For the past few months I have not been able to paint very much. Sometimes other commitments and obligations in life require my full attention. I try to push through these as fast as possible because I find myself getting depressed when I cannot paint. It has made me stop and question the process of creativity, why I get depressed when I am not being creative and why I am so happy when creativity flows.
I am not sure this is limited to just my painting. Creativity is a whole way of being and living. We are as humans naturally creative in almost everything we do. We are creative in the way we dress ourselves each day, the food we prepare to eat, how we decorate our homes, the conversations we participate in, the ways of relating to others and the ways we pass our free time. We live in a creative, dynamic world yet circumstances can appear that zap our creative juices. Our modern lifestyles can quickly become rigid, demanding routines that limit our creative flow. I find that if I can stay connected to my creativity in a deep way, everything in my life seems better. My creativity keeps me connected to a vital life force that keeps welcoming me through the door of all possibilities.
When I am not motivated nor excited about what colors and textures I want to wear, eat, paint or grow, I need to worry. I have become a wild animal in captivity instead of a wild woman in creativity.
So what is creativity? The dictionary defines to create as “cause to come into being, something unique that would not naturally evolve, to cause to happen, bring about”. With this in mind, creativity is essential to everything we do and everything we are. We are all creative beings, we are all artists whether one paints or not. I consider creativity as THE life force energy, the spark in all of life. Within this spark there are choices, some that will keep us connected, some that will disconnect us. As long as we choose to be open, curious, innocent, loving and wild, we will stay connected to our creative self. This connection will naturally bring about, cause to happen, bring into being the fruits of creation, whether that be a painting, a song, a garden, love or a child. And our children can be our greatest, creative teachers. Children are masters of play, play fuels the imagination which fuels creativity. It can be most refreshing to take some time off from being an adult!
I perused the web today looking for fellow artists writing on this topic, and have posted some below for you. I was stunned in reading through the same topic how we are asking the same questions, and finding many of the same answers. Hope all this info helps you answer this question as well.
http://www.dailydissident.com2/6/13
“Creativity is a puzzle, a paradox, some say a mystery. Inventors, scientists, and artists rarely know how their ideas arise. They mention intuition, but cannot say how it works. Most psychologists cannot tell us much about it …
http://sandrapaolinimft.com1/21/11
Creativity is generally thought of as self-expression; but if you unravel the process a bit, you’ll find something much deeper and more profoundly transformational at its core.
What is creativity? « kevinricks
http://kevinricks.wordpress.com2/14/13
I was out with a friend recently, we were talking about creativity. She stated she was very creative. She is. But I had the distinct feeling we were talking about two different things. The dictionary states creativity is “the use of the …
What is creativity? « The Liberated Way
http://liberatedway.com1/31/13
Early this morning I was late for geography class; tried to recruit Little John in Sherwood Forest; dropped a baby; recruited an ancient Greek army. I was creatively creating scenes in my dreams as I slept. Human beings are …
29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE 1. Make lists 2. Carry a Notebook everywhere 3. Try free writing 4. Get away from the computer 5. Quit beating yourself up 6. Take breaks 7. Sing in the shower 8. Drink coffee 9. Listen to new music 10. Be open 11. Surround y…
