#40 - You're More Creative Than You Think | The Psychology of Creativity

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You're more creative than you think. Here's how

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it looks. You have a creative idea, a breakthrough

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in the shower, or you solved a problem while

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you were driving. You have a thought of the perfect

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response to an argument three hours later. This

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is how the brain works. Creativity is mechanical.

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It is built into the way your mind connects ideas,

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stores memories, and makes meaning. Most people

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believe creativity belongs to artists, musicians,

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or entrepreneurs. So many people quietly think,

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I'm not creating. And that belief shuts down

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something God already wired into you and me.

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Creativity is not about painting or writing novels.

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It is about problem solving, noticing patterns,

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adapting, building, parenting, teaching, leading,

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cooking, designing, repairing, and imagining

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what could be. You are already doing it. The

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question is not whether you are creative. The

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question is whether you are giving your creativity

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room to breathe. I'm Dr. Cory Potter. on location

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at a beautiful city park, and I'm the host of

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Mind and Faith Matters. Thanks for tuning in.

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It really does help this podcast if you subscribe

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to the show wherever you're listening to it.

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We are steadily spreading our reach to those

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who are interested in the mind, mental health,

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and faith. So today, as we dive into creativity,

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let's start with some famous moments that were

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not random. J .K. Rowling. has shared that the

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idea for Harry Potter came to her on a delayed

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train. She did not even have a notebook. She

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let her mind wander. The characters began forming

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in her imagination. Years of observations, reading,

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relationships, and life experiences quietly connected.

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Or how about Spencer Silver? At 3M, he created

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a weak adhesive that did not seem very useful

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at first. Later, someone realized it could hold

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paper without damaging it. That small discovery

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became the post -it note. Or what about Dr. Seuss?

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He wrote Green Eggs and Ham using only 50 words

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because of a playful challenge by his publisher.

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A limit pushed him to stretch his imagination.

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These stories feel magical when we hear them.

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They're examples of minds that had space to wander,

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connect, and experiment. Now think about how

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your own brain operates. Your brain works in

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two primary modes. Focus mode, which helps you

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to analyze, refine, and execute. And wandering

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mode, which helps you to connect and imagine.

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When you are concentrating on a task, focus mode

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is active. But when you're enjoying nature like

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I am or wandering, walking, showering, or doing

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something repetitive, maybe it's driving, and

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you're just focused on the road, but at the same

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time, your wandering mode becomes active. Creative

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insights often appear when these modes alternate.

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This explains why forcing ideas at your desk

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for hours can feel exhausting. It also explains

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why the solution appears later when you stop

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trying so hard. Your mind needs both structure

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and space. Have you ever wondered why some people

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seem more creative? Creative people are not operating

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with a different brain. They feed their brain

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different material. For example, Lin -Manuel

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Miranda loved hip hop. He loved history. He read

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Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton

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and began imagining those historical figures

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through the rhythms of rap and musical theater.

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That blending became the musical Hamilton. Or

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what about Roy Chow? He grew up eating Korean

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food at his home and tacos in the streets of

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Los Angeles. He combined those flavors in his

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Kogi Korean barbecue taco truck. Korean barbecue

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inside a taco became something people lined up

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around the block for. He blended what he already

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knew in a new way. Your brain can only connect

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dots you have seen. People who seem creative,

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they read widely, they explore new places, they

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listen carefully, ask questions, and stay curious.

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They collect experiences. Later, these experiences

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connect. Albert Einstein said, creativity is

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intelligence having fun. Fun matters, curiosity

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matters, play matters. Do you know the fastest

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way to shut down creativity? The inner critic

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shows up too early. You have an idea, immediately

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you think, That will not work. That sounds foolish.

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Someone will judge me. When generation and evaluation

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of ideas happen at the same time, creativity

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slows down. Pixar, the filmmaker, has a culture

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where early ideas are allowed to be rough. No

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judgment. Many of their first concepts never

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become their films, and those early ideas still

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matter because they spark better ones. Bad ideas

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often lead to good ones. Creativity grows when

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ideas are allowed to exist before being analyzed.

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Here's something many people never consider.

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Play is not a luxury. Children learn through

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play. Adults create through play. Play lowers

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pressure and it increases flexibility. It allows

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experimentation without fear. Comedians actually

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test their jokes in conversation. Musicians will

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improvise and writers draft freely before they

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edit. Play signals safety to the brain. safety

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allows risk. And then risk allows originality.

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Many people stopped playing somewhere along the

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way. Responsibilities increased, expectations

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grew, productivity became the priority. Creativity

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needs room to explore without immediate performance

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pressure. I absolutely love watching my three

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-year -old grandson, turn the edge of my bed

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into a balance beam, use the bed post as trees

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to climb, and the top of my bed as a mountain

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plateau where he rescues make -believe polar

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bears from the floor. The author, photographer,

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and podcaster Ashley Gad wrote, in order to make

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space for creativity, we must first believe it

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is worthy of taking up space. That belief matters.

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If creativity feels frivolous, we will always

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push it aside. Did you know that your body is

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also involved in creativity? It's not only mental,

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creativity is physical. Walking increases blood

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flow to the brain. Many thinkers throughout history

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relied on long walks. Movement shifts mental

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patterns. and sleep strengthens memory and insight.

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During sleep, your brain reorganizes information

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and makes new connections. And exhaustion narrows

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thinking. Rest widens it. So if you feel stuck,

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your mind may need movement or rest more than

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more effort. And here's a creativity key that

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you do not want to skip over. Boredom is productive.

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Modern life rarely allows boredom. Phones fill

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the waiting rooms. Notifications fill quiet moments.

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Music fills silence. Boredom creates space for

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your mind's wandering mode. In those quiet moments,

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your brain revisits ideas, connects memories

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and imagines possibilities. Some of your best

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thoughts have probably arrived when nothing else

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was demanding your attention. We should consider

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silence as creative space rather than empty space.

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Something else to consider? Limits help. Unlimited

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options can overwhelm the brain. Limits focus

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it. And remember Dr. Seuss, he had 50 words.

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It created grenades in him. Small budgets have

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launched innovative films and businesses, limits

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force resourcefulness. When you tell yourself,

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I only have this much time, or I can only use

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these materials, your brain becomes inventive.

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Constraints guide imagination. Next, have you

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ever linked your faith to creativity? From the

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beginning pages of Genesis, the Bible presents

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God as the Creator. Being made in His image includes

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the capacity to create, build, imagine, and cultivate.

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God has given us a sound mind, as 2 Timothy chapter

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1 verse 7 reminds us. Creativity reflects stewardship.

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It reflects problem solving. It reflects bringing

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order and beauty into the world around you. You

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don't need a stage or a spotlight to live creatively.

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Parents solving daily challenges are creative.

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Teachers adjusting lessons are creative. Leaders

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navigating conflict are creative. Counselors

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helping clients reframe their thoughts. are creative.

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Entrepreneurs building something new are creative.

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Creativity is woven into daily faithfulness.

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There is something else that shapes creativity

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more than we realize. Identity matters. If you

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believe I'm not creative, you will hesitate before

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trying. And if you believe creativity belongs

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to someone else. You will edit yourself before

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you begin. Belief influences output. Your mind

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generates ideas constantly. Many disappear because

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they were dismissed too quickly. Confidence gives

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ideas oxygen. Let me quickly recap some practical

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ways to strengthen creativity. Take thinking

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walks without constant input. Alternate focused

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work with genuine breaks. Capture ideas without

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judging them. Try something unfamiliar this month.

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Work within limits, small limits. Allow boredom

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occasionally. Sleep consistently. These habits

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strengthen your creative rhythm. Creativity responds

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to curiosity. It responds to space. It responds

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to play. It responds to limits. And it responds

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to rest. You are not waiting for creativity to

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arrive. It is already present. Give it room.

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Imagine what might grow in your life if you gave

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creativity more space. Part of growing in faith

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and mental health is allowing your mind to engage,

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explore, and build with joy. You are more creative

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than you think and the world around you benefits

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when you use it. Thanks for joining me today.

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Until next time, I hope you consider how your

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creativity is needed wherever you are and that

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you take the time to create space for it to grow.

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God bless, and I'll see you next time.