Create Something

by Paul M. Carhart
Originally published, iU SF/F Community, 8/04

August 2004 will mark my one-year wedding anniversary with Lori. Since our wedding, I've polished One of the Girls (my YA novel), started a new novel in hopefully a new series, re-edited Chance for the Future for a forthcoming new edition and put down most of my first nonfiction book (more on that in a future article). Lori and I have also collaborated musically, leading worship for a Bible study we've been having in our home.

But perhaps the most inspiring, miraculous creation that either Lori or I have ever accomplished has been the birth of our new little girl, Melody Hannah Carhart.

Melody was born on April 19, 2004. She was two months early so we weren't really ready for her. But then again, is anyone really ready? How do you prepare for creation?

Since Melody's birth, I've spent a great deal of time contemplating the act of creation... not only biologically but within the framework of music and writing. The conclusion I have reached is that we as human beings have been given a great gift: The ability to create. We can take nothing, and make something from it. A musical instrument cannot play itself. Stories do not write themselves. Some people may claim that they have no creative talent. I would argue with them. I believe everyone has something, polished or not, that they have been given. This ability to pull something from nothing is not silly or childiish or in any way to be diminished. Every person's gift has power and purpose. It also has value.

If you've been contemplating a story or a song has been dancing around in your head... If you've got something to say about any subject at all... If you feel unfulfilled, bottled up, constrained, depressed...

Create something.

We were made in the image of a Creator. Because of this, the gift of creation has been given to us. To not use this gift is to deny your very nature and the nature of those we bring into this world and will ultimately leave behind.

Create something.

Create something today.

Related Information

In 2000, Paul Carhart started the Chance Encounters online community to coincide with the publication of his first Fairlight novel, Chance for the Future. A couple years later, iUniverse, the host site for the forum decided to shut down their author communities. However, they asked Paul to moderate the new iUniverse SF/F (Science Fiction / Fantasy) Online Community. Paul continued to moderate the SF / F community until iUniverse closed all of their communities down in 2004.

Many of his articles from both Chance Encounters and the iU SF / F community have now been archived here at paulcarhart.com.