Is it a left-handed or a right-handed world?
When I was a child I desperately wanted to be left-handed. I thought that left-handed people (especially those with really curly hair - but that's another story) were more special and creative than the rest of us. Right-handed people, like me, were normal. We had normal lives as accountants and store managers. Left-handed people were artists. Writers. They lived exciting lives in far-flung cities like Paris and Morocco. They had innate gifts for extraordinary creativity. More than anything I wanted to not be normal. And in my mind, creatives were the most special people of all.
Now that I am a full-blown adult, two things are clear. One, we are all who we are. There is no real "normal" or "special". And we are all creative. Creativity is innate. How we choose to use and channel that creativity lies in our personal choices. Two, left-handed people are not more creative than right-handed people, nor is the opposite true. Studies now show that higher creativity lies in the middle of the left-handed/right-handed spectrum. In other words, people who use their non-dominant hand to do some things tend to be more flexible in their thinking. More creative. By trying to use each of your hands for various tasks, you might be increasing your access to creative thought. So go do it! Use your non-dominant hand every day for something, and see what differences you notice.
For today's activity, let's use our non-dominant hands to shake loose our cobwebs.
Grab a pencil and paper.
Use your non-dominant hand to:
Write your name
Draw a flower
Draw a self-portrait
How did that feel? Was it harder or easier than you expected? Did any surprising thoughts or feelings arise as you were writing?