When you talk about creativity you have to deal with the notion that while the word seems easily understood, it often means different things for each of us. In the truest sense creativity usually means to make something that is brand-new, something never seen before. Does this mean that in order to be creative we must have an idea, concept or product that is completely new? For some, the response is yes. And for some this actually happens, they do conceive of something new.
However, what about the rest of us? For the average person the concept of being creative gets lost somewhere between adolescence and adulthood. As we have mentioned before, the need to conform, the need for affirmation from our peers and in our work, all create a type of conformity in our behavior that while not necessarily bad, does not necessarily lead to a creative lifestyle.
So can those of us in this group expect to be artistic? Let’s start with the question is creativity the province of the artist, or can any activity regardless of what it is have a creative aspect? For me, I believe all activity can be imaginative. Creativity is often a state of mind, a willingness to experiment, a willingness to be open to new ideas and new events.
Obviously this is easier said than done. We certainly can understand this idea intellectually, but to grasp its full significance emotionally is very difficult for some of us. A person can be inventive in virtually every endeavor they undertake. As an example, cleaning a house can be a creative experience. Let me give you an example.
I had a recent experience where I was able to watch a professional housecleaner at work. I could not help but notice the vigor and passion with which she approached her work. Not only was she very good at it, she seemed to get great satisfaction from doing it well. Everything she did had a creative aspect to it.
One thing you observed after she was finished; the room she worked on seemed to shine. That shine she left behind was as definitive as the signature of the artist on the completed painting. The same area had been cleaned many times before by others, and even though they did their job well, the result did not have the shine, that something special that was there after she finished. I could not help but consider the question: What was the difference?
The lesson here for me is clear. Virtually everything we do can be artistic. Creativity is not limited to the so-called artist, a person who is skilled in one of the fine arts. Everything that we do in our life, no matter how trivial it may seem to us, can be done with a creative spirit. For reasons stated before, this is a very difficult concept for those who have lost their way to accept.
Why don’t we try this? I would like each of us to consider how resourceful we actually are on a daily basis. What’s spirit do we bring to each of our daily chores? Have we become so habitual in our everyday functions that we are simply going through life as a robot, habitually doing what is necessary?
If so how do we rekindle our natural facility to be creative?
To be continued………..
Brother Giovanni
Next: Creativity for many of us is often about rediscovering the old in a new way.