Creativity & Inspiration

Quote for the day: "Whatever coaxes us out of hiding, to write, record, and express, is a revolutionary act. It says that we believe our lives count: our lives do count." - SARK

My god, yes, yes, yes!  I needed to hear that.  I found this on Take a Deetour... just what I needed this morning.  I had no idea who SARK is, so I did a search and found another page of quotes about creativity: Creativity Portal: Creativity Quotes.  And another SARK quote:

"Invent your world; surround yourself with people, color, sounds and work that nourish you." — SARK, Living Juicy

Excellent.  Yes.

S'wenyway, I finally found SARK's website, and went into a sort of sugar-shock-overload.  I think my instrument just can't handle too much cheerfulness and upbeat inspiration.  I was really uplifted by that first quote.  I really liked the second quote.  But ... well, maybe I'm just too dark at my core.

The thing is, I was just thinking about inspiration last night.  I watched SeaBiscuit for about the hundredth time.  There's something so inspiring in the movie, and doubly so because of the real backstory.  They put some hollywoodish twists on the movie to make it swell and move, but it doesn't matter to my tear ducts.  I always cry, I always get a heart-rush when the races are won. 

Of course, there are all the standard inspiration speeches and analogies about the depression, and the little man, and keeping on even when the chips are down and all that.  But the most important parts of the movie, the parts I watch over and over and OVER again, are the parts where inspiration happens quietly.

I see Howard as the father-figure, a stand-in for all the archetypal father figures.  He draws all the players together, and he gives them a chance, by his acceptance of them, to be who they are more fully.  By seeing their value, he inspires their beingness, if you will.  That's the best kind of inspiration.

Which brings me back around to the first quote above -- value and inspiration and creativity are interwoven together. 

I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here.  I guess I need to let it simmer a while longer.

Comments

[Nancy Bond]

Excellent quotes! Great links, too.

Which brings me back around to the first quote above -- value and inspiration and creativity are interwoven together.

To me, this means that believing in yourself--in your self worth, in your ability--spawns inspiration and creativity. It reminds me of the lectures my Dad used to give to me about never being able to progress and move forward if you're afraid of making a mistake. :)

I needed to read these quotes tonight, too. Thanks.

[Christine]

Exactly! I feel like it's an inching-forward kind of thing for me. I feel a little bit better about myself, and then I feel creative. Doing something creative feeds my soul, and then I feel a little better about myself, and so on ... and so forth. Fear of making mistakes ranks at the top of my list of self-hate issues for sure. Your dad must have been a really wonderful guy.

[David]

Great stuff. Good to note "different strokes" though. ANY goad that "...coaxes us out of hiding..."—positive or negative—and into creating something fits the idea. Not all creative urges come from numinous glory.

It's said that necessity is the mother of invention, but I've found, often as not, that laziness or uncomfortability or joy or awe or any number of other lil pieces of sand in my craw can spur me to sing a new song, draw/paint, build, write, tinker or just think new thoughts.

It's our connectedness to our environment—AND to ourselves—that adds the spice. We are "thrown" into the world of relationships, of physical exigencies and ultimately back into our own minds and hearts and emotions as we confront what lies without.

Now, do we have a spark of spunk to meet what is "without" and respond with that spark of spunk to make something that just fits or better enhances that environment?

With a loved one, that fresh turn of phrase or unexpected caress?

With the lawn, a better way to mow and trim?

What?!? They're not creative enough? heh All of life is either habit or creation. Both have their places. The saddest thing is for someone to cede cretivity to others, to simply passicely accept life, living vicariously through the creativity of others and trudging from one conditioned response to another.

Whatever kicks the slats out from under that is good, at least to some degree, no matter how bad it may seem.