Are you an artist?

    Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm just not the creative type"? Have you ever mumbled this lie?

Today our neighbor came by to look at what Sam was making in the shop. She then asked him, "are you an artist?" My obvious answer is "yes", but those words didn't come out too easily for him. Why is it that when we hear the word "artist" we visualize someone holding a paintbrush and glazing  intensely at a canvas, holding a palette splattered with paint? What about the architect, the musical composer, the surgeon, the teacher, the engineer, the cashier, the stay-at-home mom? Or the basketball player, the landscaper, the mechanic, the chef, the minister? Are these pursuits void of creativity? Are those wearing these shoes capable of producing art, producing beauty?   When a person comes together with their gifting and their conviction we can see creativity blossoming. In their process is where we find the beauty, the product is simply the representation of the beauty. The way a librarian purposely finds that special book evidences creativity, she creates inspiration for a young reader. And the intricate process a writer sustains in choosing those perfect phrases for their memoir, creation, art, beauty. It's not the book that is chosen, nor the memoir that is written, but rather the process, this is where we find the art. Today I am thinking about the people around us, those that we interact with, family, friends, acquaintances. And I am thinking about the creativity happening in their lives. With some, it's more apparent, with others, it's somewhat buried, but trying to surface. You are an artist.