An old friend emailed me something about being "held hostage" by creativity and failure. If I may translate, he was expressing a desire to engage his creativity in some tangible way and felt the preemptive fear of failure. He was identifying with some part of him that was kidnapped by another. The violent image speaks to the very real urgency of freeing what is held captive.
Let me reassure him and all of us. Our creativity is natural and essential to each of us. It cannot be taken away. But it can be undiscovered, unclaimed, neglected, forgotten, disowned, banished, rejected. Our creativity is our inherent human ability to imagine and manifest what is needed next. It is letting our hands be hands, connected to our hearts and extending out into the world.
My friend lives in a society with a long history of world-shattering art and architecture. He is also a product of US culture, which revolves around producing, advertising, buying, and consuming. No matter, there's always a place for the handmade life. Our soul life depends on it.
Many of us in the US distance ourselves from or neglect to claim our everyday creativity. We are told it's only for artists, special people. We take the creative process out of cooking, parenting, intimate partnership, friendship, housekeeping, fitness, finances, work and turn it into obligation and put it at the bottom of the list of things to do.
To free the hostage, I would ask what part of us is holding it hostage? What does this part want and not want? What is it worried will happen if the creativity is allowed to run free? Is there some participation it wants? Or does it just want its point of view to be heard?
In situations like this, if there's a lot of broken trust, it may take time for the 'kidnapper' to release what's being held. It's vital that we give compassionate awareness to it and really listen. Reflecting back how it feels, what it's saying, will often magically allow it to relax and see it doesn't need to hold any other part of us captive.
We need to bring our mindfulness and kindness to parts of us that feel mistreated and driven to desperate acts. We can bring everyone home safely and return to our creativity all together.
2 comments:
what is the difference between a Leonardo, a Caravaggio, a Leon Battista Alberti, a Michelangelo and a god, in a land where once upon a time somebody decided to build the residence of the second highest ranking representitive of God. Subtle and invisible nets are being woven day after day, eon after eon to keep physical man separate from ideal man. In a land where Mary is the ultimate unknowable mistery, male hero/artists are the ultimate representation of Man who tries to emulate the Father so satisfying His will.. In Italy artists are less humans than in America. They belong to the culture controlling hierarchy. It is not easy at all to state: "I am an artist" or even "I am creative". something inside will answer: "are you kidding?"
With spontaneous creativity, you are in the present moment. You ARE the Mystery and you are dancing with It. Both.
Despite cultural strictures about who is or is not an artist, we all have that creative capacity, just by the fact of being human. I see it as awe-inspiring and very humbling. No heroes.
In other words, people around the world do it anyway. With their own intentions, they cultivate this precious gift. And do their best. It's up to each one to choose to step into that unknown or not.
I choose to show up here. I hope you find ways to show up too.
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