Cultivate Your Imagination

Twice a month I serve on the kid’s team at my church where I lead them through different Bible stories and activities. Each time I serve, I am in awe of their imagination. They are able to conjure up these wacky and fascinating stories with such ease. They are able to think of worlds with endless possibilities. 

I look at them and wonder at what point does our imagination begin to wane? Somehow as I have gotten older, pragmatism has captured my ability to dream and explore. I’ve had so many reasons for why I didn’t want to pursue writing: who reads blogs, who cares about what I have to say, is it even possible to make money as a writer? 

All these ‘practical’ things stopped me from even just imagining, but the truth is that the kids I teach on Sunday’s don’t imagine with any end goal in mind. They imagine because they can. They imagine because at the crux of it, we are made to create. When we choose not to honor this, I really think we do ourselves and the world a disservice. 

If you are wondering how you can cultivate your imagination, it’s really quite simple. Begin creating. For me this looks like writing in my journal everyday, cooking new meals every week, listening to music and creating my own dances to them. Sometimes it is admiring other people’s creations through watching movies, reading a book or making different mood boards on Pinterest. Put yourself in the environment to ignite your inner child.

I will admit, my imagination is not as wild as I wish it was. I don’t (yet) have the idea that will lead to my first New York Times best selling novel or Emmy-award winning screenplay, and right now this doesn’t matter. Because I know that my imagination is there, somewhere deep within me, and I have to call her out again. And I know that if I permit myself I can create truly beautiful things, and I will.

Your imagination is like a garden. It needs good soil. It needs nurturing. It needs patience. Like a garden, it cannot be rushed. You simply have to tend to it diligently, and it will bloom.