Soul: The Essence of Art (Ch. 1)

For the longest time, I did not consider myself creative. Lately, however, I have been reflecting on what it means to be creative. With my type A personality, I have trouble letting go. Everything needs to be perfect, which the creative process often is not. I want the things I make and do to come out perfectly the first time. There is little grace for trail and error in my mind. But I am learning that the creative process demands grace. That is why it is called a process.

Creativity is a space of learning and growing, and well know that growth is never easy or perfect. After my time in this class this semester, I feel like I am practically bursting with the need to be creative. I just don’t know where to start. In this first chapter of The Artisan Soul, McManus presents a powerful point.

“To create is to be human.”

The essence of who I am is creative, artsy, imaginative. I am formed from imagination – created in the image of a Creator God. So what am I creating that makes me human? What am I leaving around me that I am proud of?