Created to be Creative

As spirit children of a creative God, we all have the ability to be innovative and artistic in our fields when we depend on the Holy Ghost.

In his talk “Gospel Vision of the Arts,” President Spencer W. Kimball wrote, “I have had a vision of members of the Church greatly increasing their already strong positions of excellence till the eyes of all the world will be upon us.… [through] the Holy Spirit which should bring them light and truth.”

Photo by Markus Spiske.

We don’t always see ourselves as “creative,” but creativity is a characteristic of God that we can all develop. In his talk “Finding Joy in Life,” Elder Richard G. Scott says to all of us: “Attempt to be creative, even if the results are modest.… Creativity can engender a spirit of gratitude for life and for what the Lord has woven into your being.”

There are creative artists, musicians, statespeople, and scientists across the world. Sometimes these great men and women live lower standards than we do as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But Spencer W. Kimball explains that their success comes in spite of their lower standards, not because of their standards. When we live according to God’s standards, we are entitled to revelation through which we can achieve excellence in our work.

Creativity and imagination are natural—we see that in children. But we must nurture it as we grow up. In his talk “Happiness, Your Heritage,” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf says, “Remember that you are spirit [children] of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God?”. We can seek real joy by choosing to foster divinely-given creativity in our lives.

Read Spencer W. Kimball’s full article “The Gospel Vision of the Arts.”

Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org

—Teya Jensen, Mormon Insights

FEATURE IMAGE BY BRUCE MARS

Find more insights

Read the rest of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s talk “Happiness, Your Heritage” here.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong also talks about how creative outlets helped him experience joy and gratitude in his talk “Our Campfire of Faith.”

Read Elder Richard G. Scott’s talk “Finding Joy in Life” to learn how creativity can bring joy.

“Creativity: A Link to Our Father in Heaven” also teaches us about the role creativity plays in the relationship we have with God.