An Affinity with Creativity

Creativity is part of the human experience. It has to be. Human's were brought to life in an act of creation. We were formed and fashioned to be the image-bearers of our Creator. As image-bearers, we were given dominion over the world, and called to subdue it. Human creativity and the resultant activity only make sense in a created world.

Creativity is often seen as the realm of the artist. Writers, painters, musicians, and others spring to mind when we hear the word creativity. But explorers, scientists, inventors, and more are no less creative. In a seemingly infinite universe, human curiosity is free to investigate, explore, categorize, and shape the creation. These tasks are the exercises of the dominion of man.

An artist can take a piece of marble, and fashion from that cold stone a masterpiece of form and design, that leaves others marveling at his ingenuity and ability. And in a perfect world, such artistry would ultimately lead to the praise of God, who formed and fashioned the artist. At the same time, a scientist can look through a microscope and decode the blueprints of the human gene, and the world is astonished at such brilliance. Again, in a perfect world, people would then turn to God in praise, because he not only created the scientist through whose brain such a discovery was made, he also made the blueprint.

Most of humanity strives toward creativity. Some people quilt or sew, other build and tinker, some write and others cook. The drive towards creativity is not always conscious. We often don't know that we are doing it. The image of God, though deformed by sin, is still present within us. On occasion, it still shines forth. That is not to say that everything mankind creates reflects the image of God. But we are clearly driven to create, categorize, and change things.

We have an affinity with creativity because we were made to reflect the Creator's glory. We feel a certain sense of accomplishment when we make or fix something. Because of our affinity with creativity, we recognize those with talent and their accomplishments. We even seek to improve our own skills in a pursuit for excellence. We were created with a capacity for creativity, and called to use it. How do you use your creativity?