Creativity for Well-Being 4 - Create Like A Kid

Created in the image of The Creator, we are all creative, and indulging our creative passions increases our sense of well-being. Each Sunday this month, I’ll be sharing ideas and inspiration for using your creativity to draw closer to the Lord, to dive into the Word, and to live the abundant life. I’ll be using illustrated Bible journaling examples, but keep in mind that these principles apply to all forms of creativity. So, let’s get started! 

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CREATE LIKE A KID

“I have an idea for a new dessert,” my 12-year-old niece said one day last summer as she peered into the pantry. We’d decided a little earlier that we didn’t need to go to the grocery store and would use the food already in the house for our meals the week she was here visiting. There were plenty of options for making a variety of desserts, yet she concocted something new and named it “Chocolate Pudding Stack.” The main idea was a couple of layers of pudding.

However, we didn’t have any graham crackers to make a crust. She’s seen her mother crush graham crackers, mix the crumbs with butter, and spread them in a pan to create the first layer of one of their favorite desserts. She stood in the pantry doorway, scanning all the boxes and cans and containers, then pulled out the box of ice cream cones and set to work creating her own crust – just like her mother, yet different. 

This type of ingenuity combined with imitation is very common in children. As grown-ups, however, many of us would have looked in the pantry, discovered the absence of any graham crackers, and immediately moved on to a different dessert, one where all the ingredients were available. Somehow, we lose the ability to see things in a different way.

I’m definitely guilty of this phenomenon at times, although over the past few years I find myself more and more searching for ideas to use familiar objects in new ways. And I’m always intrigued when I find articles like, “10 Ways to use Paper Towel Holders” or “5 New Ideas for Toothpaste.” 

One of my favorite techniques over the past year is using decorative napkins as artwork on illustrated Bible journaling pages. I’m not sure where the idea originated, however, it’s a technique that has swept through the Bible journaling community. Of course, I’ve accumulated a small stash of FUN napkins to use in my Bibles. This FUN and creative way to use napkins allows me to create and spend time with the Lord contemplating the scriptures.

When we served the “Chocolate Pudding Stack” after dinner last summer, my niece was so excited to have created a new dessert . . . and it was yummy!

This week, stretch your creativity by looking for new ways to use familiar objects. 

[This is part 4 of a four-part series that I first shared in an Abundant Life/Well-Being Facebook group several months ago.]