Who determines creativity? Are we born with it or is it heaven-sent? This semester at Alabama [Roll Tide!] I took a class on creativity.  The first question the professor asked was “who thinks they are creative?” A handful of people raised their hands.  He told us that EVERYONE is CREATIVE.  But I didn’t really believe that.  I mean how many times have we claimed, “Oh, that’s not my gift,” or “I wasn’t born with that gene?” It’s crazy how we buy into the belief that we cannot achieve something.  I think we grow up in a culture that forces us to limit ourselves, but I’ll save that topic for another day.

As the class went on I learned that, although people are wired in different ways, we all have creative potential; yet, we use it in different ways.  My favorite quote is from Albert Einstein, “Everybody is a genius. But if you tell a fish to climb a tree, it will spend it’s whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Personal story: When I was in high school, I had no passion.  Do you ever feel like “UGH! What am I doing with my life? Hello!?” That’s where I was.  Soon after, I went to college honestly believing that I was going to get my MRS degree, aka find a husband.  It wasn’t until I took my first art class that I realized maybe I was creative… just in a different way.

Creativity is not just art… or music or dancing.  It is our passion, our unique qualities that fuel us and that make us different.  If you have used the phrase, “I wasn’t born with the creative gene,” STOP NOW! You are creative because you were made by the Creator of creativity.

We all have it, now how are you going to use it today?

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This blog was written by our design intern, Alexa Verroi. Alexa is a student at the University of Alabama majoring in Advertising, minoring in Art.  In her free time she likes to cook, watch Family Guy, and visit Hobby Lobby.