Creativity does not form part of an agenda or a well-constructed plan. Creativity is an unexpected outpouring of ideas from the heart. It is a brush stroke, a dot, a word, a tempo that reveals a feeling of love.

We are all creators when we are creating for love’s sake. It took me 40 years to appreciate the truth about creativity and how creativity flows from my heart to the outside world.

I discovered my creative flow when I attended a writing retreat a few years ago. I met other writers who shared a passion for storytelling. “Write for you,” they said, “as if you are the only person who will ever read it.” They recognized my burning desire to write about my childhood as a way to speak my truth about past experiences that haunted me. They saw a brokenness that came from abandonment and unanswered questions. They saw a girl who wanted to write her story to make sense of her life. So, I began writing. Through writing, I found a safe place to put my feelings and a creative practice that helped me put pieces of my soul together.

The strangers whom I met at the retreat became my biggest supporters and encourage me to write single every day. It is only recently, with their support, that I have built up the courage to share my writing with others.

While creativity is not planned, the desire to make a connection in love must be there. The drive to make sense of things for the sake of love must be present. This takes courage. As the brilliant Brene Brown points out, “Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.”

To open up the gates to creativity, call on your courage and call on a friend to join you. Plan a photography walk, attend a workshop, sign up for a cooking class or a dance class. It doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be something. Once you open the door to creativity, the strokes and the tempo will come to you.

Our community is rooted in love and we love creative expression. Please feel free to share your creative expressions with us here and on Instagram #practiceofconnection | @meganlammam.

With love,