Everyone is creative. Yes, even you.

Even if your creative muscles are a little out of shape.

I’ve been an artist basically my whole life. And over the years, as I’ve developed various artistic skills, people (usually non-artists) have often been impressed. I can’t tell you how many times someone has looked at one of my drawings or paintings or prints and said, “I wish I could draw, but I’m not creative.”

In the words (word?) of Dwight Schrute, “False!”

Creativity is not the same thing as skill. Skill may start out with some natural ability, but it takes time and intentional practice to develop. But creativity is something we are all born with. Everyone has it. Just like everyone has a brain. We just use our creativity (and our brains) in different ways. Some people paint. Others write. Still others compose music. Some especially gifted people do all three (or more).

But creativity isn’t just about artsy stuff. It’s about practical stuff too. People use creativity to build structures, design vehicles, think up safer ways to perform heart surgery!

“Well, sure,” you say, “but I don’t do anything like that.”

Okay, so not all of us are artists or poets or heart surgeons. But creativity is in the little things too. People use creative thinking to accomplish all sorts of everyday tasks. In fact, I bet you’ve already made at least one creative decision today.

Doubt it? Well, maybe you haven’t painted a portrait, written a song, or designed your dream car, but…did you get dressed? Choosing an outfit is often a creative endeavor. What shirt goes with those pants? Should you wear a tie? A scarf? Maybe a necklace? How about earrings? Should you wear boots or shoes? Which would look better? Which would be more appropriate for the weather (or the temperature in the office)?

And what about that time you organized your sock drawer or that junk drawer in the kitchen? If you’ve ever managed to organize a junk drawer in a way that makes sense and lasts for more than a month, you might be a creative genius.

Not all creativity is immediately obvious, and it’s true that some people seem to be better at it than others. But I think that’s mostly because they don’t give themselves the chance to flex their creative muscles very often! If you don’t use your muscles, they get weak, and creativity (or imagination) is no different.

But that doesn’t mean you’re not creative. It just means you’re out of shape.

It’s a hazard of adulthood, even for those of us with “creative” professions. We get used to certain types of challenges (like rewriting a rhyming stanza) and, eventually, those challenges become routine, and we end up stuck in a rut. Sometimes all we need to get out of that rut is a little self-imposed boredom. But if that’s not enough, it might take a new kind of challenge to get us out of it. That might mean saying, “Forget this manuscript. I’m going to go paint monster blobs!”

This is why I think it’s good to try out different types of creative activities. For someone like me, it’s pretty easy. I love to do ALL THE THINGS. Just the other day I made heart-shaped cookies, and made it a point to make the cookies look as creative and pretty and fun as possible.

Other ways I flex my creative muscles outside of the writing and drawing I do for work are things like:

• Baking

• Cooking - I like to adapt recipes or give them new twists. It’s handy when I’m short on ingredients.

• Crochet and quilting

• Doodling

• Trying new poetic forms just for fun

• Gardening

• Playing games

Staying in creative shape is essential for my line of work. But it’s not only helpful for work. It’s helpful for LIFE! Being intentional about creative exercise helps me be a better problem solver, whether that problem is figuring out how to get that last bowl into the dishwasher without compromising efficiency or writing an award-winning children’s book.

So the next time you think of yourself as “not creative,” remember that time you organized your junk drawer, and stand a little taller.

Then, grab a notepad and some crayons (or cookies and frosting) and work those creative muscles!

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Mari in the Margins UPDATE

My middle grade novel in verse releases in less than three months, and will be available for preorder on March 12 on the Bandersnatch Books website. I hope you will consider ordering the book for yourself or a young reader in your life. And here’s a fun bonus: the first 100 people to preorder the book will receive a small, original “Mari doodle” with their book!