bringing forth the treasures

I am constantly encouraging creative expression. Whether it’s drawing, doodling, painting, writing, movement, cooking, gardening, playing an instrument, solving a problem like Maria, dancing, how you make people laugh or the way you organize your kitchen drawer, you are creative!

Maybe you want to try a new practice like writing every morning to start the day with gratitude and a fresh clean slate. But chances are, you already do something hugely creative. Maybe you just din’t think about it in that way. Or maybe you had Mr. Hogan as an art teacher in 5th grade (like I did) and he wasn’t all that impressed with your art.

Maybe you cook and making a pretty plate of delicious food is something you love to do. (If this is you, I am always willing and able to try this particular creative endeavor. Right, Nurdan, Charlotte, and Joanne?) 

By doing creative things, we engage mind, body, heart, and soul. We take something un-nameable and give it a name. We make it tangible. We breathe life into it. Making something that didn’t exist before is magic. 

Setting aside time for creativity is deeply satisfying and fulfilling. It helps us align with our greater purpose, is a great stress reliever and is hugely cathartic.

We need creative expression like we need air, water, food, sleep, and friends. 

It may not always be about what we create but about how we create. 

Are we having fun, are we in the flow, are we giving ourselves permission to write, say, draw and move however we want to? Are we thinking about what others will think of us? And are we allowing ourselves permission to mess up royally and maybe even fail miserably? Can we write that shitty first draft that Anne Lamott talks about? Can we make a muddy ugly painting that helped give representation to an awful feeling we have been sitting on all day?

Can we, maybe not silence, but at least quiet down the judgy, irksome inner critic that we may even have a name for - such as Donna - just so we can play around and try it out? 

It is not about the finished product it is about how we get there. And it certainly is not about perfection which we know is boring, stupid, and unattainable. Especially when we are talking about art which is highly subjective. (Thankfully). 

Recently in one of my groups, my talented artist friend, Wendy, had us paint small canvases. The goal wasn’t to make something pretty, it was to get curious and experiment with color, texture and shape. 

We each had our small part but that little part was part of a greater whole. It was deeply satisfying to see the color and paint strokes of everyone’s vibrant and unique contribution come to life. 

Then she dripped some paint over the canvases, tying it all together. Finally, she scraped the paint with some kind of scrape-y implement which changed the outcome once again. It was enlivening to watch the evolution of our collaboration. 

And as we sat around the circle discussing what it was like to paint and then watching someone paint over what we had made, my wise friend, Jenn said something to the effect of, “If I had known it was all going to be scraped at the end, I may have done it differently.” 

Aha! Just like a stoner hypnotized by moving clouds, I was like whoa what a perfect metaphor for life!

Art is like that. It affords us a new perspective every single time we engage with it. 

The following week in a different group, another talented artist friend, Stephanie, had us paint on paper experimenting with different tools, color and water. We talked about painting our emotions and about nature. We talked about the center and the storm outside of the center. (Hint: We have to go through the storm to get to the center and we do this over and over again.)

It was liberating! We had so much fun and even hatched some breakthroughs involving one piece that became a chicken. You never know what wants to come out of creative hibernation! But you have to give it an opportunity to crack. 

I am repeatedly thankful to artists, creative souls, musicians, and deep thinker friends for adding so much color and texture to my life. Keep doing this, pretty please, we all need it, and we need you! You make us think, bring us joy, and make us feel better.

And those of you who want to make creativity more of a priority in your life, please do so because it makes our world much more fun and bearable. 

You and your creative essence is essential to the well-being of humanity and this planet.

And knowing that it may all be scraped at the end and that nothing is guaranteed, what if anything would you change? Would you do anything differently in this moment?