Finding Room for Creativity in Everyday Life and Work

Creativity doesn’t have to look like a finished painting or a polished performance. It can be a skill you use to solve a problem, care for someone, grow food, or make a garment fit. I’ve come to think that everyone has some way of creating, even if it doesn’t match the arts people usually picture.

I was raised with room to try things. Singing, dancing, piano and other instruments were part of my childhood, along with cooking, baking and handwork. We were allowed to make messes as we learned. That encouragement gave me a lasting enjoyment of making things, though I wouldn’t claim to be an expert in everything I try. I’m a jack of many trades, and that suits me just fine.

Let yourself enjoy what you can do

For years, people—especially women at church—would make a pointed remark: “Is there anything you can’t do?” I knew they might have meant it as a joke or a compliment, but it hurt. I hadn’t set out to make anyone feel small. I was simply following interests I’d been encouraged to explore.

For a while, I hid some of what I could do. Eventually I stopped shrinking it down for other people’s comfort. Now, if someone is rude, I smile and carry on. I don’t need to apologize for enjoying creative work or pretend I’m less capable than I am. There’s a difference between showing off and taking honest pleasure in your own abilities.

That shift hasn’t made every comment pleasant, but it has changed what I do with it. I can’t decide how someone else interprets my interests. I can decide whether I let their reaction stop me from trying. Life feels too short to set aside something meaningful just because another person might have a sharp remark.

Creativity can look like care

Not everyone wants to paint, sew or play an instrument, and creativity doesn’t depend on being an artist. Some people express it through compassion, helping others, or loving people and animals wholeheartedly. Gardening and growing food ask for patience and attention. Raising children takes problem-solving, adaptability and care. Even keeping a home clean involves finding workable ways to handle a recurring task—an area where I can still use a little help.

These forms of creativity may be quieter than a performance or a handmade object, but they still bring something into the world. They can make a place more welcoming, help someone through a difficult day, or turn a patch of ground into a garden. It’s useful to notice what comes naturally to you, and also what you enjoy learning. Then give it a little room to grow. You don’t have to be the best at it for it to matter.

I believe we were born with the ability to create. My faith gives that idea a spiritual meaning: we come from a Father in Heaven who is a creator, and I see creativity as something within us that comes forward in different ways, shaped by our needs and wants. People have different gifts, but each person can find something to make, tend or give.

A busy day in the shop

Yesterday offered a practical reminder of how satisfying creative work can be—and how tiring it gets. The shop was busy, with interruptions that made it hard to concentrate. I finished a wedding dress that was picked up this morning, then worked on a difficult mother-of-the-bride dress. After that, I started taking apart a flower girl dress so I could work on it. By then it was past 5:30 in the afternoon, and my back was telling me to stop.

Stopping wasn’t a failure to finish. It was a sign that I’d reached my limit for the day. There’s real value in noticing when concentration and physical energy are running low, especially in work that requires care and precision. A pause can make it easier to come back ready to do the job well.

Today I plan to finish the flower girl dress and another dress. Many pairs of pants have also arrived for hemming, along with more dresses, so the shop’s quiet spell seems to be over for now. That will make Sissie happy. I think she may have wondered whether I was running out of work. She’s away today, taking a neighbor somewhere, so she’ll see the new workload when she returns tomorrow.

For now, I’m heading into the shop to make a mess and get started. The work may bring interruptions, a crowded schedule and a sore back if I’m not careful. It also gives me a place to use the skills I’ve built and enjoy creating something useful. I don’t need to apologize for that. God is good.

Kim