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by Michelle Casto
Julia Cameron once said, "Our creative dreams and yearnings
come from a divine source. As we move
toward our dreams, we move
toward our divinity." And it is true. You will become more
divine as you become more creative. Creativity is loving what you do
no matter how menial or small the task. You find intrinsic value in
the act---such as gardening, painting, or cooking. Creativity is the
quality that you bring to the activity you are doing. It is an
attitude, an inner approach to how you look at things.
Being creative is not limited to activities traditionally thought of
as "creative," such as painting, writing, composing, or
dancing. Everyone can be creative, even when doing simple chores. Do
not limit yourself and narrowly define creativity, as I did for a
very long time. I can remember back to the first grade when I drew a
picture of the sky and colored it purple. I was very proud of my
landscape. To me, it was beautiful and perfect, but the teacher
criticized me in front of the class, saying, "The sky is not
purple, it is blue." I was devastated. I could not understand
what was wrong with my sky; or for that matter, what was wrong with
me. From that day on, I never thought of myself as
"creative." It has only been during the past few years
that I have realized I am very creative, in the way I write, the way
I think, the way I am! Whether or not we consider ourselves artists,
we are all in the business of creating our lives. Each of us is here
to contribute something unique, yet most of us aren't sure what that
"something" is. We would like life to be more beautiful,
but don't think there is anything we can do. Yet, a simple creative
act enhances the beauty of the world. Just think about how you feel
when you see an architecturally beautiful skyscraper, or colorful
downtown mural, or exquisitely cared for garden. Each of these works
is a work of creativity, a work of art. Creative work can help us to
heal our planet and our souls.
The reality is that we are born creators. Just to be is to be
creative. But to make the conscious choice to act on your ideas and
thoughts is truly powerful. You have only to watch children,
especially at play, to see the creative force in its purest, most
exuberant form. But along the way, we squelch their imagination. We
teach them that there is "right" and "wrong" way
to do things. We also instill in them that other people are the
authority-that they can't trust themselves. Albert Einstein once
said, "Imagination is more powerful than knowledge." But
in our society, we promote the collection of knowledge instead of
the expansion of our imaginations.
Creativity is associated with a kind of intelligence--- the
ability to take notice and act upon the nuances of nature. An artist
has his eyes, ears, nose, heart, and mind wide open---this
heightened awareness enables them to tune in to their thought
patterns, which guides their work. The first step to unleashing your
creativity is to start the process. For example, if you want to
become a writer, you will not succeed until you start writing.
Putting pen to paper is the first step in the creative process. Now,
what you write first may not be the final draft, (believe me, it
won't!) but it is a vital component to unleashing the creator
within. If you are having difficulty coming up with ideas, instead
of trying to force them, relax. Slow down and allow your inner self
to give you guidance. And it is very, very important not to judge
yourself for not getting it "right" or perfect, because
that will definitely dampen your creative spirit.
Creativity is a process of unfoldment, leading you to the next
stage, in that each thing you do leads you to a deeper level of
understanding, emotion, and thought. The Get Smart! creativity
process involve the use of both sides of the brain, the analytical
side and the artistic side.
The first stage occurs in the right-brain---insight, where you
have a flash, a hunch or intuition about an idea.
The second stage occurs in the left-brain---reflection, where you
analyze the idea.
The third stage occurs in the right-brain---imagination, where you
generate ideas about the original idea.
The fourth stage occurs in the left-brain---evaluation, where you
analyze the feasibility of all the ideas generated.
The Four Roles of the creative process, according to Roger von Oech,
author of A Kick in the Seat of the Pants:
The Explorer: Searches for materials with which to make new
ideas. (He breaks his routine and gets out there to explore).
The Artist: Takes the materials and transforms them into original
ideas. (She imagines and reflects about the idea).
The Judge: Takes on the evaluative role, and decides what to do with
the idea: implement it, modify it, or discard it. (He considers what
the idea is trying to do and sees the possibilities).
The Warrior: Takes action on the idea. (She prepares for criticism
and gets back up when knocked down).
What creative role are you playing? How can you move to the next
level/stage in the creative process?
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