Creating is like breathing – more like exhaling. If I don’t create, my soul suffocates. As I create, I listen to myself. I discover emotions and fears and passions and convictions. I pray soft and subtle prayers. And I give others the words their souls need as well. If I never find a steady lucrative income from writing, I will still write. Making a living is not the same as making a life.
While I want to create for the sake of my soul and for the sake of the message, I also want to create for the sake of creating. I enjoy the process – the challenge – the adventure. I must always hold moments of creating as a discovery, not a job or goal, but as a discovery of what is within me to create. To play. Freely. Without expectation or pressure. And I will find these are my most creative moments. Without inhibition.
To maintain a level of creativity, I need new inspirations and old routines. I always find novel ways to create, whether it be through new tools of creating, or new mediums. Predictability and routine provide the best environments for my soul to have the energy to create. If life demands adaptation and change (both being very creative endeavors) then I will be depleted of my inner creativity.
To foster my creative edge, I must constantly educate and challenge myself: New books, new lessons, new tools, new goals, new creative endeavors. If I don’t grow, I will lose speed and possibly halt. This development is a monster of a task, and I often feel I am hindered by my own limitations. But I will continue to grow. I will continue to climb upwards to new heights of achievement. I may never ascend to the top of this Everest, but I will strive to get above the snow-line.
Each year I will make a creative goal for myself. A goal that both includes songwriting and artistic development/education. These two combined elements will keep me on course – always with an end in sight and a way to monitor progress, and will also fuel me to keep a steady pace with new ideas and tools and challenges.
Instructions for writing your own creativity manifesto can be found HERE
simply beautiful. and good gracious. so like my brain:)
Hey Angie!!
this makes my non-creative eyes cross b/c it’s like reading Latin….. and I can’t read Latin.
I’m not completely WITHOUT creativity, I do have a few small creative bones in me….. but I don’t ooze creativity either. It’s not in my nature to have a drive to create.
This year in MOPS the theme is “The Art & Science of Mothering” and I totally fall on the science side. So my challenge is to find and excercise my creative side. *sigh*
BUT, did you know that there’s a TON of creativity to science? The scientists are the ones who see facts and information and process as art. And use their problem solving skills (aka: creativity) to think and discover new things.
I’m beginning to see creativity as not solely limited to the aesthetic. The personality test I took (see my response to JamesBrett) said that my personality type can be a scientist or artist or mathematician. You may not have a flair for the arts, but that doesn’t mean your not creative. Drew is one of the most creative people I know, and we ALL know he’s not an “artist” by any stretch of the word. haha
Hmm, good points. Speaking of personality tests, everytime I take one of those things it says I have an “aesthetic eye.” So while I’m not big on creating art, I do appreciate looking at nice things. And hearing nice things.
I’m an art appreciator. haha!
When I was younger I used to draw….well, TRY to draw. When I look back at those I think “dang! that’s pretty good” but I could never bring myself to attempt that now. Just couldn’t.
My kids though, they are some artsy fartsy peeps!
See?! I think you’re more creative than you realize. It sounds like you’ve written yourself off for some (unjustified) reason.
perfectionism. totally justifiable!
ha!
My Creativity Manifasto
Draw outside the lines.
Try and think more like a Christian minister named Drew.
i commend you on your creativity and your discipline in that area. the ability to create is something we received from God and part of what make us in his image — and we’re able to be more like him when we exercise our creativity.
it’s sad, though, that when thinking of creative individuals, we often think of those without the discipline and commitment needed to improve their trade, who just do it out of “passion.” we call it passion, though if someone is not willing to educate themselves further in an area, it’s not passion. it’s a hobby. we want to equate creativity and art with a free and slacker lifestyle, but i think we miss the mark when we do. the mark set by God, who created the world and everything in it (and did so in an orderly fashion).
I think you’re right… I recently took a personality test (under a professional coach/counselor person) and she affirmed the findings: I’m a melancholy. I was pleased to see that the melancholy personality is highly creative, but also highly goal oriented. I never thought creatives were goal-oriented, but I guess some of us are… It surprised me, but things in my life made a lot more sense. For instance, as you read in the manifesto, I set up goals for myself with my songwriting. And having goals really pulls me forward to growth and achievement.
Granted, there’s another creative personality in that test that is not goal-oriented. And, it seems like a lot of creative people I know fall into that category. Probably most creative people I know fall into that category, which is probably why the stereotype you mentioned even exists.
Maybe I should’ve called it the Melancholy Manifesto!
mandy, “the melancholy manifesto” is a good name for something for sure. if you don’t use it, i might. well, no, i probably won’t. but i should.
as i was running this morning, i was thinking through your post and my response… and creativity in general, when i realized i had used the wrong word in my comments. i knew it sounded funny when i wrote it, but i couldn’t think of the right word.
i said that God created the world “and did so in an orderly fashion.” i meant to say that he did so intentionally. anyway, i appreciate you setting goals even in creativity. blessings on your work and ministry.
A great gentleman I went to college with is now creating scores for films. He basically gets to work with Hans Zimmer and the like.
What I find astounding is that he doesn’t walk around and talk about his passion for music. He jokes, and he talks about anything but music. But when you listen to his compositions, you suddenly get to enter a very intimate part of his life, his mind.
http://soundcloud.com/23violins/pandemic
You just have to know this guy to be completely surprised at what the inside of his head hears, and what comes out of his mouth most often. Haha.
If you’re interested in listening, that link is to one song. The rest of his compositions are on the right side, just a bit down on the page. My favorite is probably “Against the Odds”.
Oh my gosh…. That was amazing. I’m always fascinated by the makings of film score, especially since most people aren’t even aware that music is there. The music simply evokes feelings – feelings that the viewer thinks is his own appropriate response to what he’s watching on the screen. But the feelings may actually come from what he’s hearing.
Dang. I gotta think about this.
I know how you feel.
But, I am suffocating right now.
What gets me through it is what I learned about Genius, having a Genius instead of being a genius.
He’ll show up when I — and others — need Him.
I just hope it’s soon…
I like the idea of Genius… Reminds me of Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk on creativity – did you watch that?
http://mandythompson.com/2009/04/22/this-talk-changed-how-i-create/
Hope you find ways to exhale.
Mandy:
Yes, I did watch it. In fact, I sent you the link once and you had said that you had already seen it.
On the bright side, at least you’re not an elephant; ’cause elephants never forget. Heh.
(Trying to find a way to exhale…)
Oops! And comparing me to an elephant is definitely an exhale.
Mandy:
Yeah, but I’m the elephant!!
Every omce in a whle I get chance to exhale, but the creativity isn’t flowing so freely with my writing. I’m too confused, too beat up too…
I’m having a Ranulph Junah phase: I lost my “swing.”
I love creativity… when I am being creative I feel the most free
Me too Jenny! I used to think I was alone in this, but I have found more and more like me who also feel the freedom in the creative endeavor. And these people spur me on to be even more creative.
ok how is this supposedto mean?