’s okay. In fact, it is great.

• Create what you like. My devotionals books are for women like me. I created them for myself and found there are other women who also could benefit from my books as I have. They are not for everyone.  American author Hugh Howey describes creativity as:  “Seeing something that doesn’t exist and then making it so.” What do you see that doesn’t exist and how can you make it so?

• Find your niche. What is it that brings you joy? We each have our own unique passions. Cultivate the gift of your soul. We have deep passions and love to create beauty. All are creative. Your voice matters. Share your voice, and you will find your community.

2. Fill up the creative well.

We can feel as if the well of creative ideas has run dry. The creative side feels like it is dying. How do I plan on filling up the creative well? How do I fill up the creative cup? Where do I get inspiration from?

• Nature
• Vacations
• Architecture tours
• Masterpiece Theater on PBS
• Read a variety of genres
• Be curious and ask questions
• Take a hike         
• Listen to music                                    
• Spend time in silence to rest your mind and let it wander. For me, I get some of my best ideas in the shower where the water drowns out all of the other distracting voices. For some it might be sitting in the sun or taking a jog with no music. Feed your creativity. Feed your creative self.

3. Be creative daily

We can feel as if our minds are shrinking from a lack of creative use.

• Try 10 or 15 minutes each day
• Find a way to leave the mess for the next day
• Ernest Hemingway wrote only 500 words a day. And I love this quote be him, “I had learned already never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.” I love to leave something for me to do the next day. I think about, I mull it over, and I take notes. Then, when I have more than a moment, I type.
• If you are a painter, paint
• If you are a writer, write.
• If you are a photographer, take pictures.
• You will always be busy. Carve out a little time each day to create to feed your soul and give yourself some joy.
• My dad much to my teenage chagrin ALWAYS carried a clipboard around to jot down creative ideas for later use. And when it was not appropriate to carry a clipboard such as in church, he ALWAYS had a folded piece of paper to write out his creative ideas. Fast forward a couple of decades, and I am my dad. I ALWAYS have a notepad wherever I go to jot down ideas for later use. The point is that my creative ideas often happen while I am living. The trick is to remember or write down the spark of inspiration for the next uninterrupted time to do something with it.

4. Limit distractions and time wasters

• For me, I limit the amount of news and scary movies I watch. They distract me.
• Limit time wasters such as staying up all night watching T.V. and scrolling the internet.
• I put boundaries on the negative people and negative social media in my life to pursue the goals at hand.
• I remind myself of the unique creative voice God has given me when loved ones or strangers criticize rather than critique my projects.

5. Keep a journal to document your progress.

• How am I doing? Am I progressing? I have a goal of 100 words each day. I usually make that goal with my prayer journal I write in each day.
• Build a portfolio of your best work
• Notebooks/Document Folder on the computer for writers
• Sketchbook for artists
• Phone for singers
• Build a plan for learning

6. Remember it can take time to create beauty for others.

• Remember it is a process. Big projects take a long but consistent time to create.
• Many of my devotionals on my blog and notes for my workshops were written fifteen to twenty years ago when my sons were little. 15 minutes here and there. But they are being read by my readers today.

Creativity can help us get through the mundane, difficult seasons and can give us profound joy. Anyone can be creative. Start today and make this world a more beautiful place with your creativity.  

Creative God, thank You for the gifts and talents You have given each of us. Help us to use our time and gifts well to serve You and others. Amen.