17 Ways You’re Creative (Even If You Don’t Think You Are)

You wouldn’t believe how many people have come up to me at events or craft markets and commented, “I could never be this creative!” I want to sit down with each and every person who says something like this and set them straight. Give me five minutes and I guarantee I can find a way you practice creativity every single day.

We have a tendency to define creativity as something that belongs to a certain class of people who wear flowy dresses and put on gallery shows, but it’s not true. Humans are natural creators. You are a natural creator. Here are sixteen ways you might be creative and not even realize it.

1. You can pull together a delicious meal from whatever’s in the refrigerator. You don’t have to be developing your own recipes to be a creative cook. Just combining leftovers into a new and tasty combination takes more creativity than you think.

2. You add personal touches to your home. Every time you combine two colors of cushions on your sofa or position art on your wall, you’re exercising a creative muscle.

3. You’re a great gift-giver. It’s not easy to come up with just the right present for any given individual. You don’t have to make homemade gifts to be a creative gifter. You do it by connecting the dots and practicing unique thinking.

4. You find ways to satisfy multiple people with varying needs. Balancing personalities is hard. Whether you’re a manager, a teacher, a politician, or the family peacemaker, no small amount of creativity goes into finding solutions that benefit everyone.

5. You have theories about your favorite television show. When you discuss the latest Marvel movie with your friends, you’re flexing the same creative muscles actual Marvel writers use to come up with new plot directions. 

6. You regularly mix and match new outfits from your closet. Seeing that five-year-old shirt in a new way requires you to think differently about it than you might have in the past.  That’s creativity in a nutshell.

7. You have a green thumb. The needs of plants aren’t always obvious. Being in tune with what keeps them alive and healthy is a testament to your intuition and your ability to iterate solutions until you find the conditions that work best for each one.

8. You come up with innovative solutions for work problems. Problem-solving is a creative endeavor, even if those problems are of a more technical nature. I often hear math- and science-types declare themselves non-creative, but those fields actually  require daily creative thinking.

9. You’re good at organizing. You may not think that sorting your books or rearranging your pantry is a creative pursuit, but those whole process is an exercise in problem-solving.

10. You’re in charge of weekend plans. Coming up with ideas of things to do that will make everyone happy requires more than just knowledge and organizational skills, it takes a spark of brilliance.

11. You’re good at small talk. Not everyone can come up with things to talk about with a total stranger. Being good at small talk means creating connections and anecdotes out of thin air.

12. You know how to make small repairs. Being able to assess a problem and finagle a solution isn’t just about skill. It takes creativity to solve maintenance issues, especially with the tools and parts available.

13. You can navigate red tape. Finding your way through bureaucracy often means approaching an issue from multiple angles.  It takes innovative thinking and creative problem solving to make your way smoothly through corporate and government systems.

14. You can translate ideas into numbers or formulas. There’s a reason why many people found story problems difficult in math class. It takes a special sort of creativity to be really good at turning the language of everyday situations into the language of mathematics.

15. Kids love you. Kids are naturally creative, so if they identify with you, it’s probably your natural creativity shining through.

16. You knit or scrapbook or sew or garden. Some people don’t consider these hobbies creative, but they absolutely are. You are quite literally creating when you partake in them.

17. You can’t help but dance when a good song comes on. Even if you’re not a professional dancer or choreographer, that urge to move with the music is your creativity in action.

Everything in this list holds true if you do consider yourself a creative, as well. If you’re going through a dry spell in your painting, writing, composing, or choreographing, it helps to think about the other ways you’re creative in your everyday life and lean into those. No matter who you are or what you do for a living, you’re an innate creative force. Own it.