September/October 2007 Spirituality
Creativity for Life

by Eric Maisel, Ph.D.

Creativity for life has three different meanings: artful living, an art-filled life and an art-committed life.

The first meaning is that creativity can permeate a life: a person can be creative in the way that she handles her job, solves problems around the house, plans menus for dinner parties or takes in a sunset. She manifests the qualities of a creative person, such as imagination, resourcefulness and self-direction, and shines them like a beacon on whatever she thinks about or tackles. One shorthand moniker for this is that she is an everyday creative or that she is engaged in artful living.

Need a Shot of Creativity?

Fill up your creative tank at the following Pacific Northwest events.

Bumbershoot: Seattle's Music & Arts Festival. Since 1971, Bumbershoot has drawn artists representing the best in music, film, comedy, spoken word, dance, theater, performance and visual arts to the Seattle Center over Labor Day weekend. Visit www.bumbershoot.org.

Art in the Pearl. This annual arts and craft festival fills the Northwest Portland Park blocks with art, theater, music and hands-on activities on Labor Day weekend. Visit www.artinthepearl.com.

Sun Valley Spiritual Film Festival. This Idaho event celebrates human spirituality through film with international films and speakers on September 14-16. Visit www.svspiritualfilmfestival.org.

The 10 or Less Film Festival. Formerly known as the Portland International Short Short Film Festival, the event showcases the best films that clock in at 10 minutes or less. October 18-20 at the Hollywood Theatre at 4122 NE Sandy Blvd. in Portland. Visit www.10orlessfest.com.

Earshot Jazz Festival. On Oct. 19-Nov. 4, see hundreds of jazz artists at more than 60 events in venues around Seattle, plus educational programs and panels, a film series, poetry and author readings, and art exhibits. Visit www.earshot.org.

The second meaning of the phrase creativity for life is that people who love things like art, music, literature and science want them in their life. They do not want a life devoid of foreign movies, intellectual puzzles or natural beauty. They love it that bookstores, museums and concert halls exist and they love it that they can fill their living space and their spare time with art. Our shorthand for this is an art-filled life or art-filled living. In this sense, creativity for life means filling all the days of your life with art and the joy that art brings.

You probably want these two things: to be an everyday creative and to have an art-filled life. You may also be someone who falls into a third category: a person who spends a lifetime creating in a particular domain to which she decides to devote herself. She can be creative as a violinist and devote herself to music. She can be creative as a writer and devote herself to writing novels. She can be creative as a research biologist and devote herself to scientific inquiry. Our shorthand for this is an art-committed life or identifying as an artist. Millions of people make this choice, with all of the joys and challenges that come with it.

An artful life, an art-filled life and an art-committed life are not mutually exclusive ideas or mutually exclusive ways of being. But they do present different challenges. As soon as you decide to be creative in a domain and decide that you mean to live your life as a novelist, biochemist, actor or sculptor, you introduce a set of profound challenges that would not have confronted you if you had settled for artful living and an art-filled life. It is one thing to decorate your apartment with found objects that tickle your fancy. It is another thing to decide to live your life as a found object artist and to pay the bills from your art proceeds. When you decide to devote yourself to creativity in a domain, you raise the stakes tremendously, you organize your life around that dream, and your emotions rise and fall with your successes and failures.

Whether your goal is artful living, an art-filled life or an art-committed life, two keys to success are careful attention and regular practice. We tend to do a pretty poor job of paying attention to our realities - we seem programmed to repeat our days without improving our circumstances or deepening our awareness. Nor do we tend to want to commit to the patient apprenticeship that is required of someone who wants to translate her love of an art form into mastery. As general rules, we pay too little attention and we practice too little. Whether you are looking to live more artfully or produce more art, you will feel more positive, motivated and on track if you commit to a daily practice that involves you in activities that encourage your native creativity and that bring more art into your life.

These daily activities might include such simple things as listening to music that moves you or getting fresh flowers for the living room. They might include carving out islands of mindfulness, five minutes here and there, where you pay quiet attention to your life and consider how your might live more joyfully, wisely and artfully. If you are intending to live an art-committed life, they would include the regular practice of your instrument, daily writing on your novel, or taking care of the business of art by networking and marketing. None of these tasks sound outlandishly difficult and yet, because we keep ourselves busy and resistant, we tend to avoid them-and by avoiding them miss our chance for artful living, an art-filled life, and, if it is one of our dreams, an art-committed life.

You maintain lifelong creativity by maintaining daily creativity.

Eric Maisel, Ph.D., is a creativity coach and columnist for Art Calendar Magazine. Visit www.ericmaisel.com. Based on the book Creativity for Life by Eric Maisel. Printed with permission by New World Library, www.newworldlibrary.com.