Thoughts About The Creator in Us All

“To be human is to be creative. We were born to turn nothing into something.” — Julia Cameron

I’ve thought a lot about the urge to create—where it comes from, what it really is. Why do I do it? Why do humans create?

Not the artistic kind of creating, necessarily. It's the kind of creativity that sneaks in when we’re not looking for it. When we’re alone, restless, trying to make sense of something. Or just trying to feel more like ourselves.

That pull to make something from nothing, it shows up in all kinds of ways. Sometimes it’s about expression. Sometimes it’s about connection. Sometimes we’re trying to understand something. Other times, we just want to feel something.

I’ve felt it for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are from my grandma’s house, where I was essentially forced to spend my time being creative. Many times, I was the only child there, in a small house. I was only allowed in the postage-stamp-sized backyard, and it only had one tree. I’d draw and color for hours, or disappear into elaborate imaginary worlds built in the bushes or up in the tree. Indoors, I’d build blanket forts that turned the living room into my own little world. I even remember crafting a cardboard guitar and pretending to be a rock star in front of the mirror. Nothing I did was meant to last. It was just the act of being creative and the experience that mattered—and it mattered a lot.

As an adult, I’ll start painting in my studio without a plan or take a photo. I might decide to rearrange a room, decorate it, cook dinner, mix a drink, or put fingers to keys to write something I never intend to show anyone. Not because I have to. Not because I’m inspired. Just because something has to be done, it just happens.

Photo of a child in a liquor store. Southern California. 2025 - Chris Auman

Through these experiences, I’ve realized something important: creativity isn’t just for artists and trained professionals. The more people I talk to, the more I see it. It’s everywhere. We’re all making things, all the time, often without even realizing it. Creativity isn’t rare. It’s a natural human instinct. It's a superpower that we all have inside our souls. And we all do it for different reasons.

The dad who invents bedtime stories every night just to make his kid laugh. The friend who arranges a mismatched bouquet from backyard flowers and places it on the kitchen table. The neighbor who spends an entire weekend perfecting her grandmother’s stew recipe, then invites everyone over just to share a warm meal. None of them would call themselves “creatives.” But they are.

The trouble is, most people have been taught that creativity belongs to someone else. To painters. Musicians. Designers. People with titles or platforms or some special training or talent. And if we don’t fit that picture, we don’t feel like we belong in the conversation.

But that’s never been true.

Creativity isn’t a personality trait. It’s not something reserved for the talented or trained. It’s a natural way of moving through the world. A way of problem-solving, experimenting, exploring, healing, remembering, imagining, and expressing.

Sometimes we create to express who we are. Sometimes to figure out who we are. Sometimes we create to connect with others. Sometimes to escape from them. We make things to feel in control, to make beauty, to make sense, to push back, to calm down, to start over, to be useful, to be playful, to be heard.

We write songs that few people will hear. Plant flowers in places only we’ll walk past. Fix things. Rearrange things. Build things. Decorate. Style. Cook. Doodle. Tinker. Share. Dream.

And we don’t always need a reason. Sometimes it’s just fun. Sometimes, we’re bored. Sometimes we want to look at something that didn’t exist yesterday and say, I made that. I did that.

A friend of mine mows his lawn in a crisscross pattern—first in one direction, then again at a different angle—just to get those perfect diamond lines across the grass. He’ll trim the edges twice, sweep the sidewalks, stand back and admire it like it’s a painting. Nobody asks him to do it. Nobody’s grading his work. He just likes how it looks. That’s enough.

If we stop defining creativity by medium or merit—if we stop looking for proof that we’re “good at it,” maybe we’d notice all the ways it already shows up in our lives.

Because it does. Every day.

The older I get, the more I see creativity not as something to chase, but as something to notice, appreciate, and embrace. It’s already there—in the way we decorate, cook, dress, joke, fix, plan, build, daydream, and experiment. It’s not just an action. It’s a response. To the world. To ourselves.

We create because it’s what we do. It’s how we live.

We may never fully understand why we’re drawn to create. But maybe we don’t need to. The pull is there—quiet, persistent, familiar. We each feel it in our own way. The instinct is universal. The expression is personal. And that’s what makes it meaningful.

Here’s a recent collage I made—nothing fancy. Just paper, glue, and about an hour of letting go. No plan. No rules. No special skills.

So what’s stopping you?

Is it time? Doubt? Fear? Or that quiet belief that it doesn’t really matter?

Maybe it’s time to challenge that.

Because the truth is, it does matter—more than we realize.

Abstract. July 2025 - Chris Auman. ChrisAuman.com