Do you feel unsatisfied with life? Do you wonder if there’s something more?

Think back to your childhood. What is your favorite memory? Is it something creative? Weaving flower crowns in your backyard? Finger painting? Writing a play and performing it with your siblings?

When I was a kid, I remember every Christmas Eve all the cousins would put on a play—it was our retelling of the Christmas story.  I am the oldest of the grandkids so I, of course, was the director. My favorite memory of this yearly adaptation was the year my 2-month-old-baby sister, Cheryl (who is 12 years younger than me) fit into a box swaddled as the baby Jesus while I sang and played “What Child is This” on my guitar.

Today, as an entrepreneur and mother of three teenagers, I rarely have time for this carefree artistic expression anymore. Don’t get me wrong, raising three teenagers is filled with lots of artistic expression.  It is creative moment after creative moment trying to figure out how to best nurture, guide and parent the three incredibly unique children I live with.  I also love running my own business where I get to create and build things. But I am talking about something different: something deep in my soul was stirring for something more.  

It stirred for a long time before I realized that I was creatively starved. I needed to feed a part of myself that wanted to express in a way that only I was designed to do.

Feel familiar?  Perhaps somewhere deep inside, you also miss the freedom of your childhood self. Maybe you know that there is something more you’re supposed to be doing—but you don’t know what. It’s a tug, a calling. It keeps you up at night. And it makes you feel vaguely unsatisfied with life.

The feeling is harmless enough—nothing is really wrong, we tell ourselves as we run errands and sit in meetings.

But when we ignore this restless feeling, the person we’re created to be lies dormant. Our talents stop at the borders of our bodies, and our gifts are presents that the world can never open.

In my last post, I talked why we ignore the yearning in our gut and how we can change our beliefs and lives in a way that makes room for creativity and art.

Now, it’s time to listen to the restlessness and uncover your creative self so that you can bring your gifts to the world.

I call it Creative Uncovery.

Creative Uncovery isn’t recovering something that has been lost—it’s uncovering something that has always been inside of you. It’s the unleashing all of your talents and ideas into the world.

It’s about you.

If you have experienced pain, love, longing, anger, or disappointment, you have a unique experience to express, and therefore, something to create.

I can just hear some of you saying to yourself “I’m not creative!”  Well, I believe we all have something to create! There’s an unfortunate idea floating around that creativity is only for people who are brilliant novelists, painters, actresses, and songwriters. If you are one of those things, that’s wonderful, but the definition of creativity is so much broader. By simply being alive, with a genetic code and a story that no one else on earth has, you are original and talented—and have the talent to make original things.

“Everybody is talented because everybody who is human has something to express.” – Brenda Ueland, author of “If You Want to Write”

Your expression could take the form of a private blog, an impromptu recipe, a hand-sewn apron, or a new business venture. Let go of your definition of an artist and think about the things you do that give you the most joy.

Creative Uncovery begins right where you are.

Who are you today? Excited for what’s ahead? Dreading the duties of the day? Anxious about a decision you need to make? In the middle of a transition? Moving like a sloth? Running crazy busy?

Guess what? Creativity meets you exactly where you are. It is for the bed-headed, pajama-wearing you, not for the version of yourself you hope to be in a year. In order to uncover your creativity, you don’t have to wait. You don’t have to quit your job or ignore your kids. Creative Uncovery starts in the pages of your bedside journal or in the notes app of your iPhone. It starts in coffee shop conversations with friends and a commitment to take fifteen minutes before your kids wake up to write. You have enough resources today to express yourself in new ways.

I can help.

I know what vaguely unsatisfied with life feels like and have uncovered my own creativity over the last couple years. Now, I’m helping people like you do the same.

I have created a Facebook group for those who know there is more to be expressed. The purpose is to coax the creative inside us all through sharing our stories, challenges, and inspiration in an accepting, authentic space. Click here to find out who you’re created to be!

Begin your journey.

I’m also excited to announce our first Creative Uncovery workshop on February 21st in Cincinnati, Ohio. There’s only space for twenty of us, and I want to make sure you can be there. I will share the tools I have uncovered for feeding my own starving creativity and help you uncover your own. If you are interested, email me back at concierge@ellezimmerman.com with the subject “creative uncovery” to be on the priority list once registration opens.