The Path of Creativity – What do you think of when you think about creativity?  A blank canvas waiting for pencil or paint?  A sheet or screen waiting for words?  Is it something you do on your own, in a quiet room, waiting for inspiration?  I think there’s definitely creativity in those things, but I also think that limiting ourselves to thinking of creativity as a solo artistic venture is a mistake.  Paintings and poems are inspired by something around or between us, aren’t they? 

I believe that, like energy, creativity moves between us, and comes into play every time we interact.  Creativity most certainly drives the rare occasion I write a poem- but it’s also very present in my cooking, coloring, garden, and Sunday services- everything I ever come up with as a possibility and then make happen.  And none of those things are created by me alone; they’re co-created with people who share their words, recipes, sketches, seeds, and ideas, whether they know it or not.  So creativity isn’t just about imagination and self-expression, it’s also about how we bring those things into collaboration.  If we’re inspired by others, then it only makes sense that others are also inspired by us! 

So you won’t be surprised to read that I think that the key to creativity is connection- that it requires inspiration and support from co-creators because our new ideas need coaxing and care, and because turning them into reality is often also collaborative work.  What ideas do you have to bring to the JRUUC co-creation?

In faith and love,

Karen

May 2023