A wise woman I know has encouraged me to take on a beginner’s mind, and closely re-examine words I thought I knew. Looking up common words in the dictionary is a simple but powerful activity. Understanding actual meaning can be a powerful way to get clear around my work.

Today, I started with the word “create”.

Create
to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes

to evolve from one’s own thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention.

to cause to exist; to bring into being

What I like about these definitions is how active they are – to cause, to evolve, to bring into being. The definitions suggest work, not magic.

In addition, “Not made by ordinary processes” jumps out at me. It suggests that the creativity is not just about what you make but how you make it. Tools and processes themselves can evolve, initially sparking new ideas, but lose their luster over time. It is important to regularly question the impact of tools on the output.