Every person has a creative side. Creativity is the way we choose to express ourselves – our desires, our personality, our joys. So the question is this: are you paying attention to your spouse’s creative side?

I hear a lot of talk about Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages. It’s mentioned at marriage conferences, it’s recommended by other relationship writers, and pastors reference it in their sermons. I’ve read it, and I agree that it is a good book. (I don’t like that it makes me look high-maintenance – I have a two-way tie between two languages and a third runner up that doesn’t lag far behind.) But as a creative person, I think there is another language that speaks to me more than quality time and words of affirmation: I want a fan.

When you are creating something, you are pouring your dreams, experiences, and personality into that creation. The same goes for anyone else around you. When your spouse creates, they are saying something about who they are. So pay attention! Does your wife make jewelry? Ask her where she gets the inspiration for her pieces. Does your husband like photography? Give him positive feedback on his shots.

Take the time to get to know your spouse through their creative outlets. Your spouse will feel incredibly loved when you take time to pay attention to their craft – but they will feel incredibly unimportant when you don’t bother to care about it. When you are a fan of your spouse’s creative side, you make them feel loved and accepted for who they are.

God is a Creator. Everything He makes says something about who He is. Although our creations are not even half as impressive, we are still made in the image of God, and our creations speak both of who we are and how God has gifted us. Your spouse’s creativity is something that God put in them. Take the time to acknowledge it, support it, and encourage it.