Creativity

Creativity is contagious.

I've been composing a new piece every week. I finished one, but couldn't come up with a title and decided that asking my family what they thought it should be called would be a good idea. Well, it was a good idea, but it also had some unexpected side effects.

Everyone got into the spirit of the "naming", asking me to play the piece for them, telling me what it reminded them of, and hoping to win the donut. They all started thinking creatively.

On Sunday, when I was sitting down to work on a new piece, Sarah planted herself at the digital piano downstairs and started composing a very nice piano piece herself. Ben sat down at the organ, which is right behind the grand piano, turned it all the way up, and started making up a new piece for organ. Joshua, who didn't have a keyboard to sit down at, hovered around me, asking all sorts of questions, until he decided to sit on the couch and draw video game illustrations. This lasted until I couldn't hear myself think, much less the piano, and gave up composing for the day, at which point Joshua took over the grand piano and started playing around with melodies and the like.

My composing time got interrupted, but I was not upset. How could I be? My three older children were all thinking creatively, and doing something with those thoughts. I love that they are willing to try to express themselves in different ways. I hope that I will always encourage them in their creative pursuits. I really love that they are all so excited to share these meanderings into creativity with me.

I was linking off of Kate's blog to all of her friends and found this great link that made me wonder if perhaps I shouldn't try a song this week instead of a piano piece. Take a minute, or nearly four, and listen to it. See if it can inspire you to be creative today. Share your creativity with those that mean the most to you. Maybe they'll be inspired, too.

Today I'm going to try something old, composing a song, something new, cooking a new dessert, something borrowed, free time for myself (I borrow it from my children), and something blue, maybe just blue jeans. I'm going to tap into my creativity and see what happens.