#EmbracingKwanzaa is an original series by Grits & Gospel and exclusively distributed through Blavity that is dedicated to putting a spotlight the importance of Kwanzaa's seven principles and how embracing them can better lead to our collective progress.
Ideas are the best currency. They’re like cash, but better (and we all know cash is king). You can never really have too much. Their value doesn’t decrease the more you print, like real money, and there’s no inflation either. Sure, you can put them out of sight and mind like a savings account, but they rarely gain interest. This is because ideas are all about the here and now.
When’s the last time you broke a 20-dollar-bill and it lasted you all day?
See, just like cash, ideas should burn a hole in your pocket. Ideas come to us at the most random times. It could be during a sh*t, a shower or a shave, but they come, most times without warning. Some are better than others, sure, but catching a good one feels as good as finding a $20 bill on the ground.
When we think about ideas, it should be in this sense: no idea is original. Ideas cannot be killed, only transferred or grown. Just like that $20 bill, whoever has the idea at that moment owns it. Similarly, creativity floats around us all, somewhere in the ether, waiting for us to tap into it for inspiration. It’s fair and accessible to everyone, but won’t affect free will. You have to put yourself in the proper position to act once you’re inspired.
Money doesn’t grow on trees and neither do ideas, so when we get inspiration it’s for a reason. It’s usually because it is time to act on an idea. It’s time to spend some money. Sure you may have writers block or get stuck in a creative rut, but it won’t cost you anything to keep thinking. Because similar to cash, the inspiration is free, but the hustle is sold separately.
So don’t be afraid to share your ideas or skeptical of their power. Who are we to be selfish of something that was never ours to begin with?
As we take today to reflect on the concept of creativity, let us remember that creativity doesn’t know how to discriminate. It only gravitates to the work behind our ideas. So tap into yours today and remember, scared money don’t make none.
When we place a high value on creativity, inspiration and our ideas, we strive for Kuumba.
Next up, Imani.
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