Overflow living…

How do you measure wholeness in your life? What are the characteristics you point to measure how well you are living? Some of us point to money in the bank, sunny vacation photos, or beautiful things. Some of us point to our busy calendars as proof that life is worth living. Some of us pour out their lives in service to others, at home, in our community, in their churches, or in their workplaces. Some of us measure our lives by influence and popularity, pointing to the number of friends in real life or social media as proof of our value. Our culture teaches us that these measurements are enough to satisfy our need and tell us that we are okay. 

I’ve use all of these measures at one time or another. I have less defenses to some of them than others, but each of them has proved a lousy way to measure my life over time. So, what if I am busy and popular if I don’t have time and space to enjoy my days. So, what if I am needed but not known. So, what if I have all the things, there will always more things to be had. Over the past few years, I have struggled to find a new way to measure my life. 

I have found that the best evidence of my overall health is creativity. Unlike hustle, creativity cannot be forced. It needs both an internal calm connection and the external time and space to flourish. 

What does creativity look like? Well, for me it looks like words, but it also looks like planted flowers, decorated rooms, and chosen clothing. I’ve created clothes, toys, curtains, and quilts with my sewing machine. I’ve made mittens, hats, scarves, and blankets with knitting and crochet needles. I’ve created meals, desserts, and celebrations in my kitchen. I’ve envisioned events of all shapes and sizes and then brought them to life. Creativity lives in every part of our lives, even when we don’t imagine ourselves to be creative. 

When I’m depressed, stressed, or overwhelmed I shift into survival mode. In this state, creativity is elusive. Instead, every impulse calls me to calm, quiet, and order. I don’t want to make more of anything except space to recover. When things are overwhelming to me, I long for space to get away from the chaos. I need to settle in and rest, recover my equilibrium and regain my energy. Survival mode shuts down all curiosity and exploration as it diverts my energy to simply make it through the day. 

Unfortunately for me, I’ve spent far too much time in survival mode. These days, I am trying hard to build margin into my life. A little space on the edges to give me space when things don’t go as planned. This margin comes in handy when life happens. I’m also trying to build some boundaries around the time I need to take care of myself and my life so that I’m not taking care of others at the expense of my own life. I am working hard at sustainability. 

I’m finding there are some essential elements building a creative environment in my life

I need some empty space.When I live in overdrive, I rarely have the bandwidth to add something new and tender to my life. Creativity takes time. It’s always easier for me to just do what I do than it is to explore new ideas or ways of doing things. Blocks of time allow me room to play with the elements of my life to bring beauty and sparkle. 

I need some energy for exploration and curiosity. I find that when I am living too fast, I rarely have extra energy at the end of my day or my week. I long to arrive at Friday evening feeling calm and connected, not worn out and depleted. When I preserve some energy for creativity, I can use it for the extra things that bring me joy. 

I need courage to share my creations with the world. Creativity is really about sharing your heart, your vision with the world. It is vulnerable and scary to offer up something, not knowing how it will be received. When I am feeling tender or vulnerable, it can be almost impossible to share a creation even in the safest spaces. It takes courage to offer up my imperfect creations, to offer them with love and let that be enough. How are you measuring wholeness in your life today? Does creativity overflow from the abundance of your life? Do you make creativity in all aspects of your life a priority? I hope so. I find that prioritizing love expressed through creativity is restorative and life-giving. When we live our lives with creativity and joy it strengthens and encourages us and all those whose lives we touch.