This week in psychology John was reading about something I had figured out a few years ago. Our brains are most creative while doing mundane tasks. Apparently that connection between the two sides of the brain is able to open up when we are doing something mundane and repetitive and the creativity flows. I have always said my best ideas have come while I was on a run or in the shower. You aren't wondering what to do so your brain is free to just wonder.
I have been waiting for this to happen at work. Since most of what I do is fairly repetitive I am assuming my brain will soon begin to wander as I work. I am preparing a notebook to keep by my side for the inspirations that come. I think the creativity is getting close to returning as the idea for this post came to me yesterday. I emailed myself the thought but I would rather write it down in the future. And good thing I did note it because although I remembered I had an idea I had no idea what it was.
What is creativity and how does it manifest? While at home my creativity manifested as ideas for blog posts, women's ministry, home decor, running John's business, passions for healthy living, educational philosophy and raising my kids to become the unique individuals God made them to be. It also manifested itself in crazy thinking that started fights with my husband, created negative feelings toward friends, made impulsive, inappropriate comments and made me think general doubts about myself , who I am and what I am doing.
What should be something used for good, to help me serve God and live out the life He has planned for me, instead can be used to create misery for myself and others if I allow Satan to get into my head and control my thoughts.
As I was thinking about creativity in the mundane at work this week I looked around the building and realized that every person in the building probably had some mundane aspects to their jobs. How was the creativity manifesting itself in each person? It can be great, it can be the kind of thing that brings fresh ideas to a company, new products, better ways to do things, more organization, time and money savings. John said that the employees at Google are supposed to take a certain amount of time each day to have fun and let the creative juices flow, they can work on any idea they want. Apparently one of the things that came out of that was g-mail.
Unfortunately, some people use the same creativity to be negative, to complain and look for problems. When they do have a good idea they use their creative energy to come up with all the reasons nobody else would care and why they are totally unappreciated. I am amazed by some of the notes and emails I get from people about the basic functions of our office building. Opportunities to encourage and support fellow co-workers get turned into condescending commands on how we should behave. It seems like a lack of creativity but really it is more like misplaced creativity.
Not all creativity is good. We have to make a choice. Push down the negative voices and ask ourselves how we can be better, move forward, love and encourage others. Yes there are problems in life, yes some of your co-workers/family members/friends are annoying, no the company/your family/friends won't always appreciate you. But you are a unique individual created by God for a purpose. Be positive! Turn your mind away from the problems. Don't let Satan rule your thoughts but open your mind to the Lord and let Him fill you with His creative and wonderful ideas.
How are you using your creativity today?
“So you see, imagination needs moodling – long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.” — Brenda Ueland“
The world is but a canvas to the imagination.” — Henry David Thoreau
“We have come to think of art and work as incompatible, or at least independent categories and have for the first time in history created an industry without art.” — Ananda K. Coomaraswamy
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (KJV)
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