Do you think of yourself as creative?

“To be human is to be creative. You don’t have to go outside yourself to find creativity – you already have it. It lives in your heart and mind every moment of every day.” – Sandra Magsamen

Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is my favorite. It’s a day we come together with those we love and express our gratitude, reflecting on the abundance we are blessed with. I believe that when we are in a place of thankfulness we are closest to our creative source.

How can thinking of ourselves as creative, enhance this holiday season for ourselves and everyone around us? I love asking, What are your favorite holiday traditions? I enjoy hearing how people create new traditions while still celebrating old ones. Here is one of my favorites at Thanksgiving. As soon as the dinner table is cleared and clean, we spread a light-colored “thankful dessert table cloth” and offer any and all takers colorful Sharpie markers. This light colored cloth is the canvas for all our guests to write or illustrate their grateful thoughts along with their names and the date. Each year the same thankful table cloth comes out of storage with these memories of gratitude from the heart, funny family jokes and cranberry pooping turkeys creatively written and drawn by family members and old friends. Naturally as time goes by in life, some contributors have grown up and moved away and others that have passed on. Joy fills my heart as I travel around the table each year reading what was, what is and what will forever be my table of abundance.

My current inspirational book that I draw from in my morning meditation time is called“Living Artfully” by Sandra Magsamen. Ms. Magsamen asks us to think of ourselves as creative.
“I heard a great story of Edward Adamson, an English art therapist who asked a group of high school–aged children to look at a brick and write down as many things they could imagine the brick being used for. Some children had no problem, jotting, with ease, a hundred ideas. Other children struggled, so he asked those children to close their eyes and imagine they were eccentric artists known for their creative flair. Once they had an image of themselves as innovative, artsy people, he asked them to open their eyes and again look at the brick and write down all the things that the brick could become. This time, the children overflowed with ideas. The difference was they now saw themselves as "artists." If you think of yourself as a creative person, you will begin to act in creative ways. Use this new perspective of yourself and act as if your work, chores, commute and duties are outlets for your creativity—and they will be!”


Care to join the fun? Email me at Colleen@colleensgroi.com and tell me your past creative holiday traditions. Colleen, teaching artist, owns Colleen Sgroi Gallery & Art Classes at 12 Andover Road in Billerica Center. Web site: www.ColleenSgroi.com