Creativity is for the chosen few.

I used to think that only the gifted amongst us have the powers of creativity. That only the elite few were creative. That you had to be born creative. Is creativity innate?

My background has always been grounded in the logical, in the black or white, in the sciences and I perhaps never had the opportunity to engage in the ambiguous and therefore I always thought I am just not a creative person. Just not born creative.

I did not appreciate art and struggled to understand poetry.

Why can’t Robert Frost just state the obvious? Why does he write about being acquainted with night when he really means that he is afraid to face death? Why do others even read Frost?

I only read non fiction books. Books that purported to increase my knowledge and quenched my thirst for the logical world. I was doomed to never be creative. I just couldn't see out of the proverbial box.

But I was wrong. I could be creative. When I cook, I create recipes. I create dishes. I take pictures of them to enhance their visual appeal. My dishes are creative. Creativity is not creating something entirely new.

Mark Twain in his autobiography said, “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.”

You could be creative but you just don't realise it yet. Perhaps. My creativity might not match the creativity of Steve Jobs but its creative nonetheless. I learnt that you could learn to be creative. I learnt it through trial and error. Through making mistakes. Through others’ mistakes and ideas. The idea that one could learn to be creative is very empowering because it is no longer the exclusive property of the gifted but it could be for the person on the street. The girl next door. The girl raving about chia seeds! *wink wink*

In that vein, I share with you my recipe for Vegan Japchae!

Ingredients

250g of sweet potato noodles/dangmyeon

2 medium sized carrots cut into matchsticks

1 cup full of sugar snap beans cut into thin strips

1 bunch of shimeji mushrooms

1 bunch of bunapi mushrooms

2 tablespoons of sesame seeds (mix of black and white or whichever you have on hand)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce/tamari sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

What do I do?

1. Cook the sweet potato noodles according to the instructions on the packet. It should take 6 - 8 mins in boiling water. Drain the cooked noodles and wash it in running tap water to stop the cooking process. Cut the noodles into smaller pieces after cooked.

2. Add one tablespoon of sesame oil to the cooked sweet potato noodles to ensure it doesn't stick together.

3. Start from the lightest coloured vegetable to the darkest coloured vegetable. And this is a nifty tip to reduce washing up since you can use just use one non stick cooking pan for all the vegetables. Get a large bowl that is large enough to toss the noodles and vegetables together.

4. Toast the sesame seeds on a dry pan oil slightly browned. Set aside.

5. Using the same pan, add some olive oil and cook the matchsticks of carrot. Add some pepper and salt for seasoning. Cook for 5-6mins. Set aside the carrots.

6. Boil some water and steep the frozen edamame bean pods for 10 minutes. Peel the edamame bean pods and set aside the edamame beans.

7. Cook the sugar snap peas with some pepper and salt for seasoning. Cook for 4-5mins to retain its crunchy texture. Set aside.

8. Cook the shimeji and bunapi mushrooms till soft. Add pepper and salt for seasoning. Cook for 5-6 mins. Set aside.

9. With the vegetables and the cooked noodles, add 1 - 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and another tablespoon of sesame oil with half a tablespoon of pepper and toss the noodles with the vegetables. Go ahead and use your hands. Clean hands. Give it a nice toss about. Add the sesame seeds when done and save some for garnishing.

Enjoy your tasty and really healthy Vegan Japchae. Japchae keeps in the fridge for a day. Reheat in the microwave for 30sec and eat at room temperature, cold or warm!

Get creative and make your own version of Japchae with other combinations of vegetables! :)