“We’re all in hiding” said my friend Kat this morning when we were talking about retreats and creativity.  We were talking about retreats that we’re leading (hers this weekend and mine in December) that have to do with creativity and then, of course, our conversation dipped and segued into what being creative means.  Because Kat’s retreat is being held at a Presbyterian Church, there are some religious teachings that will be interspersed throughout it.  One of the stories she shared with me comes from the Book of Genesis about Adam and Eve and how after they took the bite out of the apple (and became conscious) they hid and God looked for them saying, “come out, come out wherever you are”.

Now what are the odds that particular story would come to me from two totally different directions (see my post from last week that refered to Ryan Torok’s blog about the same lesson)?! This is when I tend to believe “the Universe” is really listening to me and that I am being “talked” to and it is me that needs to do the listening now.  As this story of hiding pertains to creativity  it is germane to how I’ve felt about my own creativity.  For years, I felt like the black sheep of the family, the outcast, the “different” one (and I was in many ways let me tell you!?) and I was always drawn to very creative people from musicians to writers to artists yet I never felt like I was creative because my ruler stopped at my ability to create things with my hands or at least play a musical instrument (which I cannot do).  Meanwhile, I’ve created all kinds of scenarios of stories in my head for years, which many called daydreaming, and defined that as yet another reason that I was inept at life—a prisoner within the confines of my mind.

Until I began to write.  And when I wrote, I felt that creative part of me engage in an outlet that I saw shine forth on the faces of my musician friends when they would hit the sweet spot of their song and on my artist friends after many false starts when they’d come up with THE picture that was inside of them.   But even with all of this confirmation if the least little bit of attention came to me for my writing or speaking, I would hide away.  I didn’t understand or know how to handle the attention that I thought I wanted so badly.

Today, it is much easier to be who I am with my writing and public speaking and allow people who enjoy my writing and/or speaking to be who they are with how they let me know.  I get it now that it is not about me, but about them.  And I don’t need attention for my writing now (although I love it when people get it and love it!!) because I write because I have to write now.  It’s in my DNA (I bet there’s all kinds of little scrolls rolled up in there) and the synapses have been connected from that part of my brain through to my fingertips to express the ideas that only the clouds knew for many years.

Come out, come out wherever you are and let your creativity free!  It’s a beautiful thing to give wing to that song inside of our hearts that is just waiting for our own unique expression.  How will you let yours out today?