Field Notes - Three
I have always felt an impulse to create, to make visible some intangible, ephemeral knowing, but never felt that I had the skills to engage in creative acts, nor the understanding of how to go about it. Throughout high school I was always on the verge of failing art and frequently received the comment - finds subject difficult but tries!
Upon reflection, I never saw the projects I did as a student, my work as a teacher, the mentorship I gave to those in the teacher training program, the discussions I have with friends, nor the knitting business that I developed and nurtured as acts of creation.
To me, creating meant something an artist does with a blank canvas, someone who, with a magic touch and natural talent effortlessly creates something never before seen, that makes you stand in awe and transports you to new places.
And yes, those types of creators exist and inspire us through their immense talent and vision, and allow us to feel and experience parts of ourselves and the world that we never knew existed.
Yet, as I have given myself over to the pursuit of an artistic practice, I have begun to decipher the concept of creativity and what it actually means to create.
At its most stripped down meaning, to create is to make something new / to look at things in a unique way. With this understanding in mind, we can posit that becoming a human being is in and of itself an act of creation, a coming together of energies to birth a new essence with its own way of seeing and being in the world.
Cognizant that we were born from an act of creation, we come to this earth imbedded with a deep desire to create and to express our unique point of view - to both stand out in the crowd, and to feel part of the web of life.
Breaking through the known to open ourselves to new possibilities …
What does creating look like for you? Is it in how you dress? How you craft a message to a friend? The dinner you cook? How you read a bedtime story to your child? In the presentation you make to colleagues? How you organise a party? In how you decorate your home? How you teach a lesson? In the application of your make-up? In how your eye frames a photo? In the understanding you bring forth to resolve a conflict?
Sometimes we look for the exterior tangible tools to help us express our creativity, while other times we seek an experience to ignite that creative spark. Regardless, I offer you an invitation to begin to see how and what you create on a daily basis, and that, without your acts of creation, the world is missing out on that which only you can bring forth.
As you investigate your creativity, keep in mind the ebb and flow of the energy that created you. We live in a society that generally promotes the seeking, the active, the “make it happen”, and do not do justice to the act of waiting, of observing, of sensing.
How did we come to this earth in the first place?
The egg is the receptacle, actively passive, waiting and sensing when to open up to allow the seeking sperm to penetrate. We cannot have the light without the dark, the yang without the yin, the active without the passive, the momentum without the inertia. Creation happens in the flow, in the convergence of energies, in the moment the spark is accepted.
To create is an essential part of the human diet, and in taking time to acknowledge our acts of creation, we might find a little more meaning to our lives, a little more confidence in our abilities, and a whole new well of possibilities.
And may I add, sometimes you don’t need the flashy tools nor the coveted experience to create, just patience, wonder and action !
💛 Lisa xx
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