We are all creators.

We create in many forms. Constantly, our world puts out new jobs, businesses, innovations, art, entertainment, medicine, research, books—our creations are truly endless.

The forces that determine our creative potential lie within us. Though we often blame our external circumstances for pushing us in certain directions, our creations are always outward manifestations of our inner world.

Sometimes our creations are more conscious, reflecting back to us the positive, ‘light’ aspects of our essential nature. Others times our creations are more reactive, reflecting the negative, ‘shadowy’ aspects.

Our relationship with our Inner Creator determines the flavor of our creations: Have we been honoring her aspirations or have we been suppressing or morphing them to conform to external pressures?

Our Inner Creator lives in our subconscious (along with many other characters) and wants to be heard and validated. At some point in our development, we formed beliefs about spirituality and the nature of creation—which were the very roots of our relationship with our Inner Creator. We can learn a great deal about our attitude towards creativity by exploring these roots.

There isn’t a right or wrong story of creation, nor does it matter who our story’s main character is. And though we may not be aware of our beliefs about the nature of creation, we all, at the very least, hold basic assumptions about how creation happened. These assumptions float around our minds and influence, for better or for worse, our creative potential.

I will admit that my spiritual beliefs about creation are self-serving. Living in a chaos-driven universe that spits out thoughtless, random creations freaks me out. It makes me feel helpless, hopeless and unsafe. From this lens, I believe that creative breakthroughs are a matter of luck. I am envious of those around me who seem luckier than I.

In this space, I don’t trust that the universe will provide for me. I feel a need to control and manipulate my chaotic outer environment, therefore I create forcefully. My refusal to see beyond the physical world restricts me from breaking the limits of what I know. My creations are flat and uninspiring.

When I step into a reality where all creation comes from one unconditionally loving source to which I am eternally connected, and where the inherent intelligence of the universe designs everything with a higher purpose, I feel supported and trust the current of my life. I also trust my ability to create.

Here, I open to the spiritual realm and allow it to infuse magic into my creations. While my physical mind can in linear ways generate new ideas, I know it wasn’t designed to conceive all that is possible for me or for the world. That role was assigned to my imagination and intuition.

Because I feel like an integral part of a beautiful plan, the concept of luck is not important to me. Rather, I see my creative potential as a matter of alignment with my highest joy. My creative impulse is my connection with All That Is.

In this space of love and connection, I approach my creative pursuits with ease. I feel abundantly creative and believe that anything is possible.

And there we have it—a description of two starkly different realities. I lived in both and can assure you that both are real. Reality is not a matter of truth; it is a matter of choice.

At some point in our creative journey we are advised to ‘think outside the box’. Have you ever wondered what ‘the box’ really is?

The box is a hell of a small reality. In box reality, we hold restrictive beliefs about our Inner Creator. We dwarf and warp her aspirations—and her creations—to fit the confines of our box-world.

In box reality, fear and unworthiness drive us to create in the dislike-ness of us. Polarization and feelings of separation taint our creations. We sing hateful lyrics, establish divisive policies, and innovate technologies that facilitate our annihilation. We create reactively, placing our creativity at the mercy of chaos.

Stepping outside the box, we enter rubber band reality. This is a stretchy, expansive place that reveals our full and flexible creative potential. We feel fundamentally worthy which inspires us to create in the like-ness of us. We write music that inspires, cook foods that nourish, and design technologies that connect humankind. We create consciously.

My transition into rubber band reality was not exactly a leap. I bounced back and forth like a ping-pong ball as layers of fear and doubt washed away. During this messy transition, I learned that I am not permanently chained to my beliefs and that it is safe, fun, and deeply liberating to be flexible in mind and spirit.

Our most powerful creation is the one we don’t realize that we create: Reality. With that, I invite you to close your eyes and take yourself back to the original point of creation. Dare to fill in the blank by feeling the answer in your heart: In the beginning, there was _______.

By creating realities that support our highest aspirations, we become conscious creators.