Creative Musings

I was listening to Clover Stroud’s stories about creativity and identity this morning and it made me realise that there’s so much of myself that I still hide. Partly because I like it that way, I like privacy and quietly getting on with creating. But listening to Clover I realise I also keep quiet because I feel like no one will really be interested. This connects deeply with childhood for me. I was quiet for a reason (which ironically I’ll keep private for now). My creativity was the world I hid out in, the thing that made my heart secretly soar. The feeling I get when I think about it is my jaw clamped shut but my mind being in absolute technicolour.

This morning Clover was talking about how a simple walk can initiate so many creative ideas for her. I find the same. I am ALWAYS creatively switched on. To the point where it’s sometimes exhausting. I have to tell my mind just to calm down a bit and rest. Sometimes I even say it out loud to myself. But I’m always trying to keep this wild, excited energy IN. I don’t just see words on signs, my mind is turning them into poems. I’m not just looking at the trees when I walk, I’m seeing patterns and the difference in the vibrancy of the colours. I don’t just walk past people, I see how they would look as illustrations. Overheard conversations are lines in scripts. I wonder if I should start sharing a bit more about what creating is really like for me, in all it’s wonder and fierceness.

Take this photo for example, I simply walked down my hall and noticed the light. I felt like painting but didn’t have time. Within seconds my mind had already decided we’re going to take a photo to catch the light and celebrate my waiting brushes. Why? Absolutely no reason, other than my creative heart wants to secretly, quietly play. Just like it always has. It’s just now I share it sometimes. Can you relate?