Is there even a box?

Creativity beyond the canvas.

I like to think about creativity as a mindset.

Most people get tripped up by the word “creativity”, because we have been taught to believe that creative pursuits involve making art, writing books, designing shoes, and well, you get the gist.

Creativity is an energy that flows through every one of us.

Think of every living creature, including yourself, who was created by those who came before us. Creative energy is in our very nature, it’s literally the essence that births us into this world.

It’s a shame that once we grow out of childhood, we are discouraged from exploring our creative energies to their fullest potential. Unless you go against the grain and major in an art or design field, creativity is mostly left out of standard college curriculums.

We think about creativity as thinking “outside the box”. But it’s more than that. A box only limits creative energy. It tells us it’s safe to be creative within certain parameters (like in your sketchbook), but anything beyond that creativity is often deemed a “waste of time”.

Which brings me back to the creative mindset.

Our creativity is linked to our essence (true nature), which is tied in to our intuition. Connecting with our intuition is what allows us to see things differently than our conscious (trained) mind sees.

When you embrace your creative essence, the box ceases to exist. We tap into energies and ideas that make others go, “Huh, why didn’t I think of that?”.

A few years ago we were building our first custom home. The house had a beautiful front courtyard and there were two gates to go in and out of the courtyard. The builder gave us an option to have standard tiny gates or larger, heavy-duty gates that offered more privacy. All the other homes in the neighborhood had one of the two options.

A lightbulb went off in my head. I felt it that two entrance points were a security risk (meaning we would have to get cameras on both gates), we would likely never use the second, more awkwardly placed gate, and since we wanted the larger, heavy-duty gate that would be a big price jump to get two gates.

So I asked the builder, “What if you just built a wall where the second gate goes?” It would have been a more seamless transition into the garage walls as well.

She said, “Huh, we’ve never been asked that before. Let me find out and get back to you.”

In the hundreds of homes with courtyards that had been built in that neighborhood, no one had asked for that option, merely because they were looking the two inside the box options that were presented to them.

The wall was approved and it saved us over $4000!

What allowed me to think of the wall is my belief that, “it doesn’t hurt to ask”. Ask for the option that isn’t listed, and put ideas out there no matter how non-traditional they are. That’s where true creative innovation comes from.

This was a simple example of having a creative mindset. I’ve learned that my box-less ideas are worth sharing with others and have developed my ability to have many creative solutions to simple problems.

I keep my creativity flowing by making pottery and learning watercolor painting. I may not be a professional, full-time artist, but connecting with my creative energy on a daily basis allows me to live a life that is my own and not heavily influenced by culture, tradition, or limiting rules (other versions of boxes that keep you from your creative energy).

What’s one box that you’ve been afraid to break out of? I’d love to hear about how you use your creative essence in your life.