Creativity myths are so sneaky! Sometimes they disguise as rationality, as logic and common sense. But trust me, creativity myths are just that – they are legends that a brain creates to protect itself from its worst fears. That’s a topic of its own, but for now – here are 5 myths that prevent you from living your life in a creative way.

1. I’m not a creative person

“Who, me? I can’t draw, I’m not as creative as you are!”. Isn’t that a lovely sentiment? Additionally, people who believe that they are not creative sometimes also believe that only some people can be considered creative. Let me disagree with that.

First of all, everyone (including you) can draw. Not everyone is skilled enough to draw well, but absolutely everyone is capable of drawing an image and having fun while doing it.

Absolutely every single person on this earth is creative – we just allow our creativity out in different ways. One person creates musical masterpieces while someone manages to cook and serve food in the most imaginative way. Someone puts together the most unbelievable outfits while someone takes bricks and turns them into a beautiful fireplace that completely changes the look and feel of the house. It’s all different facets of creativity.

Some people make art intentionally, and some people make it by simply living their life in a creative way.

Some people make art intentionally, and some people make it by simply living their life in a creative way #creativity

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2. I need to be good at something to do it

We are so used to approaching our lives from a functionality perspective. What happened to doing things simply because they bring you joy?

Your hobby is just for you. It’s not meant to make you money, it’s not supposed to advance your career. Moreover, the end result of your labor shouldn’t be expected to be functional – otherwise, puzzles wouldn’t be as popular as they are.

You really don’t have to be good at something to practice it. I personally can’t draw well, but I can color, and I do it with great joy. I used to be embarrassed about it until I realized that my life doesn’t have to be goal-oriented and result-driven in its every aspect. My coloring hobby can be just for me, and that’s alright!

3. I need money to be creative.

While I’ll agree that supplies cost money and that some hobbies can be quite expensive, there are a lot of free resources out there too. Check your local library and community centers to see if there are any free/low fee craft classes coming up. Sometimes you can also find free (or close to free) supplies in local churches and consignment shops. And if you have a friend who’s into the same crafts, you can also share the supplies and spend less in total.

You can always start with less expensive supplies when you are in a beginner phase of a hobby and slowly upgrade them as time goes.

Not everyone is skilled enough to draw well, but absolutely everyone is capable of drawing an image and having fun while doing it.

But here is another issue: some people who can afford the good quality supplies suddenly get very stingy when it comes to spending money on themselves, considering it a waste of cash.

If you find yourself allocating more money towards your creative hobbies, please don’t feel bad about that! It’s an investment, not an expense, there’s a difference. For example, I love planning and decorating my paper planner with creative handwriting and stickers. It might cost me a lot upfront to buy a quality paper planner, stickers and pens, but I get to enjoy my supplies for a whole year! The amount of joy that the decorating process brings me cannot be estimated. My silly supplies help me unwind, relax, and plan my time in the most creative way possible. Your pleasure is valuable enough to spend money on it.

4. I don’t have time for creative projects right now

This one is a favorite, isn’t it… How many people use this sentence as an excuse as to why they’re not chasing their dreams.

Let me spell this out for you. Unless your life is currently consumed by a very recent emergency, you DO have time for creative projects. It’s always a question of priorities. You’ve got time for your creativity, you absolutely do.

Pencil it in on your calendar to take your “creativity appointment” more seriously. Plan it two weeks in advance if you have to, but please, commit to yourself!

If you still have trouble finding room for yourself and can’t justify spending an hour on your creativity, think about it this way. You defrag way better when drawing or playing an instrument for fun than by watching a TV show that you’ve seen a million times before.

5. I need to be entirely original to be considered a creative person

When it comes to creativity, there are no black and white statements. I solemnly believe that you are allowed to get inspired by others to create your own art. There’s nothing wrong with sampling the work of others if you are doing it for your own amusement. It’s a different story, of course, if you have an intention of making any kind of profit of it – please follow copyright laws and common courtesy rules in that case.

There’s nothing wrong with practicing your drawing skills by creating reproductions of your favorite classical paintings. I think that it’s totally alright to take someone else’s recipe and make it your own. We live in a society – a network of people who benefit from the output of others and enrich everyone by adding the work of their own.

I believe that everyone can live a creative life if they choose to. It’s a journey that is full of joy, love, and light, and I hope that everyone gets to experience it if they let go of these 5 creativity myths.

Of course, there are more myths and limiting beliefs that surround creative fields. I’ll be debunking them in future posts, so please subscribe to get notifications as I post them! It’s a long road ahead, and I’m truly excited to have you join me for it!