Squirm, Baby, Squirm

By Lara Zuehlke

Just mentioning the word ‘creative’ to some of my friends makes them go from blank stare into that squirmy dance kids do when they have to use the restroom. “Oh but Lara, you’re a writer. That’s what you do…of course you are creative,” they say. It’s true: I receive money for the words I deliver. Yet, what most of them see, as you are now, is merely the words.

Not long ago I had an amazing conversation with a beloved friend about her passion of photography. Growing up in a household of scientists, she had taken on the belief that she simply wasn’t creative. In the course of that conversation what emerged for me was this: I had to acknowledge my creative energy before it could ever fully emerge. (And hopefully she also garnered some wonderful insights and reframes of her own.)

In other words, I assumed the role of a writer much as other people move into their professions. It’s true that I had been courting words for quite some time, so I knew the love was there. What I lacked was a belief in my ability to produce these words on quick turnaround about things I didn’t really understand (things like switches, servers, golf, accounting, and wireless routers). Yet, something kept propelling me forward. And with each new interview and each byline, my confidence as a young writer grew. If nothing else, I thought, I was getting great at the art of BS.

The sexiness of that byline eventually wore off. I almost got fired for relying on spell check to catch that it was a “public” utility, not “pubic” one. I realized that stringing together words (i.e., creativity on demand) was definitely not the easiest thing to do after a late-night happy hour. And I discovered something the journalism textbooks and English professors never ever talked about.

I am not a writer. I am merely another way the universe expresses itself, and the path it chooses to express through me is the written word. So talking with my friend, I realized that over the years, I had in many ways acted my way into the part of being a writer. Yet only by truly turning inward to myself, while also looking outward at the world, did I come to understand that I am just one expression in the universe’s sea of infinite creation. And through that understanding, I am making room for my own unique expression. I am finding my voice. And I am dancing with the creative energy that unifies and proliferates throughout the universe.

You see, by our very nature, we are creative beings. According to universal spiritual principle, there is one creative source and we, like all of the earth’s inhabitants, are born of this infinite energy. And through our own unending stream of consciousness, we can tap into this divine flow.

Not just the writers, painters, or designers. Yes, you Mr. Accountant. Yes, you Ms. Police Officer. You are an essential part of the creative expression of the universe. Because this creative expression is our natural state, it is, I believe, our soul’s innermost desire to tap into and move within this flow. For it is the flow that births new ideas, fosters new experiences, and creates new inhabitants to continue this physical existence we call life. By your very nature, you are created. You are creative. You are creator. And I don’t know about you, but the power and possibility of that alone makes me squirm a little too!

Comments

[Mark Youngblood]

Lara, You have written some amazing articles, but this one tops them by a mile! Your message is SO powerful -- I love how you have become this clear vessel for spirit to work through. The words "inspiration" and "inspire" come from the same root as Spirit, and it means: to breathe life into. As you have so ably demonstrated, when a person opens themselves up to inspiration, the resulting "flow state" breathes life into what follows, and leads to utterly authentic and amazing creations!