Creativity Started At Creation

“Try to grasp the essence of what the great artists, the serious masters, say in their masterpieces, and you will again find God in them.” —Vincent Van Gogh

Colorful crayons—ramrod straight and pristine in their perfect box—hold limitless untapped potential. But even those colorful waxy stubs that roll under restaurant chairs and melt in the backseats of cars offer ways to emulate our Creator. God created the reds, greens, yellows, pinks, and purples that make up those crayons, so we can be creative with them!

How do I know this? Because the first statement in the Bible says, “In the beginning God created….” God is an Artist. He could have made the world black and white. But His decision to create with such a wonderous variety of colors indicates His artistic quality. And, being that His nature remains immutable, He is the Supreme Artist now and for all eternity. And we are made in His image.

Did you give up coloring, painting, or drawing when you reached a certain age? There’s no reason you can’t pick it up again. I know you will benefit in all areas of life if you work to sharpen your imagination. Why? Our brains, created by the Father, can accomplish much if we use all parts. Because life never flows in a predictable, straight line, divergent/creative/whole-brain thinking skills must be honed and taught to our children. It is survival training!

I love to imagine what God was thinking as He created certain things (respectfully, of course, and knowing I could be wrong). Trees of all sorts, for example, remain my favorite botanical wonder. They come in so many shades of green and even pinks, purples, and whites when blossoms emerge. I think God knew we would need their cooling shade on hot days, but the colors are just for our enjoyment. And, when I see a giraffe at our local zoo, I like to ask the children around me, “Do you think God made their spotted necks so long to reach the treetops to nibble the nourishing leaves?” Because we all know a healthy diet includes leafy greens.

Accessing both sides of the brain in an activity such as painting, drawing, sculpting, knitting, sewing, or playing a musical instrument tangibly reduces stress. Blood pressure goes down, breathing deepens, and smiles flourish when you’re making things. Your brain regenerates so you can solve peskier problems to come.

“I am all thumbs and cannot play an instrument,” some may say. “I have no patience when I’m trying to draw, and it doesn’t turn out right. I certainly cannot teach my children to create.”

Aha! There’s the rub. You do not like to fail or struggle. While God certainly does neither of those things, He gave us and everyone else the freedom to mess up, to learn, to strive, to grow. So, life will have moments of sheer, maddening frustrations, which require patience, tenacity, and even brilliant creativity to address. “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again,” the first king of Scotland is famously reported to have said. If a king can use this phrase to encourage his soldiers, we can state it at home.

“Try again more slowly this time,” “Erase or color over your mistake,” “It’s okay to start over,” are phrases I often use with students and family.

And, lest you forget, reminders from God to practice our imaginative skills are everywhere. At a Bible study on Psalm 23, I learned an amazing thing about sheep: they are incredibly creative. Requiring clean water for hydration, these wooly wonders will stay up past their bedtime or get up before the sun rises to graze on grass covered in droplets of dew if there is not another source of moisture nearby. We would grumble about such a disruption of our sleep schedule or might not even think of this solution if thirsty.

Flexibility, patience, willingness to be surprised, the bravery to change, and the humility to fail are possible when we try to emulate our most artistic Father. Just pick up a crayon and scribble along with your kids! Your life and your problems will be blessed by these efforts.