There’s an aspect of creativity that I haven’t talked much about, but I think that it’s an important one — one that I have kinda talked around in the past but never really got into. But I want to get into it now.
Creativity is a Spiritual Act
Google defines spiritual as “relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.” Though the word spiritual can also conjure notions of religion and the supernatural, I’m using it in more general and secular way. I see creativity as a way to get in touch with yourself and to create meaning and purpose in life. Creativity connects us to what is important, and allows us to feel more fully alive. It’s a practical thing, not a mystical, woo-woo type of thing.
A lot of folks who have ignored their creativity for much of their lives believing for whatever reason that they are not creative, end up turning to creativity later in their lives when they find themselves to be empty nesters and no longer have the demands of raising a family or when they approach retirement and no longer have the demands and stress of making a living. I had always noticed a large number of middle aged and retired folks in the workshops that I teach. It seems that when life shifts, we often need to find meaning and purpose in new places and new ways in our lives.
“What is the meaning of life?” is one of the biggest questions that we try to answer about our existence. There are so many avenues to explore, but one of the easiest ways to find meaning is to create it. Exploring our creativity connects us to purpose and meaning. Brené Brown says “If we want to make meaning, we need to make art. Cook, write, draw, doodle, paint, scrapbook, take pictures, collage, knit, rebuild an engine, sculpt, dance, decorate, act, sing—it doesn’t matter. As long as we’re creating, we’re cultivating meaning.” I love how she includes a variety of things as art.
Cultivating Meaning
Creating helps us cultivate meaning in three distinct ways.
First it helps us get present. When we are creating we have to focus on what is in front of us. It helps us get out of our heads, to stop fixating on the past, and to stop worrying about the future. It allows us to focus on what’s at hand whether it’s mixing and blending colors together, kneading a ball of dough just right, or overcoming a difficult melodic transition. We often lose ourselves as we create as we enter that flow state, and hours pass by so quickly because we are so focused on what is right in front of us — because we are so present.