What it Means to Be a Creative

There is a quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt that hangs on the bulletin board in my home office offers insight into what it means to me to be a creative person.

It reads: "Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of the creative effort."

I'm not sure how FDR had time for creative outlets during his time as President for a historic three terms. But as a brief read through his biography on Wikipedia indicates, he was a scholarly man of many interests. So it is probably his appreciation for a pioneering creative person from which this quote derives.

Regardless of it's inspiration, this quote truly resonates with me. Perhaps it is my own quasi-obsession with highly creative people makes me want to learn more from them. I want to understand what makes them tick. All with the hopes that I can understand myself better. Define my own process, pushing me to think bigger, work harder, and color brighter.

I believe that design itself, in its most neutral form, --not labeling it good or bad-- is the result of a cumulative energy of creativity. Do not underestimate this powerful energy. I think it is as important as the air we breath. Think of a life without beauty or color. What would a flower be without it's petals? Or building a suspension bridge without cables. And then there is the beaver that builds his dam in such a certain way so as to design himself a comfortable and safe home. Think of the child who paints his sky purple, simply because he hasn't learned yet that it is "supposed" to be blue. And better still, if he does know it is supposed to be blue, he still reaches uses purple.

Just as each and every person on this planet is uniquely divine, so is what we have to offer creatively.

No matter what form that offering takes (i.e. art, music, fashion, writing, engineering, etc.). Since a very young age I knew that being a creative person and sharing it with the world would be part of my life's calling. In addition to the love of my friends and family, it is the contribution of my creative self that fulfills me. The process brings me peace and purpose. And feel great humbleness for all those who choose to receive it.