Written by: Jeanne Y. Savelle, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What do you know about creativity? Do you see yourself as creative? Do you live in a creative space?
If you embody creativity already, you have much to teach the rest of us, and I invite you to engage with us here.
If you don’t, then you are like me. I spent most of my life telling myself I wasn’t creative.
I worked a corporate career for 30-years and believed it was the most uncreative career anyone could have. Finance and accounting seemed boring, but they paid the bills. Knowing Spanish, I eventually moved to Venezuela and spent my career working in Latin America.
I always thought my life was profoundly uncreative. How little credit I gave myself.
Of course, every aspect of my life contained seeds of creativity, but I couldn’t see it or feel it.
Now that I am much (much) older, I realize not only am I creative, but everyone else is, too. Looking back on my life with candor, I can see where I lived creatively in the moment, in the decisions I made.
For example, I moved to Venezuela without knowing anything! A more specific example: I bought a large, dynamic, and colorful painting when I lived there. The moment I saw it, I had a deeply felt and clear vision. I saw the painting hanging in a custom-built beach house which was years in the future.
While the vision came to me in an instant, I didn’t know from where and didn’t give it any credence. I certainly didn’t think of it as a creative idea. I only knew I would have a beach house to showcase the painting.
How we fool ourselves, ultimately to our detriment, as we deny who we really are. Because I told myself I wasn’t creative, I didn’t live from that space and denied myself a life of joy.
Where do creative ideas come from?
How do you manifest creativity in your life?
How can you access it more easily?
I’m going to speak to these questions in the weeks to come. But for now, I created a shortlist of some of the concepts I believe, and we’ll explore, about creativity.
Creativity is innate.
Creativity is effortless.
Creativity is unpredictable.
Creativity is exploration.
Creativity is intention.
Creativity is fun.
Creativity is an infinite possibility.
Creativity is unique to you.
Any journey into recognizing and embracing creativity requires courage and curiosity.
For me, I had to:
Let go of stagnant ideas (like I am not creative.)
Open myself up to possibility.
Stop trying to control the future.
Allow my inner creative force to flow freely.
When I started to approach every day with curiosity, I got excited to see what would come next. By looking at creativity differently, my life has changed immensely. I am learning new skills, transforming existing skills, making new friends, doing things I would have never considered before.
Novelist Paul Coelho wrote, “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”
Say goodbye to past beliefs and hello to a welcoming new life. Let your inner creativity take you into a life of wonder.
Join me on this journey into creativity. I want to hear from you. We will learn and explore together and see what we can see.
Connect on LinkedIn for more info!
Jeanne Y. Savelle, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jeanne is a Gentle Guide and Transformation Agent living in the Atlanta, GA, area. After 30 years as an international corporate finance executive, she chucked that life to reinvent herself. She is now a transformational coach guiding older adults to living life through their inner creativity. She is a writer and author, writing about transformation, creativity, retirement, and wine. She's earned certifications from The Retirement Coaches Association, The Life Coach School, and Modern Elder Academy. Her previous life included a Masters in International Management from The Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.
