As I search for the source of my rampant creativity (and figure out what exactly to do with it), it becomes more and more apparent that this is simply how I am "wired" and I must learn to celebrate my gifts for what they are: Gifts!
This hard-wiring concept was reinforced this past year, as both my daughters immersed themselves in musical theater, taking to it as a fish to water. Turns out they are "wired" with the same intense creativity, and are expressing it in their own unique ways. (My eldest son is a gifted songwriter, and my other son a drummer, but that is for a future post.)
Their out-of-the-box involvement and achievements continue to inspire me to fully embrace who I am, how I think, and what I have to offer the world.
Kaitlyn, my 18-year-old, has been in theater since the age of 8 and declared at age 16 that she wanted to be an actress.
Her involvement the past four years was limited to school productions, but her first foray back into community theater this spring garnered her the female lead in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I was proud as could be, and thought she was marvelous. But then again, as her mom, is there any other response?
My opinion, however, was confirmed recently by multiple independent sources, including the Arizona Ninth Annual National Youth Arts Awards and the ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence. (Namely, winning an NYA award and a Zoni nomination - award ceremony next month - for her role in How to Succeed.)
Megan, my 14-year-old, also shows great promise, dancing and singing in the ensemble of two separate community theater productions. As talented as her sister, Megan swings a bit more in the vocal music direction, demonstrating to me that this rampant creativity expresses itself differently in each one of us.
So where did this all start? For me, it began with my dad, a creative genius in his own right, who in 1992 sent me his Mac Classic with disks for Aldus Pagemaker. My second son had just been born, so with two small boys stranded in South Dakota he was afraid I would get "bored." Thank you dad for sharing with me the creative world you were discovering, which started me down the path I continue to walk today.
So is creativity genetic? I say a resounding YES, but what do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts and personal stories!
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