Inner Voices of Creativity

Let Your Inner Creative Child Out to Play!

By Anne Marie Bennett

This is the SoulCollage® card that I’ve made to honor my inner creative child. Her name is Julia (don’t ask me why… that’s what she said she wanted to be called!) and she represents the part of me who loves to create plays, songs, dances, chalkboard scribbles, and anything that’s colorful and bright.

When I asked her to tell me more about herself and her place in my life, this is what she said:

I am the one who likes to make things. I am the one who loves to draw on the chalkboard. I am the one who loves to dress up and put on plays.

I am the one who loves to dance, to make up new dances. I am the one who loves to make up stories.

I am the one who makes books and art, who knits and does embroidery and counted cross-stitch and crafts. I am the one who takes photographs, who makes cards and collages for my family and friends.

I am the one who is creative, who loves color and movement, who finds myself at the center of every creation, whatever it may be.

I give you the gift of creativity, a momentous and integral part of your life. I give you color and words, light and movement, song and dance, and the value of knowing exactly who you are.

I give you fun and playful moments. I give you the gift of self-expression.

I want you to know that creativity is to be a DAILY thing for you, not something that you save for an occasional weekend activity. I want you to create, to use your imagination often. I want you to see and acknowledge and honor your creativity in some way every day.

As you can see, Julia is happiest when she is creating something. It can be something as simple as a crayon drawing in my art journal, or more complex, like a 50 page altered book.

If I spend too much time checking email, doing housework, and working on my computer, Julia starts getting whiny and demanding attention. When I put her low on my list of priorities, she starts acting out in rebellious ways. For me, these include: overeating, compulsive spending, and staying up really late reading. These are all signals to me that my Creative Inner Child needs some love and attention.

In one way I’m lucky: my daily work involves a healthy dose of wordy creativity. But if I get too caught up in that, Julia starts tugging at my sleeve to let me know she needs some other kinds of creativity as well: some art, some music, some dance. I am slowly learning to give her a more balanced diet of her unique creative passions.

For instance, this month I began including “Fun Fridays” in my weekly schedule. This was Julia’s suggestion, and it includes no less than three hours at my art table on Friday afternoons. Every week. No matter what.

I was hesitant at first (my mile-long To Do List keeps beckoning), but decided to trust this part of me who finds such joy in artsy creativity. So far we’ve made: play-dough angels, two pages in an altered book, and a few SoulCollage® cards.

As for next week… who knows? We’ll sit down together at the art table, Julia and I, and see what happens next.

Inner Reflection:

What does your Inner Creative Child look like? Is he/she getting enough healthy doses of creativity? What kind of voice does your Inner Creative Child use when it’s content? How does he/she try to get your attention? What would your week look like if you were committed to satisfying your Inner Creative Child’s need for self-expression? •

© 2006 Anne Marie Bennett. All rights reserved.

About the Author | More by Anne Marie Bennett
Anne Marie is a freelance writer and collage artist whose main passion is to spread the power of the SoulCollage process as far as possible. Anne Marie lives, laughs, sings, works, (and makes her own SoulCollage cards!) in Beverly, MA. To learn how to make your own SoulCollage® cards, please visit www.kaleidosoul.com.

10/13/06