Have you ever played the name game where everyone says their name with an alliterative adjective?
Elegant Ellie. Lovable Leah. Resilient Riley. You get the gist.
The intent is to learn people’s names, not solve world peace. It’s not a critical game, but I took it very seriously whenever I played it in elementary school or summer camp.
I dreaded saying, “Caring Claire.” Why? I always wanted to be ‘Creative Claire,’ but I felt like a fraud.
Until the day I wrote this article, I had never deemed myself a creative person. In high school, I hated writing, and I have never been able to draw or dance. I dreaded any event with arts and crafts, because I knew mine would most likely be the worst.
Now looking back on my life, I now see I have always been creative, and I think to a certain degree, everyone is.
Not everyone can be a Van Gogh or Misty Copeland type of creative, but that does not make a talent any less creative. If we were all Van Gogh, the world would be just dreadful.
Let me tell you about two of the ways I know that I have always been ‘Creative Claire’.
music
I’m not sure why I ever considered myself ‘uncreative’ when I have spent my entire life loving music. I was in formal choir groups from ages eight to 18 and I played the trumpet for six years. No, I wasn’t writing my own pieces, but contributing to musical groups, especially singing, allowed me to be somewhat imaginative.
Where should crescendos be? How did the music I was performing make me feel? Could I assign a story in my head to something purely instrumental? What was my favorite scale to noodle out? (ps. my favorite scale will always be the C chromatic scale, particularly descending).
While I have long given up on my formal musical training, it stays with me.
Today, I use music in another way to be creative – DJing. Don’t laugh. While my role at the Burton seems silly, my role is instrumental to the vibe. A lot of consideration and planning went into the playlist.
How will the audience respond? Do I only want to add this because I like it? How can I expand on the traditional songs that have ALWAYS been played at the Burton and add new ones?
I’m no Mozart, but I like to think my creative Spotify playlists add SOME benefit to the world.
Color guard
Okay, the secret is out: I was a marching band kid. No seriously, my ex-boyfriend was the drum major and everything. However, rather than playing an instrument, I was in the color guard.
For those who don’t know, color guard essentially introduces the more aesthetic side of the show. I’m not sure I can put it into words, but here is a link to my favorite show from high school if you are curious. Think: dance, sabers, rifles, and six-foot-flags.
Do not be confused, no, I still cannot dance (though, my mother disagrees and swears that I am graceful). I was nowhere NEAR the best one on the team. However, I had a lot of fun. I loved being able to create small, usable flag sequences that were even put into our shows. Dancing with props such as silks or fans felt a little bit like magic and made me feel less uncomfortable in my own body. It was my own version of a Maddie Ziegler lyrical solo.
I think two experiences have made me into the creative I am today. Writing this article inspired me to take inventory of all the ways in 2024 I still am creative, even without performing arts:
- The green theme I designed that is evident throughout the decor of my senior-year room
- Something as small as choosing the color for the next nail appointment
- My strategic mind when it comes to party planning and really any logistical scheduling
- Every intentional word I write for each Her Campus article or Writing for Advocacy speech
- Dancing around my room while scraping together pieces that maybe someone deems ‘fashionable’.
- The careful curating I do of all my Pinterest boards
- Mindful selection of specific Canva templates while dreaming up the perfect font to pair with them
Going forward, I want to give myself more credit.
In a world where STEM is consistently prioritized over arts such as poetry or dance, I want to notice the small things I do every day that are creative, even the way I brush and style my hair.
I still often dread arts & crafts and hate any project that involves cutting or folding paper. But, I’m much more creative than I ever gave myself credit for.
Oh, how I love to be uniquely me.