Creativity Is Always Within Reach

Today's kindling:

• The Painting That Stopped Me in My Tracks

• What If Creativity Wasn't Gone—Just Waiting?

• The Portal Reveals Itself

• What Happens When Creativity Gets Interrupted

• If You Feel Creatively Stuck, Read This

  • Your Turn: What Opens Your Portal?

The Painting That Stopped Me in My Tracks

Almost exactly a year ago, during my maternity leave with my second child, I came across a painting called Magical Thinking by Donald Robertson.

The image is seared in my mind:

A stiff, formal parlor. Two adults sitting upright, absorbed in their books. To the side, two children. The girl pulling back the wall like a curtain, revealing a jungle—wild, lush, alive with color and movement.

I couldn’t stop staring at it.

Because I knew exactly what it was saying.

Creativity. Wonder. Imagination—It’s always right there. Just beyond the surface.

But only if you’re willing to pull back the curtain and see it.

What If Creativity Wasn't Gone—Just Waiting?

I wanted that painting in my home.

Then I saw the price: $4,000.

So I made a different decision.

I’d paint my own version.

It became my one creative goal for maternity leave—something just for me.

But as I sat down to sketch, I ran into a block.

I wanted the same message. The same feeling. But I couldn’t figure out what my version of the “portal” should be.

How did I experience this shift from ordinary to extraordinary?

What felt true to me?

I thought about it for weeks. I journaled. I talked with friends. Nothing clicked.

So I did what so many of us do when we can’t find an answer.

I put it off.

Hung a blank canvas on the wall. Told myself I’d come back to it.

And for a while, I wondered: What if I never do?

The Portal Reveals Itself

Then, months later, something happened.

My baby was playing at the edge of our family room rug. He lifted the corner—just a little—then his eyes widened in excitement.

His older brother ran over and crawled underneath it, laughing.

They had discovered their own portal.

And just like that, I knew:

This was my version of Magical Thinking.

The rug, lifted just enough to peek inside. That childlike belief that something incredible could be hiding in the most ordinary places.

And the realization that creativity, wonder, and possibility are always right there—if we’re curious enough to look.

What Happens When Creativity Gets Interrupted

That night, I started painting.

Then my baby cried.

I soothed him back to sleep then went back and painted a little more.

He cried again.

And again. And again.

I didn’t know that would be the first night of months of brutal, sleepless nights.

The kind where you stop counting the wake-ups because it’s too distressing.

I haven’t touched the painting since.

And for a while, I felt like that meant something.

Like maybe my creativity was slipping.

Like maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough to make space for it.

But here’s what I’ve realized:

The portal is still there.

Even when you don’t have time to step through it.

Even when you feel disconnected from your creative self.

Even when everything in your life is demanding more of you than you can possibly give.

If You Feel Creatively Stuck, Read This

There’s a myth that creativity is something you have to fight to hold onto.

That if you don’t carve out the time, don’t show up every day, don’t push through the obstacles—it’ll leave you.

But that’s not how creativity works.

It’s not something you lose.

It’s something you return to.

Like a door that’s always there, waiting to be opened again.

Maybe you’re in a season where you can step through the portal every day—writing, painting, building, creating.

Or maybe you’re in a season where all you can do is notice that the door still exists.

Either way—you are still a creative person.

Your creativity is still within reach.

And when you’re ready, you’ll step back through.

Tip: check out this post if you want perspective on how to channel creative energy.

Your Turn: What Opens Your Portal?

Your thoughts and opinions are valued in the Creative Foresight community. Illuminate us with your perspective by responding to the poll question!

I appreciate you! ❤️ 

Warmly,
Jennifer