Creating

Something to Ponder

“An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.” —Edwin Land

“Anxiety is the handmaiden of creativity.” —T. S. Eliot

Invitation to Ponder

When I was a kid, I had a “junk drawer.” The bottom drawer of my tall six drawer dresser was for stuff that didn’t fit anywhere else. The other drawers were for socks, underwear, tee shirts, etc. But my “junk drawer” was for anything that did not fit into nice, neat categories. You might find a baseball, a special rock from the creek, an unfortunate captured butterfly, or Grandpa’s shiny silver nickel.

Life has junk drawers too. Life doesn’t always fit into safe, neat folders. Sometimes we bust out into the unexpected when we least expect it.

I love creativity: a musician who can produce sounds that move me to tears, an artist whose inspiration stops me in my tracks, the Brazilian sunsets that take away my breath, and my father’s out-of-the-box solutions to problems when everyone else was stuck.

What moves you? How do you ignite your creative spark? How do you keep it alive? How do you recognize and appreciate it?

Sunsets over Patagonia and Paraná

Comments

Greegg Shaffer (Wednesday, November 23 16 06:29 pm EST)

I once read that creativity is approaching a task, an idea, and the like from a fresh angle. As a writer, coach, mentor and entrepreneur, I attempt to do that when there is writer's block or a plateau in Coaching/mentoring/business. As a speaker I hae many times spoken in the first person. That required me to immerse myself in research of the person. Every time I gained a new appreciation for the person and saw them through others' eyes. I often watch a movie, documentary or interview to see what is being portrayed. I am a student of persuasion and can tell when propaganda is being issued with manipulative methods. As a Christian created in the image of God, part of our being human is to be creative like Him. I pursue creativity often, especially if it involves beauty of some kind. John Keats has said that "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." I say creativity is a thing of beauty, and a gift from God.