Dear Kuumba: A Love Note To My Creative Self

Dear Kuumba — Or should I say, Dear Creativity,

I need to talk to you urgently. I know — I am you — but humor me for a moment. Separating you from me will help me communicate my thoughts better.

Genius Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”

Are you still having fun?

Or are you trying so hard to defeat algorithms and fit your square pegs into round holes that creating is beginning to feel more burdensome than joyful?

You need money. I understand the conundrum. But money that comes at the expense of your joy is poorly gotten and won’t spend well.

Focus less on earning and more on creating — creating beauty, expressing truth, and inspiring hope. That’s what you were born to do.

Trying so hard to alter yourself to be more palatable or marketable is killing you softly. It’s a hindrance to creativity because it’s a hindrance to joy. And for you, creativity is cultivated through joy.

Let me remind you:

• If it doesn’t feel good to your soul, don’t do it.
• If it isn’t true, don’t write it.
• If it has no value or purpose and isn’t helpful, joy eliciting, or illuminating, don’t create it.

You are a teacher. Use your gift of creativity to teach. Your classroom has expanded to influence more people. Write the books and blog posts God places on your heart. Don’t worry about whether they will sell or be seen.

Don’t be afraid of rejection — it will happen. Create anyway, and trust that your readers will find you.

Yes, strategic marketing helps. But it cannot come first, nor can it require you to compromise your authenticity or distract you from creating. Creating is your gift. Marketing is not.

Marketing shouldn’t hurt.

You’re frustrated with being sick all the time. You can’t walk and get around like you used to. Your body is tired and in pain. Maybe it’s telling you to stop pushing and just be still and know that He is God and YOU ARE NOT.

God is the source of your creativity. Feed your creativity, Kuumba, by feeding your soul and taking good care of yourself.

You’re not working a 9 — 5 anymore. That flexibility is a gift. Stop looking at your medically retired status as only a loss — use it as a gain. Turn the lemons life has given you into lemonade… and then tell your story. Share your testimony to encourage others.

But first things first: you.

1. Radical Self-Care

This is your season for radical self-care.

• Eat nutritious food you actually enjoy — no more “yucky diet food.”
• Move your body in ways that bring joy, not pain.
• Go outside daily with your dog Lyla. Watch the birds and butterflies. Breathe.
• Drink refreshing water. Rest whenever you’re tired.

Self-care shouldn’t hurt. It shouldn’t feel burdensome or require strain.

2. Soul-Feeding

Tend to your soul, Kuumba:

• Prayer and meditation.
• Scripture.
• Good company.
• Good books, good music, good entertainment.
• Time in nature.
• And lots and lots of laughter.

Now, I know you’re a passion flower, but don’t abandon clean living or give in completely to fleeting passions.

Keep a clean conscience and keep those channels to God open. He is the Source of all your creativity and joy.

When you make a mistake, own it. Apologize. Clean it up. Forgive yourself. Learn from it.

Other people are only human, too. Give them the same grace you want for yourself.

Carrying guilt, shame, and resentment will block the flow of grace — and your creativity. Let it go.Release it in a song, a poem, or a letter — and let it go.

You’re an intellectual. You love learning and being informed. But your sensitivity demands limits.

You can’t sit around watching CNN all day, honey. Turn that mess off.

Racism and hate are evil. Stop trying to make sense of evil or find virtue in it. Evil doesn’t have logic or virtue. It just is.

Can people entrapped by evil be set free? Yes.

But not by you.

You’ve always had a savior complex. But you are not Jesus. You’re not responsible for saving the world.

And please, realize — other people’s racism has nothing to do with you, even when it’s inflicted upon you. You are amazing and remain amazing, even when others can’t see it.

Stop internalizing their issues. Give them to God. Only He can heal that.

The current state of the world looks dismal. But dwelling on horrors you can’t change will rob you of the power to change what you can.

It will drain your spirit, make your body weak and sick, and take away your hope. You can’t do it anymore.

Balance and boundaries, Kuumba.

Your purpose requires you to be informed, but you get hypnotized by pain. The pain becomes all you can see.

Limit your media. Watch the birds. Laugh at Fred Sanford. Laughter is medicine.

3. Atmosphere of Beauty and Comfort

Surround yourself in beauty.

Your home, car — any space you frequent — should be an outward reflection of your desired inward truth. Your home should be your creative oasis — comfort, joy, peace.

Be intentional with colors, scents, textures, art. Make it all you.

You live alone. That means you can design your sanctuary exactly how your soul needs it.

4. Purpose-Driven Life

Remember your why.

You don’t just create to pass the time. You create on purpose, for purpose.

Remember the joy you had in the classroom? That joy wasn’t a detour from your purpose — it was your purpose. It still is.

You can’t inspire others unless you have joy inside of you. You’re here to educate, inspire, and empower people to find their joy.

Even the hard truths in your writing ultimately lead to joy.

Everything worthwhile ultimately leads to joy.

Kuumba means creativity in Swahili. That’s why I’ve given you this name.

You are never just designing a t-shirt, writing a blog post, or building a course. You are creating catalysts for truth and joy.

Never forget who you are and whose you are.

God bless you, beautiful lady. I love you so much, and I am so proud of all you’ve created — and all you will create.

Love,

Jade

I believe this letter to myself was divinely inspired. It came out of me very quickly.. I wrote it in about 10 minutes. When I am feeling out of sorts, I refer to it to remind myself of what I need to do to get back on the path. Try it. Write a letter to your creative self. Let me know how it goes in the comments.