The Umbrella of Creativity

Ricardo Resende via Unsplash

Hey friends,

I’m about to open up a story that some of you may have heard before, others maybe not yet.

Umbrellas have been a huge symbol in my life. I even have a tattoo of one on my ankle. The symbolism in my life begins with my grandpa.

After the attacks of 9/11, my grandpa was commissioned by the Pentagon to create a program that helped the children who lost their parents in the tragedies begin to process and heal from their grief.

It was May 2002, and my grandpa, grandma, mother, and I all flew to Washington D.C. to host our first program with the Tragedy Assistant Program for Survivors (T.A.P.S.) organization. I was 11 years old, and it was at this event that I first heard my grandpa talk about an umbrella.

He described the umbrella for what it was. A simple, everyday object. Its purpose was to protect us from harsh weather. There are all different kinds of umbrellas out there, but they all serve the same purpose:

To protect.

Our lives can be represented by an umbrella. The top of the umbrella that protects us can be made up of protective elements in our lives such as our parents, our siblings, our police officers, our firefighters, our teachers, our friends, our extended family, our knowledge, our religions, our cultures, our values and so on. These aspects all contribute to protecting the person we are becoming.

While this message was very direct, it also stimulated a lot of chatter and curiosity because under the umbrella wasn’t just the person, but it was what the person thought, felt, and experienced. And we were there to help support children who were facing depressing and traumatic emotions.

So, how does the umbrella help you process your experiences? Well, my grandpa explained that not only are the people in your life, or your knowledge, culture, and religion able to help protect you, but so are your hopes and dreams. The person you want to become will help to guide and protect the person you are every step of the way. And, as a result, those hopes and dreams will help you overcome your fears.

The project began by writing letters to ourselves, what emotions we were feeling, where our sadness was coming from, and what challenges we were facing at that moment. Then, we were to paint our hopes and dreams on the top of the umbrella, along with what symbols of peace, hope, and love, we could think of.

And as they dried in one corner, my grandpa continued to explain the importance of the action aspect to our hopes and dreams.

“An umbrella has to be picked up to be used properly for you to remain protected and dry. Therefore, we can’t simply expect for our hopes and dreams to happen, we must put in the work and effort to achieve them.”

With that, we began discussing what that action could look like. While actions of selfishness, destruction, and violence had just been heightened through the 9/11 attacks, we focused on actions of acceptance, hope, peace, and love.

This is where my grandpa’s message of actionable acceptance and understanding hit home -

“An umbrella doesn’t care who stands under it. What matters is that the umbrella is picked up, and opened, to experience its benefits. It doesn’t matter what color skin, what religion, or what nationality stands underneath. The umbrella does not discriminate. It is up to you whether you allow those elements to hold you back, or empower you.”

And recently, this is where I began to realize how creativity is an umbrella.

I allow and accept many differences and challenges into my umbrella and I do so in a way that continues to empower my personal and professional goals creatively. I know that I cannot create without external input that constantly influences my thoughts, perceptions, and experiences.

I remember at one point being scared of what entered the small, very well-protected space of my umbrella. I didn’t want to let in anything that might cause the umbrella to close. However, that is not how the umbrella of creativity works.

The umbrella is about taking action and creating regardless of any element that enters my space. I am allowed to continue to fuel my creative goals with or without the support of someone else. With or without the same beliefs as someone else. With or without anyone else in general.

The space under the umbrella allows me to be human and provides me with a space to ignite creative sparks. I simply have to continue to choose to pick it up, open it, and create.

My grandpa believed that these actions then proved to the world that we are not victims, we are victors. We will not let anyone else’s negative actions hold us back, or keep us down. We are continuing to choose a life, a great life, filled with peace, hope, and love, to achieve our personal and professional goals.

At the end of each project we did for the next 11 years across the globe was completed with a parade of umbrellas ranging from 10 to 10,000 people at each event.

If that doesn’t showcase the universality of creativity, I’m not sure what else could.

Creativity is an umbrella.

It is time to open yours and reap its benefits.

It’s always a great time to create,

Rose