“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads'' Erica Jong
Creativity – a very interesting word – we hear it all the time. Its meaning is clear. However, do we grasp emotionally the entirety of its meaning? To create means to make something new, an idea or object that is an archetype, an original, something that has never been seen or heard of before. We know most things have already been seen or heard previously. How many times do you think something new happens?
The truth is we see new things all the time, but don’t really appreciate it. For instance, you have heard this before and its true - every snowflake is unique. They may all look alike, but each one is different. Every time we open a peanut shell, we are seeing that particular peanut for the first time. It may look like all other peanuts, but if you examine it closely you discover it is unique, unlike all other peanuts.
Creativity for each of us starts by being more observant. It is amazing, how little we actually see in our everyday life. Our sight and mental perceptions are filtered through ingrained habits, old ideas and instinctive imprints that have been planted deeply into our consciousness from the day we were born. These patterns are not easily overcome, and they make acting creatively difficult. For most of us, it takes a serious effort to reignite our creative impulses.
All of this presumes that we choose to be creative, but find it difficult to do so. I am convinced each of us is born with the potential to be a creative person. Unfortunately, as life progresses, something happens along the way that blunts this very natural inclination. I believe this has to do with basic survival. I’m not talking about life or death here, but I am talking about getting along with others and making your life work.
When we act in a creative way, we are disturbing the status quo. Whenever we disturb the status quo, it is inevitable that we will have basic conflicts with other people who share our community. Creativity by its very nature is about new ideas and objectives that are often in conflict with what is currently accepted.
We all choose to survive and prefer not to stand out by being different. This very strong inclination begins as a basic instinct and inevitably becomes a habit that we choose not to break, particularly if we are in a situation where our life is reasonably good. This is a very normal tendency that I’m sure we all recognize.
The problem arises when the basic need to be creative refuses to go away and is always in the back of your mind. You know it is now necessary to act on this powerful impulse. To face this urge and bring it to reality is a life-giving process; however, it also requires entering a new and unsettling world.
Next – the road back to acting and being creative…. To be continued……….
Brother Giovanni, commenting for “Musings”
"Musings" can be found at : http://giovanniandfranco.info
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