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What Does it Mean to be Creative?

Writer's picture: Hardingstone CeremoniesHardingstone Ceremonies

What does it mean to be creative?  I have spent most of my adult life thinking that I am not creative and have repeatedly reinforced this message to myself.  It’s not until the last year or so that I’ve experienced something of an epiphany - I am creative, it’s just that I can’t draw!  For whatever reason, I grew up thinking creative people were those who recreated an accurate image of the world on canvas.  Of course we can all think of eminent artists who by this definition would fail to qualify!  It’s not just me, I have lost count of the number of times people tell me they are not creative and are reluctant to change this self perception even when I point out their ability to play music by ear, create gardens with colour, shape and form, cook without following a recipe or problem solve with ingenuity.

Two pairs of handmade knitted socks one blue, one purple.
Handmade socks by CMY

I’m not sure what made me realise that knitting, crocheting, journaling, letter writing were all creative pursuits but the lightbulb is well and truly switched on and I am revelling in accepting myself as a creative.  My Christmas present from my husband (bought of course by me!) was a copy of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.  This book describes itself as a ‘Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity’ and offers a 12 week programme to nurture your creativity.  


These days I would argue that everybody is creative and that if you disagree you either are being creative but don’t recognise yourself as such or you would actively benefit from making space for creativity in your life.  The legal philosopher John Finnis is renowned for his rework of Aquinas’ Natural Law and, whilst I do not profess to follow Natural Law, I do agree with his identification of Play (for its own sake) as one of the seven basic human goods. A fulfilled human life surely involves nurturing that part of us that is not responsible to someone or something else, not weighed down by the demands of life - job, parenting, looking after elderly relatives and so on.  


Mr and Mrs Coffee mugs in front of stove top coffee maker
Coffee ritual used in bonding ritual

Like so many things in life, the more you accept yourself as, in this case, creative the more creative you become.  Before I embarked on my celebrancy training, I read and completed the exercises within Veronika Robinson’s book Write that Eulogy after which I reflected that a) I had just completed a short creative writing course and b) I both could write and enjoy writing.  So many times my first response to the tasks set was ‘I can’t do that, I don’t know where to start’ but then once I did start,  found I could write at length, whichever trigger I was given; for example ‘a time curiosity got the better of me’ and drafting the opening paragraph of my own eulogy.  This book inspired me to pursue my celebrant training with Veronika and Paul Robinson and in turn this training has transformed my life.  I now practise creative writing on a daily basis - for the ceremonies I create as an Independent Celebrant and have recently added gardening to my portfolio of creativity. Who knows what’s to come as I progress through the coursebook of The Artist’s Way?!


By Catrina Young, Leicestershire Heart-led celebrant, Marking Life’s Moments.

© Hardingstone Ceremonies, January 2025


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