Creativity Is Your Birthright (And They Lied to You About It)

I’ve always been creative. Like, always. As a kid, I wrote songs and stories, danced around the house like I was starring in my own music video, made up plays and variety shows with actual costume changes, I painted, I drew—I did it all. And when I wasn’t busy doing that, I was making my family sit down and listen to me belt out Mariah Carey songs like my life depended on it. (All hail Queen Mariah!)

That's me - the smallest one in the cool, grunge shirt!

And then… life happened.

Somewhere along the way, the world started feeding me this absolute bullshit about how creativity was just a “hobby.” How it wasn’t a “real” job. How I should “grow up” and do something “practical.”

Go to school. Hate every minute. Get traumatised by the whole experience. Get a soul-sucking job. Pay the bills. Die. That’s what they call ‘realistic.’

And for a long time, I believed them. I started thinking I wasn’t good enough. That making music wasn’t an option. That I had to be responsible, and responsibility meant sacrificing the things that made me feel alive. I spent years working in unfulfilling job roles with the limiting belief that I didn't fit in anywhere. Shop work, call centres, cafes, washing other people's clothes - not good enough for anything else.

What a load of horse crap.

The Truth About Creativity (That They Don’t Want You to Know)

Here’s the thing: creativity isn’t just for artists. It’s not some exclusive club where you need a special membership card to enter. It’s for everyone.

It’s for the person writing poetry in the notes app of their phone.

It’s for the mum making up ridiculous bedtime stories for her kid.

It’s for the friend who always finds the best way to cheer you up.

It’s for the chef who doesn’t follow recipes, the person who dreams in colour, the one who rearranges their living room at 2 AM just to feel something different.

Creativity is literally what makes us human. It’s problem solving. It’s self-expression. It’s turning the messiness of life into something beautiful.

And it is NOT something you have to “earn.” You don’t have to be a professional, a genius, or some kind of tortured artist. You just have to be willing to play.

Creativity Saved Me

I know this because creativity saved me.

Music got me through a turbulent childhood in a violent household. Writing helped me process things I didn’t have the words to say out loud. Creating—whether it was a song, a story, or just the belief that I could build a better life—kept me going when things got dark.

And here’s what I’ve learned:

✨ Creativity is not a luxury. It’s how we survive.

✨ Creativity is not “extra.” It’s part of who we are.

✨ Creativity is not separate from you. It’s literally inside you, waiting.

I believe creativity is divine. Call it God, Source, the Universe, Mother Nature, magic, whatever feels right for you.

But it’s there. Flowing to you, and through you. Always.

So, How Do You Tune in?

If you feel like you’ve lost your creativity—like life knocked it out of you and left you a boring, bill-paying husk of a person—let’s fix that.

Perhaps you fully embrace these ideas, but you just feel blocked (I feel you buddy!)

Here are a few practical steps you can take right now to help you tune back in to that creative flow...

🎨 Take Yourself on an Artist Date

Treat your inner artist like a little kid. What did they love? Go do that. Eat ice cream. Climb a tree. Buy ridiculous stationery. Wander around a bookshop and touch every single book. Just go PLAY.

We tend to neglect our inner child. We tend to think that doing anything for our creative self is self-indulgent. What would happen if you actually started treating that inner artist with the love it craved? Imagine how much it would flourish!

These artist dates are just for YOU. People will try to join you. "Oh, you're going to watch the sun set at the beach? Sounds ace! I'm in!" - BACK OFF KAREN, THIS IS MY TIME MATE.

This is your thing.

📝 Start Morning Pages

Every morning, before your brain wakes up and starts overthinking, write three pages of whatever the hell you want. Nonsense, venting, dreams, ideas—it doesn’t matter. Just get it out.

I wake up, make myself a cuppa, and then I write. It is mostly nonsense, but this is in no way about perfection. This exercise is designed to switch off that logical part of the mind and to help you tune in to that flow.

So write, whatever comes into your head. Don't edit it, don't read it back, and DON'T let anyone read them. These morning pages are for you, and you alone.

Consistency is key! Do your morning pages every morning (and thank me later, dawg).

🎶 Sing. Dance. Make a mess.

Put on your favourite song and move. Draw something ugly. Write something terrible. It’s not about being good. It’s about feeling alive.

So dance! I don't care if you can't dance, just do it. I was once told I look like a 'Jesus man' when I dance, and have I let that stop me? HELL NO! (I don't even know what that means, but I fully embrace it - Jesus is a right babe.)

Paint! Not an artist?! It doesn't matter. Put on your favourite album and just draw, doodle, create.

Find things that light you up - play, play, play.

Final Thought: You Were Made to Create

You don’t need permission. You don’t need validation. You don’t need to “earn” your creativity. You were literally born with it.

And if the world told you to grow up and get serious?

Maybe it’s time to grow back down.

And if you need me, I’ll be over here—still singing Mariah Carey at the top of my lungs.