Walt Disney was one of the most creative individuals.

As is Barbra Streisand.

JK Rowling.

The Beatles.

Monet.

But why did they feel the need to tamper with the world?

Why tamper with making something out of nothing?

Did the world really need Mickey Mouse?

Did the world need Funny Girl or Harry Potter or Love, Love Me Do or water lilies?

I would argue that yes, we did and do need all of the above.

As people were fa-la-la-ing through life, they (probably) never said, “I need a mouse who whistles and talks in a really high-pitch voice.”

Or “I need to see what would happen if a boy who thought he was ordinary discovers he’s a wizard.”

Don’t even get me started on the contributions of Barbra Streisand or The Beatles or Monet.

So why did they create those characters, those songs, those paintings?

Before you roll your eyes and think I’ve finally gone off the deep end, let me explain.

People are pulled toward creating.

An idea pops into their heads like the proverbial lightbulb and,suddenly, they can’t let it go.

It’s like a magnet to a metal.

I have a friend across the street who draws.

She’s a Zentangle artist.

She’s been doing it for about five years, and she’s fantastic.

She is drawn to drawing. (Pun intended.)

I have a neighbor who sings in a choir.

I have another neighbor who makes sculptures by balancing rocks on top of each other. (I’m just thinking that I live on a very creative street!)

So why are we pulled to do the things we do?

I can’t speak for anyone but myself.

I write because I understood long ago that I can’t know everyone I come across.

I found that so irritating.

FOMO on a grand scale.

I just can’t know everybody.

So writing lets me create a backstory for people I’ll never know.

I can dive into their lives and make up stories about them.

Likewise, I’m very interested in “what if.”

What if this person has something he thinks was stolen by his grandfather?

What if this dog was determined to stop running away and teach himself how to stay?

What if this girl thought the only way to keep her father from drifting away in his grief was to enlist him in a baking contest?

What are you pulled to create?

A recipe?

A trip of a lifetime?

A poem?

A story?

A party?

An engaging lesson plan?

A clean, serene home?

Don’t fight it.

Don’t deprive the world of your creativity. (And to someone, you may be their whole world.)

Do I have to remind you of what the world would look like if Walt Disney never created that mouse?

I’ll leave you with this quote from Marianne Williamson, prolific author, speaker and political activist:

Until next week,

~ Gail

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