It’s been one full year of Creative Seminary newsletters!
This week we’re going to spend time examining our relationship with our own creativity. I ask that you read through the questions and prompts and then attempt to set aside at least ten minutes (or more) to put pen to paper to write out your thoughts.
“Affixing the word “creative” to something is the quickest way to make it sound virtuous, and creativity has almost become a moral imperative” Carrie Battan at New Yorker Magazine.
Yes, creativity is a buzzword, so ubiquitous, perhaps, that it’s reached the point of threatening a sort of meaninglessness, as Carrie Battan suggests in New Yorker in recalling The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron’s seminal ‘creative’ self-help book in light of today’s self-promotional, online world.
So for now, let’s back it up a little and spend some time considering what the word means to us. Spend some time jotting down a few ideas and definitions of creativity according to you by answering the following questions:
What does the term creativity mean to you? What does it look like? Where does creativity come from? Does it reside somewhere specifically in our bodies, is it channeled or is it fanned like a flame? Is creativity something that can be learned, or do you believe one is either born with it or not? Do you consider yourself creative? In what ways? Don’t skimp on this one! Write it out.
Consider your answers for a minute. Maybe they are firm and sure, or perhaps they are fluid and a bit wishy-washy. Some of us have spent a lot of time exploring our own creativity and others prefer more practical ways of thinking. Many of us consider ourselves artists, and many others might refuse to describe themselves as such. Personally, I believe we’ve all got it in us. Not only that, but I believe that getting a bit closer to our creative flow is beneficial for ourselves, for our families, our communities and dare I hyperbolize and say: it’s good for the whole world.
I’m not the only one saying it, though:
“While the Creative Life is not directly associated with traditional conceptualizations of happiness, the Creative Life appears to be associated with a more deeply meaningful life” Scientific American.
“It might sound too good to be true, but simply engaging in creative behaviors (even just coloring in those trendy adult coloring books) improves brain function, mental health, and physical health” Forbes.
So, if we can agree that creativity is a net positive (even if you don’t agree, just roll with me here), then how can we find more of it within ourselves? If you’ve read The Artist’s Way, then you know one of Julia Cameron’s ‘rules’ to unblocking creativity (which she believes is inherent to everyone) is the morning pages. The morning pages is a ritual, a way to start your day and unload any gunk swirling and circling in your mind and prepare yourself for focused or perhaps less self-conscious creative work. What do you have to do? Simply hand write three pages of whatever flows through your mind first thing in the morning. Cameron claims they’re the first step toward more creative freedom. Read more here about the morning pages here (linked).
Recently, one of my writing friends mentioned Writing Begins with the Breath by Laraine Herring, which focuses on embodying techniques like breathing and yoga in order to write more meaningfully, as well as practical advice (like not allowing yourself to be distracted during those moments when you promised yourself some creative time). Herring asks the question: is writing (and on a larger scale, creativity) a spiritual practice as well as a physical one?
What do you think?
Michael Tucker, in his book The Shamanic Spirit in Twentieth Century Art and Culture, argues that the best artists today are able to transcend consciousness and tap into some sort of ancient meaning-making, similar to what all art has done since time immemorial (since cave paintings, to be precise).
“Tucker makes a compelling argument that, at their best and most unfiltered, modern artists are the heirs to their ancient ancestors that painted on caves. They’re reaching into (forgive the pretentious cliché) an altered state of consciousness. As a result, they tap into something primal in the collective mythoconsciousness of humanity, something complex, symbolic, and profound” linked.
What do you think? Do you think art can transcend the artist, can touch deeper into a well of meaning-making that even artists can’t really explain? Could creativity be a sort of bridge or link between humans, between art traditions through time, even a connection to something beyond or greater than ourselves?
Or do you believe it’s just something we do to pass the time? And does it really matter how we perceive it, in the end? Or is it only important that we embrace it, regardless of how we perceive it? Because can you imagine a life or a world that shuns creativity? Or one that exists without the concept completely?
At the very least, even without all that spirituality, the breath work, without yoga or wild transcendence, can we at least agree that those who dig into their creativity and share it with the world are worthy of our gratitude?
And do you think, just maybe, that you have something worth sharing? That, perhaps, we all do?
“It’s such a gift for someone to tell you the truth, and it’s such a gift for someone to create art with the mess and the chaos and the despair of life, to have turned it into a song, a poem, a novel. It’s the hugest gift we have to offer one another” Anne Lamott author of the craft book Bird by Bird.
This week’s creative writing assignments:
Get Action: There are dozens of simple ways to get your creativity flowing. Studies show (and I can attest) that taking a walk (by yourself, ideally) sparks creativity and problem-solving. Freewriting, standing on your head, taking yourself on an ‘artist date’ (two hours alone experiencing something new), writing down your dreams, signing up for a class or reading one of the books mentioned above are all potential ideas. Watch a foreign film you’ve always wanted to see and then jot down a personal review. Read a book of poems. Pull out a canvas and paint. This week, spend some time ‘cultivating’ your own creativity. Notice how it feels when you allow yourself time and space to pursue creative endeavors.
Words on paper: At some point, you need to just do the thing—write, compose, paint, whatever. It can be scary to take that first step. It’s much easier to read these newsletters, brainstorm for thirty seconds about the topics, and then be on your way. Today, spend some time getting words down on paper. Write those ‘morning pages,’ compose a poem, answer the questions above (physically, on paper, with your own hand holding a pen). If you’ve always wanted to do pottery, go ahead and sign up for a class or make the commitment to buy a hulk of clay. If you have a manuscript and need beta readers, sign up for a writing group near you. That novel or memoir you’ve always wanted to write? Sit down and write the first three pages. I encourage you to start that creative project today. If you’re already knee deep in a project, then congrats! You’re doing it! Even if it doesn’t feel perfect (or ‘good enough’ or whatever), take a minute to celebrate the fact that you’re doing it! Art can feel like a risk, and the fact that you’ve already begun is momentous. Now keep going.
Prompt: Imagine a character you’re working on already (or perhaps a new character begins to unfold). This person is type-A, no-nonsense, straight-laced and uptight. Perhaps they’re an actuary / accountant / whatever job you imagine steers clear of ‘creativity’ (if that job truly exists, I don’t think so, but we have our cultural stereotypes about these things). What secret creative desires does this character harbor? To join a drum circle? To paint nudes (or to pose nude)? To learn how to ballroom dance? What keeps this character from allowing themselves to connect with their creative passions? Shame? Embarrassment? Commitments on time that don’t fulfill them in the end? What would happen if they opened themselves up to these activities? How would those around them react? How could this potentially change or alter the character or their arc? Write it all out, even if you don’t use it.
Thanks for stopping by this week. And thank you for a year full of curiosities and creative living. Every reader received the paid subscription this week. If you’re not already signed up for the monthly or yearly subscription options, please consider signing up to access a more thorough newsletters, further prompts and every previous week’s topics in blog form right here on mishalazzara.substack.com in case you desire to reread or re-explore any of the topics we’ve examined so far.
Take care,
Misha