I’ve always had this idea in my head that creativity in my life would eventually look or act a certain way—big, expressive, full. I’ve struggled with that image because I can’t picture it. And also because it isn’t me.
Even as a kid, I remember the feeling of “I really want to make something. I just don’t know what or how.” The desire to create was with me from a young age. And although I now have design as a creative outlet, that feeling still sneaks up on me sometimes.
There’s so much I could do with creativity and design – so many possibilities – that it sometimes feels overwhelming. What do I create? How do I do this?
I keep thinking about a designer I follow and a technique she has that I am so inspired by. I am in awe of how artists, like her, are able to create something from nothing by simply using the tools in front of them and the ideas in their minds. I need to find my toolkit. I want to fill my toolkit with technique and ideas and systems that feel like me. Not like an overcrowded, paint splattered, elementary art room cabinet filled with art supplies (Although there’s definitely a time and place for that!)
I want and need a toolkit that is much gentler than that. Simpler. More freeing.
My Metaphorical Artist Apron
I keep picturing a linen apron with pockets all the way across, each one with different wooden tools, spools, and supplies to keep my hands, eyes, and mind busy. There would also be pens and a sketchbook nearby. It’s quiet. Intentional. Not overwhelming, but full of possibility in a way that feels peaceful.
It makes me think of the way God works in creativity—how He’s not rushed or chaotic, but patient, present, and purposeful.
This is all a metaphor of course – a way I want to approach creativity in my day-to-day. Not cluttered or random, but a way that lets me explore a style that feels like me.
Maybe that looks like sketching on my iPad. Maybe it’s painting freely on a canvas. Or taking a walk when the weather is nice and just noticing the things around me. Letting myself be inspired. Maybe it’s something sacred, a journal entry, that I keep just for myself. Or a brand design I share with close friends on social media. I think I’ve only scratched the surface with possibility.
More than anything, I want to tap into creativity in a way that feels like discovery—coming up with my own techniques, my own rhythm. Letting God work through me through design. Through art.
Maybe I’ll brainstorm a list. I love a good brainstorm.
Inviting You In
Maybe you’ve felt this tension too—the pull between endless possibilities and the desire for something intentional. If you have, you’re not alone.
Creativity doesn’t have to be loud to be meaningful. It can be quiet, simple, and yet, still full of life.
A brainstorm may be a good place for you to start, too. Let it be simple. Let it be joyful. Let creativity be yours.
Claire here! I just had to leave an update about this post, for anyone who sees it from now on. I was at a conference with my husband recently and I got to chatting with a woman running her sponsor vendor booth. She used to be an elementary art teacher and now runs a printing/embroidery/merchandise company with her husband. We were talking about our love for art and all things creative when she randomly said, “it would make me sad when the kids would say, ‘I want to make something, I just don’t know how!'” I stared at her, a little speechless for a second and said, “I JUST wrote a blog post with that same idea!” She continued to explain how she would allow space and time for those kids to come back to their artwork until they were happy with it and it made my heart swell. Just a cool connection and coincidence. (or maybe it wasn’t).