Students gathered in the Taylor Chapel Thursday morning to hear from actress, comedian, and writer, Lisa Valentine Clark, who encouraged students to see creativity as a divine part of who they are.
"I feel that creativity is our birthright. I do feel like everyone is creative,” Clark said. “But everyone is creative and it's a big misconception that we're not."
Clark said her background in improv comedy, which began during her college years, has shaped the way she approaches creativity in everyday life.
"The guiding principle for improv is yes and, which means that you take whatever offering has come to you and you accept it right away, then you add one little thing to it.”
Clark said that mindset can apply far beyond the stage.
"To create is to bring something into existence that wasn't there before. It could be a conversation, the solution to a problem, a note to a friend, the rearrangement of furniture in a room, a new route home to avoid a traffic jam."
She said that same creative process can help people navigate life’s most difficult moments and shared one of her own.
"In 2016, my late husband received an ALS diagnosis, which is a terminal neurological disease that has no cure or causation or even treatment. I remember saying, ‘What do we do now?’"
Clark said learning to accept reality and find creative solutions can be a spiritual gift developed in partnership with God.
"The ability to be creative and inventive is a brave undertaking and was always intended by our creator for our benefit,” Clark said. “Your creation is an ongoing process and ensures that no matter what happens in life, as a co-creator with god, you can thrive."
She said that partnership can also help people better understand the nature of Heavenly Father.
"The intentional life is opening our minds to what we don't know to know God better."
To listen to the full forum titled, "Permission to Become: Creativity, Courage and Divine Connection," visit BYU-Idaho Devotionals.
To hear a conversation with Lisa from this morning before the forum, find BYU-Idaho Radio on any of your favorite podcasting apps.