We’re all born with a deep core of creativity. Some fortunate few are able to connect with that core at an early age. Others of us spend years longing, oftentimes unconsciously, to tap into it. Many of us go through life denying that it exists. We live with the belief that we are not creative.
Often there are explanations we can point to that justify our seeming lack of creativity. Possibly it was stifled through some childhood trauma, or by real or imagined criticisms from our mentors. Maybe it was simply starved by the absence of encouragement when we needed it.
Like many people, I grew up believing I wasn’t creative. At some level I recognized that this denial excused me from having to try to be creative. I also recognized that saying I wasn’t creative kept me from being creative.
At another level, however, I wanted to explore the artistic possibilities. Over the years I’ve enrolled in dozens of art and drawing classes, hoping to learn to draw and paint. Over and over again I would drop out of these classes after just a few sessions because I was embarrassed to be the only one—or so it always seemed to me—who couldn’t draw. Perhaps you’ve done this, too.
Julia Cameron, in her wonderful book The Artist’s Way says this is analogous to dropping out of a French class because we can’t immediately speak French. But this is a common occurrence. Many of us have come to believe that if we weren’t born with talent, we’ll never be able to develop it.
High on the list of major benefits I’ve received from inner simplicity has been the ability to get in touch with my artistic side. Some months after I’d started meditating (#98) and almost immediately after I’d completed some serious work on forgiveness (#70), I was able to start painting.
And because I’d started to learn through meditation that it’s all right to just be, I felt okay with just being a bad painter. That got me to the point of being an okay painter.
For many of us, the ability to tap into our creativity comes only after we have slowed down to the point where we can take the time to get centered. Learning to be and learning to be creative are two sides of the same coin. Now that you have the time, your inner search can open you up to both.