“In the artist of all kinds I think one can detect an inherent dilemma, which belongs to the co-existence of two trends, the urgent need to communicate and the still more urgent need not to be found….”
― Don Richard Riso, Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery
Tag Archives: create
The Creative Bug
“Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the ‘creative bug’ is just a wee voice telling you, ‘I’d like my crayons back, please.”
― Hugh MacLeod, Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity
Creativity by James Taylor
The other night I turned on the television and Oprah’s Master Class was on. It’s one of my favorite shows. She was interviewing music icon James Taylor.
As I watched, I heard the singer/songwriter describe his experience with creativity and one comment stood out above the rest. He said, “When I’m writing music, I never really see myself as the writer of this song. It’s more like I’m just the first person to hear it.”
What James is describing perfectly captures the spiritual element of creativity which I find so fascinating.
To truly create, we must be fully present. When we’re fully present, we’re closest to God, as God only exists in the Present. God is the present (moment), and as we access it, He gives us the gift of inspiration. So when we’re engaged in the creative process, we’re actually receiving gifts from God, the Divine Creator. Our only duty then, becomes to share those gifts.
A Short Poem on Creativity
I think everyone should create;
Sing, dance, draw, write
Paint, build, weave, invent
You’re the only one who can shine your light.
We are all Artists
If God is the Divine Artist and He created us in His image, then what does that make us?
Think about it, as a kid, you probably loved to draw, write, paint, sing, make up dances, make up just about anything really….
But then somewhere along the way, someone told you that you weren’t any good at it, they laughed at your work, or explained to you why being an artist is unrealistic. See we’re all born artists. We all have it in us to create. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up…
The Tragedy of Art
Too often artists begin to perceive their work as a product of their own intellect; forgetting that the mind is the great deceiver and that creativity is in fact a gift entrusted to the artist. Suddenly and inevitably, the work becomes more about the ego and less about the art itself, changing the person from an artist to an egomaniac. In my opinion, this is the most common danger faced by the artist of today and also the greatest tragedy of art.
