CREATIVITY

CREATIVITY

The verb “Create” means to bring something into existence 

We are created by our birth so it’s my belief that all human beings are born with a strong urge to be creative, but, in order to stay creative we have to get a goodly and constant supply of “Wows”. As a child, these “Wows” are often fueled by an outside influence such as a parent or a teacher, but the best kind of “Wows’ are those that are encouraged from within.

Creativity is not limited to painting works of art, or designing a wedding dress, or building an architectural masterpiece.  It can be found in a little bit of metal or wood that just fits and enables a damaged motor to run, or picture to hang straight, or a space craft to stay aloft.  Creativity is the art of lateral thinking, the art of wondering, and what today is often referred to as “thinking outside the box”.

When we were young our Covey did a lot of “thinking outside the box”. Mainly because we didn’t have a box, certainly not the box that toys came in. If playing is a dress rehearsal for life then we were certainly getting ready for a life of creativity.  Our games were fueled with imagination rather than electricity.  Outside games involved physical activity and inside games often centred around paper and pencil, or bits of string, or found stones.  The only limitations being what else could we do with them?

It’s certainly obvious that one of our members absorbed these playing lessons very well as evidenced by the following story:

It was a time of much importance.  It concerned the first visit of LB’s in-laws to this lovely land of Canada.  The usual preparations were well in hand.  House was cleaned from top to bottom.  Lawn was mowed and garden was spruced.  Food was bought in large quantities.  There were just a couple of items still on the “To Do” list.  A rod was required for a bedroom drape that needed hanging, and a welcoming cake needed to be baked.  Both of these jobs had LB’s initials beside them.  After all he was in the construction trade and he was a trained baker.

The day started out fine.  The cake had risen beautifully and was cooling on the kitchen counter prior to being iced with marzipan and frosting.

LB decided it was good time to start on his other job of hanging the drapes.

As it happened that was not a good decision.  You see at that time there was another member of the family that has so far not been mentioned.  

His name was Toby.  Toby was a very large, very lovable black dog that liked cake. Well actually, he liked cake and any other food that was available, and to Toby’s nose and eyes that cake on the counter was available, so he took a bite!

That was just about the time when LB strolled into the kitchen feeling good that he had finished installing the drapes.  

From what I’m told he exploded in the only way that LB could explode, so I won’t go into details of that.  Instead, I will concentrate on the creative part of this story.

Had this happened to me I’m pretty sure that after I’d finished crying, the cake would have landed in the garbage with a thud.  Not so with LB.

I wish I had a picture of that cake, because it became a piece de resistance, a work of art. You know the expression: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, well he certainly made lemonade!

The guests were enthralled with the cake.  Never had they (or anyone else) seen anything like it.

There it stood in all its Canadian majesty: NIAGARA HORSESHOE FALLS in royal icing!  Everyone wholeheartedly agreed it deserved all the “Wows” it received.  

Many also agreed that it tasted wonderful.  Of course there were others who explained they were overstuffed and would come back to it later – much later!