…”Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?” “No. The saints and poets, maybe. They do some.” –From Thorton Wilder’s Our Town

I’ve been thinking about this quote from the play Our Town, especially after I saw this blog post about a nurse who is also a jewelry designer. Because nursing is such a science based occupation I don’t know that the general population thinks “creative” when they hear the word “nurse.” Yet nurses are indeed creative; anyone who ever watched a seasoned nurse find a way to scratch a facial itch while doing a sterile procedure should know this!

Not only are we creative, I think that–just like the poets– we also have a special opportunity to “realize life while we live it” because we are with our patients in their most vulnerable moments.

For the next week, I will be highlighting the contributions of nurses who have developed artistic and creative works in a number of different genres, and talk about how creativity can help any working nurse. I’d love to hear your response to the importance of creativity in the nursing profession.