When creativity speaks

Some weeks ago, at our church’s Christmas fair, I bought a unique, handmade doll. She was one of many beautiful, quirky creations sitting hopefully on a table, as if looking for their rightful owners. The lady selling them explained she started making them during COVID as a way of expressing some of the bewilderment and angst many people were experiencing then, but later began bringing other whimsical ideas to life from the various materials she had at hand.

As soon as I saw my special, little purple person, I fell in love with her. Yes, she has an unusual face, along with elfin ears, glittery wings and an interesting outfit – perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, as I soon discovered! Some think she is weird, but to me, she epitomises so much – creativity plus, dedication and hard work, resourcefulness, a wonderful, whimsical imagination and plain, good old fun. At first, I could not decide on a name for her. Perhaps Esmeralda – or the more exotic Amethyst Aurelia? Eventually, after some discussion with our daughter on this weighty matter, we decided on Esmeralda (‘Essie’ for short) but also kept Amethyst Aurelia, as her possible future stage name – or perhaps simply as her own little escape from reality.

My special purchase caused quite a stir among family and friends and eventually one lovely friend, Debbie, decided to create a large, whimsical collage of Essie for my study wall, using the same colour theme and general idea. I was indeed touched by her efforts on my behalf and in awe of her ability to find the time to produce any sort of creative artwork. But I also sensed as I accepted her special gift how important it could be for her, in the midst of her super-busy life, to explore her own creativity and enjoy producing whatever ideas come to her mind too.

As I sit in my study now, with Essie perched on a nearby bookshelf, other beautiful artworks elsewhere, including several small paintings and a wonderful, framed piece of cross-stitch, and my collage on the wall behind me, I reflect on where all this creativity comes from. Out of my study window, I can see God’s amazing creations too – plants of varying shapes and sizes and shrubs with different shades and types of foliage. I can see the beautifully patterned trunks of tall gum trees and glimpse the sky too, grey today but often a pretty, pristine blue. I glance down at my hands on the keyboard then, such amazing creations in themselves in the way they function and perform so many complex tasks at the slightest instigation of our brains.

Surely our own creativity mirrors the heart of our amazing Creator God whose work, displayed each day in our own bodies and everywhere else in nature, speaks of such incredible, ongoing goodness, power, mercy and love. And, surely, our own hearts need to speak out our praise in return and do our best to display that same loving, creative heart to those around us.

Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

…
When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:1a,3–4

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Repurposing

I have seen books meet all sorts of fates. Some fortunate ones end up on a ‘favourites’ shelf. Some are relegated to lower shelves and end up covered in dust. Some are lent out to friends and perhaps never seen again. Some are donated to op shops or second-hand bookstalls. Some may even end up in the bin. Yet there is something else interesting one can do with books too, as I discovered recently.

This year, our church held a special Christmas fair, featuring handcrafts church members had produced. Our youth group girls decided to make pretty little candles in glass holders, but it was something else on their display table that truly caught my eye. Inspired by their leader, the girls had also created Christmas tree table decorations out of old book pages, with a gold, hand-painted, scrunched-up page moulded into the shape of a star on top!

Now, being an author, I was unsure what to think. Would I really want my books to end up as Christmas tree decorations? Yet, as I chatted with the youth leader involved and joked about how I would tell my author friends about it all, I realised those old books could come to a much more ignominious end than being fashioned into a table decoration!

Later, however, I began to see even more positive aspects to this whole project. For a start, these books had been repurposed so well and in such a creative way. And in this their final format, they would continue giving joy to others, even if not in the way their author had intended. Also, I expect the girls who made them had great fun doing so. Besides, people had paid several dollars for each little tree—and this money is earmarked to go towards a great project our church supports that helps poor families and children in Uganda. Surely this is a much better outcome all round than having those pages gather dust somewhere or end up in the bin?

Sometimes, just like these books, our lives do not unfold in the way we expected. Sometimes, things happen beyond our control that change our futures forever. Yet, if we have committed our lives into God’s hands, then God will always faithfully watch over us and lead us on, bringing to us new ways we can bless others as we listen and step out in faith. And in every phase of our lives too, God seems to prepare us for what is to come.

At different stages, I have been a high school teacher, a fulltime mum, an editor, an office secretary, a church pastor and now a writer and speaker. While I always wanted to be a writer, I never thought I would end up as one, but God did it. Life can stop us in our tracks, turn us upside down and sometimes dismantle us, just like those books that ended up as table decorations. Yet these little trees are still so beautiful and useful—and we can be too as we allow God to re-purpose us and lead us along new paths.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

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