As I write this, I'm sitting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, listening to chamber music.  As I listen, I'm aware of the beauty inherent in human creativity and how the creative impulse has the power to carry us into an experience that inspires, uplifts, and nourishes us in a powerful, compelling way.

The experience has gotten me to thinking about the ubiquitous nature of our creative impulse.  We express creativity in every aspect of life, not just the arts.  For example, some of us find our greatest creativity in cooking, or gardening, or in the art of living mindfully.  Others of us express our creativity through the use of the spoken or written word.  And, of course, there are those of us who find creative expression in dance, painting, clay-working, tapestry, knitting, fashion, music, theater -- the list can go on and on.

For this week's experiment, I invite you to be aware of how you express creativity in your life.  There are, of course, the deliberate activities we engage that support our creative urges.  I have a friend who makes sure that she does some form of artwork every weekend.  She tends to enjoy working in clay best, but she also paints and draws with pastels.  The key thing is that she makes sure that she feeds her creative urge at least once a weekend.  Another friend makes sure to spend time in at least two writing retreats every year.  Another friend practices on her flute everyday.  Yet another creates an elaborate holiday gingerbread house with his family every year.  Even though his children are grown, they all keep the tradition alive, year after year.

It's also useful to pay attention to the small moments in your daily activities where you engage or move through something creatively.  Maybe you're faced with a problem that requires a new point of view to solve it.  In order to do that, you draw on elements of creativity.  Maybe you feel moved to write a note to someone and you need to express what you want to say in a particular way that requires you to be more creative than you would in a business note or email.  Maybe you have creative pursuits that you've made a regular part of your life.  If so, notice what taking that time adds to the quality of your daily life.

Remember, creativity comes in many guises.  There's no right or wrong way to be creative.  Whatever moves you into that particular flow that we all recognize when we're in the embrace of a creative process is what constitutes that special expression for you.  

As with all the experiments, be sure to bring along curiosity as your constant companion and pat any judgments that may arise on the head as they move on by.  Exploring your spontaneous and natural expressions of creativity is yet another way to become more aware of how the focus of your awareness adds to your quality of life.