Creativity. Ingenuity. Originality. I love these words. They are fresh, new, full of life. But they take time.

I thought I was a creative person. But the busier I get, the less creative I am.

I realized this tragedy this semester as I was creating videos and launching public relations campaigns.

With subjects like economics and physical science, general facts can be memorized.

When it comes to designing an event or creating an image for someone, creativity is the driving force for the project’s success.

These types of projects are a much harder game to play.

I don’t think it has as much to do with creative ability as it has to do with time.

So how do you stay creative in a world that runs ninety-to-nothing?

You stop running.

We have become so entertainment-driven as a society. We live and breathe for tweets and push notifications, for Instagram feed and scandalous news updates.

But rarely do we stop running. Being left alone to our thoughts and feelings is frightening. We might get bored — or we might create something truly wonderful.

Think about it. When is the last time you created something?

Painted a picture. Baked brownies. Wrote a poem. Crafted a wreath.

Creativity is so good for the soul — it just takes time. You have to sit and think of something other than deadlines and homework and dinner and feeding the kids and mowing the lawn and calling the in-laws and doing the laundry and ordering your dad’s gift.

You have to sit and dream up something beautiful. You have to let those thoughts and ideas stew.

And the best part is, it’s freeing. There are no boundaries for the imagination.

I’m not saying you can dream up a different reality for yourself. We should simply spend more time getting creative and letting our imagination run a little wild.

The cost of creativity? Time. Maybe a paper and some crayons. The world needs your creative spirit — you bring something that no one else can bring.

“To the dreamers, wide-eyed believers hanging on to hope by a thread

to the soulful, high-up and hopeful, keep on charging ahead.

‘Cause when you feel it, once you see it, and you breath it it’s unforgettable

when you know it, once you know it and you hold it, it’s unforgettable.”

-“To the Dreamers” by For King & Country