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"All are needed by each one: Nothing is fair or good alone." Ralph Waldo Emerson
No sacred story is told without ears to hear, no masterpiece is exhibited without eyes to see. The daffodils bring the fragrance of spring to those that notice and the birds chirp their song to our senses. Tsunamis bring fragmented lives within our vision to stir our empathy and loosen our hearts to include our fellow human beings. In the crevices of chaos we find Oneness. I stop the blur of images that rush past me to pause and honor this journey we take together in this time and space on our beautiful blue planet. Our earthly reality is we really do need one another.
"Be it life or death, we crave only reality." Henry David Thoreau
To enter the wilderness of desert or mountain, ocean or space you must make friends with the unexpected. True of artists as they explore their expressions in color, texture, form and line, inspiration is often unexpected. As we embrace the time and space at the easel, the dance floor, the concert stage, the blank page, passion is awakened. The art of embracing is to free the mind of preconceived ideas and let the flow of ideas bubble up from the subconscious. A thousand regions, yet undiscovered, lie in the fertile ground of your mind and quieting the static of noisy distractions will release them. I often hear the question, "What are you going to paint next?" My answer is always, "I'll see what comes." And it does....the lacey pattern of ice rimming a pond, a bird sitting on a trembling branch, a wild river rushing to the oceas, a mountain jutting up from the valley, a face filled with light or a memory of planets floating in space....it comes....always.
Here within our creative spirit and our physical body are the sacred rivers, the mountains and valleys, the sun and moon that connect us to the Universe. The temple of our creative force contains a holy restlessness that brings body and soul together in a landscape of textures, colors and form. It is the force that draws us toward the light and investigates the shadows. "All wilderness seems to be full of tricks and plans to drive and draw us up into God's light." John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra.
Artists are light chasers and every stroke of the brush is focused on what the light is doing....there are no lines....only patterns of light and shadow. One is just as important as the other.....we cannot ignore the shadows. "Beauty is as relative as light and dark." - Paul Klee
The contrast creates the beauty. So as we appreciate the contrast, we begin to give thanks for both shadow and light.
Creativity wakes us up and begins to show us more of what is spiritually available. Perhaps it is God's way of teaching us to pay attention. It sharpens all of our senses....we hear and see, smell, taste and touch more of this journey. It activates our imagination....one of our most valuable spiritual faculties. We make a leap of faith every time we create. Acquiring wisdom requires creativity.....visualizing the concepts of love and empathy, passion and forgiveness. Inspiration comes to us for a reason....our spirit speaks to us as we pick up a brush, a pen, our dancing shoes or a camera. Creativity is a part of all of us....not just the artist or the writer. It is an inherent part of every cell....the magical secret garden just waiting to bloom.
Creativity will wake us up to what the spiritual life is all about. It shows us the details and sharpens every sense. We are able to hear and see, taste and touch more of what is happening on our journey.
