Secret #1: Acknowledging Your Creative Self

"Your creative self is alive and waiting for your invitation to evolve! Dare to embrace your creative self and manifest your dreams. Recognizing your creativity leads you into a life of self-expression, fulfillment, and contribution."
~ Gail McMeekin

The mothership has landed!

And I am hopping on board.

In my quest to find creative inspiration every day, I stumbled across the online book blogging club The Next Chapter. Starting on January 9th and continuing for 12 weeks, the participants (well over 100 of them) are blogging about the book The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin. When I discovered this on January 8th I jumped in with both feet (typical), before I even had a copy of the book! So I finally received my copy, and I have read the first two chapters, taking notes and listening to the great conversation within to see where this is leading me.

Come along as I delve into Secret #1: Acknowledging Your Creative Self

"I think the creative process is not about creating something else; it's about the process itself creating who I am." ~Mayumi Oda

I feel as though I have been adrift. I have lived 40 years on this earth and have merely bobbed along in my little boat. I have gone with the flow of outside forces and obligations. I have made the best of my life, enjoying my family, friends and interests, but never really taking control of my own ship. I knew that I had that internal compass that was leading me, directing me, but I haven't honored that direction. So finding this book is inspiring me to chart my own path, take control of the ship of my life by being the captain of my dreams.

"There cannot be too many glorious women." ~Marianne Williamson

I didn't realize until this moment that I have been seeking a creative community all my life. The participants in this book blogging club have been an inspiration to me. For the past week I have read with great interest the journeys that these women have been on. I have seen myself in every post. I am excited about sharing with these glorious women and learning from them. This will be fun and that is a reward in and of itself. The 12 Secrets participants have such vast and varied life experiences but the common thread through all is their need to create.

McMeekin interviews a grand assortment of glorious women for this project. Jamie Ridler, the coordinator of The Next Chapter book club, is interviewing additional creative bloggers to add to the experience. One such voice in the wilderness is writer Samaya Roman who says,

"What you love is a sign from your higher self of what you are to do."

I was particularly struck by this quote.

Is doing what you love tapping directly into the DIVINE? And if we don't do that which the DIVINE is calling us to do, are we ignoring our SACRED CALLING?

We are designed by God to be CREATIVE BEINGS, none more so than the obvious creationary role of women. We need to honor that part of ourselves that is creative in whatever medium we choose to manifest that gift. Honoring that creative spirit is tapping into divine inspiration and taps into the energy to fully realize who we are and meant to be.

"I had to acknowledge that I was indeed an artist at heart." ~Gail McMeekin

I have always been labeled a "creative". But I had never been labeled an "artist" until most recently. And when people tell me that they are creative, they most certainly do it in the same breath that they profess their inability to be creative, as if I had been given double the gift and they had been gypped at God's banquet table.

I strongly disagree with the idea that only certain people are creative. We are each creative, called by our Creator, but we forget how to make that part of ourselves real.

Growing up I was inspired by my dear godmother. Aunt Char did everything with flair. She made the most delectible desserts, wrapped every package with great flourish, displayed her collections with the care of a museum curator, and had the most lyrical handwriting I have ever seen. Not having any children of her own, my sister and I had a special place in her heart. I count my life blessed that she was such a guiding influence on me and inspiring me to look at the world through artistic lenses.

Aunt Char made amazing things. She could sew (we had the matching sailor outfits to prove it), and craft the most ingenious projects. She made an Advent wreath with little matchboxes that contained a jewel with a magnet on the back. Each day my sister and I greatly anticipated opening each box and placing the jewel on the tree in the middle, that and the treat that was always waiting inside. My own children use that countdown calendar now and it makes me so proud to see the great care and thought that went into this piece.

Aunt Char had a love of the ocean. She and my Uncle Tom would travel to Florida each November to vacation. She would walk the beach and collect shells of all sorts. She displayed these beauties in cases throughout her home. And when she had more than she knew what to do with, she started sharing those with us in the form of a glass lamp base filled with these sea treasures. That lamp reminds me that every piece that I create should be filled with my own passions and that I need to share that love with the world. That is honoring my creative self.

I believe in angels. When my Aunt Char was alive I frequently called her my "earth angel". Her love and inspiration guided me then, and I believe that I am still guided by her hand. She was a role model for creative confidence. I think that she is smiling down on me now that I have charted my course for creating who I am meant to be.

Check it Out::http://ravenn.blogspot.com/

How do you express your creativity? Do you bake bread, paint watercolors, decorate your home, write poetry? What about finding creative ways to stretch your food dollar, giving thoughtful gifts, solving problems at work and at home? All these are creative pursuits. More importantly, we need to broaden our definition of what being creative means in order to push past road blocks.

"...we women express our creative selves with every business idea brainstormed, every garden planted, every family member or friend comforted, every outspoken word voiced, and every feminine value expressed." ~ Gail McMeekin

Enjoy the day!