A word about creativity…

Today I got an email asking how to develop creativity…but more than that, they wanted to know – is an artist born, or does artistic ability develop? Can a person consciously develop creativity?

Wow! It’s a lot to answer, so I thought I’d turn it into a post and maybe we can discuss it a bit…as always, your feedback is very welcomed 🙂

It’s been my observation that every person – each one of us – has the ability to be great, fabulous, and amazing. But we often fail to develop our natural talents, and there’s a lot of reasons for this: family influence, society’s expectations… or just simply not perceiving/believing/valuing our own abilities.

You’ve met people like that. They have a natural ability in art or music but they continually say “it’s nothing” and often ironically idolize someone else for similar skills.   They compare themselves to someone who is in the media’s eye and, rather than being inspired by them, feel intimidated and inferior – and so don’t bother to develop their own craft. Don’t let that happen to you!

“Whatever you would do,
Or dream of doing, begin it!
Boldness has power, genius, and magic in it.
Begin it now.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We need to cut through all the junk and “chatter” that’s clogging our REAL selves in order to get to our Creative Center.

For some, the challenges of life stimulate the creative process. Pop culture is replete with examples of songs that are coming from frustration or sadness. That’s how I wrote songs in my teens.

For others, creativity is its own reward. I know a game graphic artist who achieves the greatest satisfaction from his work, and its pretty irrelevant to how he’s feeling in the current moment.

For others, it’s the joy of living in the “everyday magick.” Observe even the smallest piece of our world and your life from this perspective, and everything becomes amazing. I’ll quote from Crystalline Sunshine:

“Everyday magick, Everyday dreams, Everyday moment, more, more than it seems… “

But however we begin, it’s my feeling that living authentically and expressing it in creative ways is the most satisfying way to live. How to encourage this process?

“Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.”
— Arthur Koestler

You have a flash of insight, an urge to pick up a paint brush or musical instrument, an article you can practically “hear” in your mind… do you take the action? Or do you push it aside as unimportant? The way you respond to your creative moments determines whether they will increase in strength and frequency – and where they can take you.

The last bit of the questioner’s email referred to how certain people gave negative feedback to creativity – preferring the mundane and predictable behavior to the “weird” creative expressions… unfortunately, conformists will always feel unsettled by creative types, and react from their unpleasant feelings. You can’t let that bother you.

I’m a bit of a quote freak, so I’ll leave you with one of my favorites:

And those who were seen dancing
were thought to be insane
by those who could not hear the music
~Frederick Nietsche

Posted in Random, Visions & Dreams.

3 Comments

  1. Those are excellent quotes, advice, and observations, Scarlet. It’s difficult to define “an artist.” It it someone who is publicly acclaimed as such?? or someone who is paid for what they create.?? I would say not necessarily; because any tue artistic endeavor comes from the desire to express. And we all share in that ability. Therefore, whether it is a refrigerator drawing by a 5 year old, a mural on a wall, or an advertising campaign, or just flowers in the garden,–it is art! We need tyo try and not let ‘life” and “fear” get in the way of creating art, but let them be the fuel for it.

  2. Oh yea, and it’s never too late to create your artistic imprint. I recently had a birthday, and my dad (who is a retired wine salesman, and currently sells real estae) wrote me a fabulous poem for my birthday. It was a very insightful and clever idea about the new age saying goodbye to the old age. I was so very touched, and it means the world to me. Too often we let Hallmark or e-mail “Fwd’s” do our talking, when we can just say and write what we feel. It does not have to be a poetic masterpiece., but once you begin exercising your own words, it just seems to get more clear and more real.

  3. Your insights are so appreciated, I love hearing your thoughts here on the blog. And yes, I agree that every one of us has the potential to be creative, in fact…don’t you think it’s our birthright? I know an incredible artist whose canvas is beautiful landscape designs – creativity comes in all forms. And our lives are so enriched by letting that creativity bloom.
    Thanks for the inspiration, Westly. 🙂
    xox
    Scarlet

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