Lisa Valentine Clark delivered a thought-provoking address about the divinity of creativity to over 8,000 women during the opening session of BYU's Women’s Conference on April 30.
Clark centered her message around the creation of the world, explaining that the process of our Heavenly Parents’ creation is a model for our creative enterprises.
“There must have been joy, imagination, brainstorming, play and fun in the creation. How could there not be?” Clark asked.
She urged women to search for this same joy in creation, even if they feel inadequate in their abilities.
Clark explained that to create “includes pushing through when we don’t feel inspired, worthy or good enough.”
Among other roles, Clark is a writer, actor, podcast host and improv performer. She compared her experience of learning to fight the fear of doing improv to overcoming the natural hesitancies that come with creating.
“When I stopped worrying about what others thought — or, most truthfully, still kind of cared but did it anyway — it was fun because I was creating. I was finally doing the thing,” Clark said.
She emphasized that, “doing the thing is always more interesting than thinking about doing the thing or overanalyzing what might happen if you maybe did the thing.”
For those in the audience who felt that this message about creativity didn’t apply to them because they are not the artsy type, Clark reassured them that creativity is more than what you can put on a canvas.
“A truly creative life is an authentic expression of who you are,” Clark said.
This quote resonated with one conference attendee, Lacey Hales. She realized that creativity is something that “fills all aspects of life and that we can all succeed at it.”
To highlight the point that creativity can come from anywhere, Clark shared the example of her husband during his final years battling ALS.
As his declining health increasingly restricted his abilities, her husband chose to focus on what he could control by creating laughter and happy memories with his loved ones.
Clark brought the story of her husband back to her love of improv.
“Improvisation is my metaphor of choice for how to live, and agency — or using ‘yes, and’ — is the offering we can give God with our lives,” Clark said.
Her husband personified this quote by taking the difficult trial he had been given and focusing on creating joy through Christ.
Clark stated that the most profound example of creativity is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“What is the Atonement, but the most beautiful, thrilling, dramatic story? Doesn’t forgiveness feel more like a song and love, best understood as a poem?” Clark asked.
Women who attended the conference felt inspired to act after hearing Clark’s words. One conference attendee, Kim Nielsen, felt inspired to “go about creating instead of just existing.”
For more information on the upcoming BYU Women’s Conference events, visit the link here.
