Creativity As A Spiritual Practice....

I think the above title may quiet possibly become a subject matter of my Master Thesis, somehow I feel, not only a very palpable attraction to it, but Life in general may be sending me many 'practical references' or 'source materials,' if you will.... In fact I had a meeting two weeks ago in which I was discussing my Mandala Workshop and out of the proverbial 'blue' I declared: I want to do a free public talk titled: Creativity As A Spiritual Practice.... I still have no idea where did the idea come from, most likely from that old, familiar place of Not-Knowing, to which I connect to whenever I put a brush to the canvas or let my fingers hit the keyboard....

The reason I decided to discuss this particular subject today lays in an e-mail my girlfriend forwarded to me. It came from a creativity coach who specializes in writing for publication, or at least that's my impression. For a long while I've been having a mental dialog with creativity coaching community, particularly when I check out new articles at Creativity-Portal.com. Part of me feels that voicing my opinions may seem just a tiny bit.... well, not supportive, or perhaps creatively thwarting.... But it is only at the first glance. Let me elaborate....

I sincerely believe that creativity coaches make great contribution to one's birth of his/her own Creative-Authentic Self ~ connecting to and trusting one's authentic, inner voice and FOLLOWING it, regardless of any bullying, critical, or harassing voices to the contrary. However, in the process of unearthing and embracing our True Self with an assistance of a creativity coach, or even a therapist, the opposite happens..... we replace our inner dialog that consisted of many self-limiting or internally oppressive messages that had made the free-flow of creative self-expression virtually impossible for us, with, yet another, outer voice - one of our coach - that we adapted in place of our very own, once again. Granted, as adults, we consciously invite a nurturing and supporting narrative, but in the process we continue our dependence on someone else's approval, opinion, standard.... you name it. In other words, our inner story continues along the same script, we are only introduced to new characters portraying the same, old and familiar archetypes.

So, what is one to do when a creative block seems to take a permanent place in one's life and coaching may feel like a 'right choice' in assisting you to move back into the Flow perhaps for the very first time in your life? Of course dealing out any advice at this point would make me sound like a new disguise for the same, old dynamic that perpetuates one's outer-oriented search. What I know for sure form my own experience is this..... It is one of the thoughest, most arduous, often frantically frustrating, yet UNBELIEVABLY rewarding task of growing up, by growing DOWN, within.... regardless of your chronological age. Creative self-expression is a natural state of Being for every human being. Nobody needs to 'learn' how to be creative. You already ARE! Yes, you may want to expand your proficiency in certain channels of self-expression that you are naturally drawn to, but there IS NO school for creativity.... how can it possibly be? No ONE can bestow creativity upon you or take it away. Creative self-expression is governed by our exercise of free will to the extent of our willful cooperation with what is coming through, or conscious censorship and blocking of it. The only part of our own experience on a creative journey is our giving-into it, ALLOWING, being a witness, embracing our gifts with an awe and gratitude..... no more standing in its way ever again....

At the end of the day, nobody cares or gives a %^&&$%^ if you live your life by cultivating the beauty of your gifts that are yours to share. Through embracing and courageously expressing your Inner Gift you come to SEE your Self, to RE-MEMBER your SELF, and to let the world Know you through the beauty of your creative self-expression.

Nobody can tell you when you are ready to 'walk' creatively all by yourself, without any help, assistance, or mental-emotional props.... Only YOU can give your SELF a creative permission to live creatively.

Here's a fun and meaningful tool for your consideration ~ Creative License. Fill it out with your name and print it! I suggest more than one copy. Above all else, FRAME IT! And display it proudly ~ at your office, business, studio, hallway.... Use it as a re-minder of who you ~ at your Core. Perhaps most importantly, use it as a re-minder of your creative obligation to your Self and everyone your life touches. Here's the link: Creative License.

P.S.

Today I dropped off my collage series at the Learning Expo.... I'm grateful for how creatively explosive the last four months of my life have been. In the meantime I'm making a bit of progress on another 2'x2' wood panel and looking forward to participate in the Expo's workshop on Friday morning.