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Creativity
as a Spiritual Practice: An Overview
by Sarah Stockton
For me, devotion to the creative life without conscious awareness
of the Holy Spirit is like swimming toward shore without
noticing
the water all around me. I may still make my goal, but at
the cost of overlooking the force, wonder, and very essence
of
what I am moving through, what I am immersed in, what I both
grapple with and rest upon. The shore is the creative goal
and
swimming is the manifestation of my creative impulse, but
the water is what makes the journey possible at all.
The impulse to create — an impulse familiar to so many —
is part of our yearning to live. When we become aware of
and then act upon our creative impulses, we recognize and
align
ourselves with the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Breath of Life,
the Divine One, the Ground of our Being. For in the creative
process we attempt to give life to our own understanding
and experience of existence.
The similarities and interconnections between spiritual practice
and creative practice are profound. People can create without
conscious recognition or integration of spirit, but the process
pales in comparison, and what is created lacks something of
its essence. The creative process can become distorted, even
destructive. A dimension is missing that robs both the creator
and the receiver of the opportunity for transformation. Creating
when immersed in spirit, becomes a pathway toward a closer
connection to God.
A Suggested Creative Practice
In your chosen medium, create a representation of your understanding
of the Holy Spirit’s role in creation. Using paint,
cloth, images, sound, movement, found objects, words…
whatever tools feel right to you … begin to describe
and portray your definition and experience of spirit-infused
creation. You might create a small fountain, or work with
certain colors, or dance in the garden. Try not to overanalyze
this practice before you begin. Just allow yourself to feel,
and then let that feeling flow out of you in a creative act
as you imagine “the spirit moving in me as Creator.”
A Suggested Writing Practice
Take a few minutes to reflect on your experience. Then, in
a journal or a large piece of paper, or on a keyboard, begin
to
chronicle what this experience was like. This may come out
in simple words and phrases or in paragraphs. Use whichever
form
feels right. You may want to ask yourself:
-
What unexpected image or feeling arose as I read and then
practiced being creative in this way?
- What
avenue opened up that I want to explore?
- What
is my own definition of creativity as a spiritual practice?
Excerpted from “Creativity as a Spiritual
Practice: An Online Retreat.”
Sarah
Stockton is an explorefaith.org author, trained spiritual
director, parent and teacher. She is the author of the explorefaith.org
book A Pen and
a Path: Writing as a Spiritual Practice. Visit her website
at www.centeredpath.com.
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