Perhaps you’ve seen the videos from Italy. Hundreds of people standing on their balconies singing together as they pass their days quarantined due to the COVID-19 outbreak. What is happening all around us feels completely surreal, but I take enormous comfort from those scenes. They speak volumes about the creative power of the human spirit.
Throughout our lives—during the most ordinary and most remarkable of days—we are asked to make choices, face challenges, and solve problems. We may be living in extraordinary times, but in this respect, today is no different than yesterday. The problems may be bigger today, but our capacity to overcome problems creatively has not been diminished.
Scientists, health-care workers, government officials are all getting creative in their response to the pandemic. To deal with a shortage of surgical mask, a group of nurses put out a video about how to make surgical masks at home. They are asking people to help them make a million masks. What an impressive act of creative problem solving! As we deal with the new challenges—both big and small—presented by the pandemic, this is the type of creative energy we need to access.
Back in 2015, John C. Maxwell, bestselling author of more than twenty books on leadership, wrote these words of wisdom in response to the devastating earthquake in Nepal:
“To face the greatest challenges of life, we need to cultivate creative thinking. In times of crisis, you need to tap into every good idea you have.” —John C. Maxwell
Your ability to craft a story or articulate an idea is a creative gift. Your words have the ability to inspire, calm, ignite, delight, and so much more. The world needs your creative energy right now.
Even beyond writing, you possess other creative gifts. Perhaps you’re also a great cook, a fine woodworker, a gifted problem-solver, a good listener, an excellent speaker, a laugh-out-loud comedian, an awesome aerobics instructor, a accomplished crafter, an amazing painter, a talented singer, or fine actor.
Whatever your talents, it’s time to share them with your family, your friends and the world.
So…will you sing from your balcony today? Will you join the creative chorus? I’m not going to lie, I believe my family’s greatest fear at this moment is that I will actually sing from our front porch…and, who knows, I just might (even though this is definitely not one of my talents). 🙂
Stay healthy and keep creating! xo, Kathy
Kathy Meis is the founder and CEO of Bublish, the world’s first complete publishing platform with built-in marketing. She is an entrepreneur, writer, and editor with more than thirty years of experience in media and publishing. She has worked with such iconic editorial brands as CBS, Forbes, Copley News Service, Independent Women’s Forum, NPR’s Parent’s Journal, FinancialWorld, and Worldview magazine. Kathy is a founding partner of the PubSmart publishing conference for indie authors. She is a sought-after expert on independent publishing, book marketing, and author branding. She has spoken at Book Expo America, Women in Media, GrubSteet, PubSmart, AuthorYOU, San Francisco Writers Conference, the Women in Publishing Summit and SelfPubCon, among others.
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