When something goes wrong, we expect the fix will be minimal at best.

If a relationship breaks, each party wants the other to reach out or change.

There’s not just one way to be stuck in our creative pursuits.

It can be everything from experiencing no forward momentum to feeling like there are no options to—in rare cases—being totally shut down. To begin this section, take a moment to answer the following questions:

I’m always surprised when my plans don’t go as planned.

It’s on the verge of working out...but then life happens.

The first part of our journey has set the stage for what’s to come.

We’ve looked at what is compromising our creativity and identified the problem. The term Creativity Glitch will prove immensely helpful because it focuses our attention on the real issue. We haven’t lost our creativity. We don’t lack creativity. We have a glitch that is coming against our creativity.

How has our creativity gotten off track without us realizing it? If things are glitching, wouldn’t it be more obvious to notice the cues and clues?

Perhaps another analogy will be helpful. Don’t worry. There’s no doctor in this one.

Imagine your creativity as a high-speed train.

When you think of Jesus, what’s the first image that comes to mind? 

Do you see a babe in a manger, a thirty-year-old man in a robe and sandals, or the eternal Creator of everything? It’s fine to see all three, but we often miss how Christ doesn’t just care about our creativity, but is supreme over all creation.

What would you say the first glitch was after God created Eden?

Many believe it was when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree. But it happened before that disastrous external action.

The Creator created everything—including reality and creativity. Then he created us, infused us with his creativity, and invited us to create with him. I know. That’s hard to say—much less fathom. But here’s the point.

The Creator’s Handbook. If I told you this ancient text from the Maker of Oceans and Stars existed, you’d likely want a copy. I would. Yet we can miss that this resource already exists. The Bible is the best resource on creativity. God is the original Creator.

Something is glitching—not just in what we do, but within us. Whatever it is, it’s tainting our efforts as we try to create, build, and grow. Our plans aren’t coming together. More troubling, it feels like we’re coming apart.

AI is being celebrated as the biggest innovation in history. An unprecedented game changer for every person, home, and industry. The answer to whatever we face. It is invading every aspect of our lives—with us gladly inviting it in.

The next time you’re at a fast food drive-through, notice how the vast menu offerings all seem to be made from the same few ingredients, just recombined and renamed.

You may be wondering if the doctor with the biometric watch was overstating the patient’s problem—or if I’m doing so now.

We are designed to create with intent and purpose. Not to glitch and stumble.

In The Matrix, one of the most memorable scenes occurs when a black cat crosses in front of Neo. A moment later, it does so again, in the exact same manner.

Trying to get your arms around what creativity is can be like trying to corral the wind.

I made up the scenario with the doctor and patient (The Doctor Will See You), but the Creativity Glitch we face is quite real. It is the primary reason our creativity is compromised. Something within us is off, yet most of us remain completely unaware of it.

“Level with me, Doctor. Am I okay?”

“Thankfully, we don’t have to guess. Over the past month, your biometric watch has been constantly monitoring your heart, sight, brain, and voice for any…irregularities.”

Your creativity is reflected in what you do and how you do it. It’s one key reason I know you’re creative. But let’s not make that the main reason. It alone won’t sustain you.

Are you wrestling with the idea that you’re creative? If so, part of what’s in the way may be the world’s skewed view of creativity.