The Creative Call
Everyone is born with certain characteristics and talents that shape how they interact with the world around them. Some of the most common types are:
- Analytical: those who are driven by data and structure, who naturally excel at numbers and seeing patterns.
- Logical: those who naturally lean into the logical analysis of data and events they experience. They tend to be very structurally minded and break down problems into smaller, digestible parts.
- Structural: those who thrive in structured environments and naturally lean into systems thinking. They tend to be very good at projects that require a systematic approach and manage tasks well.
- Producer: those who are driven by the “how” rather than the “what” of a project. They tend to be very pragmatic in their approach to life and problem solving.
There are several other types that exist and most are a unique blend of multiple rather than falling squarely into one camp. It must be said that there’s nothing inherently better or worse about these gifting categories and we shouldn’t stack rank them. Certain opportunities may call for a particular set of skills and talents, but that doesn’t mean all others are of lesser value.
For myself and many others the default is creativity. That is, our natural talents fall into the artistic realm and our way of thinking usually involves making connections between experiences and thoughts. Creatives tend to have an innate desire to produce art as a means of self-expression and exploration.
I was well into my thirties before I fully realized that my primary personality type is that of a creative. I should've seen the signs, but like many things, it fell into a blindspot. It wasn't until a dear friend made an offhand comment over coffee one morning that it hit me. He doesn't even remember saying it, I've checked, but it rocked my world and gave me a sense of clarity that I've been exploring ever since.
He said:
You know man, I think the reason you're frustrated by life is that you're a creative and you feel stuck.
I remember it like it was yesterday, even though it's been many years ago now. In that moment I felt something stir deep inside me. Something I'd experienced a handful of times before. It was the feeling I get in my gut when I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Truth has been spoken or discovered.
I don't remember much about the rest of the conversation, but that has stuck with me. I began exploring what it means to be a creative, because I had always associated that person with performance and visual arts in my mind. That's simply not who I have been, so it felt like I couldn't possibly be a creative.
Fast forward through several years of thought and struggle with this concept and it finally hit me. In a moment of self-reflection and evaluation of what my core values are, I realized that my outlet is the written word.
I've been writing since I was in the third grade. I still remember the moment I fell in love with telling stories. I was given an assignment to write a story about something in outer space. I believe we were studying the topic and our teacher challenged us to write a few paragraphs about it. I went home and sat down with a number two pencil and a sheet of loose leaf paper and entered, possibly for the first time, into the flow state.
I wrote a short story, a fictional retelling of the moon landing. I don't know why that's what came out, but it did. I distinctly remember loving the process of writing the story and wanting to share it with anyone who would listen.
My teacher submitted that story to a contest and I ended up winning it. I got to visit NASA and see some amazing things because of it. I even sat in the cockpit of a space shuttle.
From that time onward, I've written my entire life. I've written short stories, poems, countless essays and papers, long form stories, blog posts, training documents, and thousands of pages of journal entries. Writing is something I love. It's a part of what makes me, me.
More recently I’ve come to realize that creativity can be a calling as well. I am still exploring what that means in full, but I have accepted that it is part of my journey to write and tell stories. I’ve been doing it daily for over two months and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. I set a small writing goal of 500 words per day, which is very attainable. This simple action has made consistency easy, which is a big part of successfully achieving any large goal.
I don’t know where the call will take me in the long run, but I know I want to follow it. Some of my core values are authenticity and adventure, both of which lean into my exploration of a call to creatively express myself through the written word.