Poemattic: Poetry and Art for the Soul

I do not think one can exist without the other. We must be mindful of the creative process and what it means to be creative. Isaac Asimov once said that to be creative, “isolation was a requirement.” At times I believe this is true. But there are times I do not want to be isolated at all.

Creativity is expressed in many ways. We may have a muse or many muses to help us get inspired to create. Some of us may be so lucky to be born with a creative spirit. Some of us get this sudden flash of creativity. The proverbial “light switch” that turns on and we run with the idea hoping we did not get the idea from somewhere else. Is it possible for two people to experience the same creative flash simultaneously?

Creativity for me is almost a sacred endeavor. I believe that we must be connected to something beyond our physical reach. I taught children with the firm belief that every child was creative. It was not something I could teach them but something that was part of their being. And each child was creative in their own way. As Howard Gardner proposes we all have “multiple intelligences” that can be developed in different ways. Therefore, it would take a “creative” teacher to help this process.

So how does mindfulness play within all of this? “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” Thus, we are aware of the creative process and how to fulfill our creative needs.

I found a few blogs that speak to the creative process and how to develop mindfulness. I also found a few magazines that help people work through the creative process by keeping journals. One of these magazines provides you with a variety of prompts to create all kinds of art and different genres of writing.

I had not used Artrage program in a while to create drawings or paintings. Today I was mindful and I must have been visited my muse and I painted this:

I call it “Deep Mist”. I think it reflects what I was feeling but then again was it a “sudden flash” or was it my “isolation” that help me create this. I am not sure. I am learning from many of you that creativity is a beautiful thing. I also started keeping a journal where I write down my thoughts as I paint. It is amazing how I am beginning to understand a lot more about what creativity is about.

I hope to continue to share some of these perspectives. I would love to get your reaction and comments.

 

Attributions:

https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199203/the-art-creativity

https://www.learning-theories.com/gardners-multiple-intelligences-theory.html

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/531911/isaac-asimov-asks-how-do-people-get-new-ideas/