Friday, 09 November 2012

• Do You Need Validation As a Creative?

  By Darrell at Creative Theology
  
  This is a guest post written by Darrell Vesterfelt. Darrell is a kindred spirit, and if you’ve read Creative Theology, you’ll hear a familiar concept in this post.  

  Darrell is the CEO of the Prodigal Media Group, a storytelling firm based in Minneapolis where he lives with his wife Ally. Darrell is the original #unblogger. You can connect with him on Twitter or call him at (612) 802-5227. 

  I wouldn’t have categorized myself as creative until about three years ago. I was the kid who was good at problem solving and I thought very linear. In school I was often grouped with the kids who were good at Math and Science, before those in the english and art classes.

  And to be fair I was gifted in those subjects in school. I remember finishing a chemistry final in twelve minutes and setting the curve at 105%.

  Similarly I was taking calculus as a junior in high school because I decided to take advanced algebra and geometry in one year as a sophomore.

  Even in the midst of the validation I was receiving as a master analyzer I felt like I was missing a part of myself. I wanted so badly to be apart of groups of artist and writers who were creating things.

  I wanted to be apart of those group so badly that, one semester in high school, I stole lyrics from a Matt Wertz song and submitted it as my own poetry (sorry Matt Wertz). I was longing desperately to be validated as a creative person.

  And then it happened.

  Someone told me that they thought I was a creative person. It was while I was eating chips and salsa at Mi Pueblo in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I remember it so vividly. It felt refreshing, kind of like one of those old Sierra Mist commercials.

  I think every human needs validation as a creator because we were made in the image of the Creator. To deprive someone of that validation is stealing from their identity.

  And I think as Christians it is part of our calling to validate the creations of those around us.

  We’re all creative, because we’re made in the image of the creator.

  Don’t think you are creative? You are wrong. Trust me on this, I would know. If the nerdy math and science kid is, then you are as well.

  We are all in the midst of creating our biggest master piece: Our own lives. Which is an incredibly beautiful work of art.

  When you acknowledge your own creativity, you align yourself with image of the Creator, in whose likeness we were all made. And in the spirit of that image we are called to validate the creativity of those around us.

  When you validate that creativity in others, you invite them to reflect their own unique image of the creator in the world around them. And that I believe is bringing the kingdom of God to earth as it is in heaven.

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