I know that many of you have creative practices where the product never “goes anywhere.” What good is it, if it never goes anywhere?
A lot of people in our culture would argue that our time and energy are better spent producing something that can benefit others.
Our culture highly values product, or the end result, over process.
And for those of us who truly value making a contribution to others, what good is it to invest significant time and energy into something that will never be shared?
I want to make a case for making art that never goes anywhere, even for those of you who don’t consider yourselves artists. Maybe especially for you.
And, I also want to make a case that immersing ourselves in our creative process does benefit others, even if it is indirectly.
For me, art-making (Soul Collage®, glass work, mandala-making) is a process of connecting to the creative spirit within and feeling my way into what wants to be expressed or created through me.
I quiet myself and sense the impulse in my body of what line wants to be drawn next, in a mandala, or which image is the next image to be placed in a collage. I feel where it is to go. It’s not me making it happen. I am allowing it to happen through me.
As such, it’s all about the process and not the result.
It’s about my connection with the creative spirit within. Art-making is then a practice of entering the unknown and surrendering myself to the mystery of not knowing what is to come next, or what wants to be made. It arises out of the silence, the listening, and the “feeling into.”
I empty and allow creative spirit to express through me, and to delight me. In this process, I grow beyond my previously-perceived assumptions and expectations. I am almost always surprised at what comes out.
Is this not good practice for life? In life, we often think we know where we are going, but how much of our lives is spent in not knowing? A lot. And where are we taught to embrace not knowing, or how to be with not knowing? Not very many places.
So this is my case for art-making, or creative practice, specifically with the intention of it not going anywhere. It’s excellent practice for life: for listening to the creative spirit within that is always available to guide us in and through Not Knowing Land. And for learning to distinguish that voice (from others within us), and to respect and follow it.
Art-making or creative practice, done in this way, is a transformative process, because I allow myself to be transformed by the creative spirit within. I let it have its way with me. I practice listening and feeling the impulses. I practice getting out of the way. In this way, I am transformed a bit; I grow.
And since I grow through this practice, I am a different person when I go out in the world, and interact with others. I have the potential to be more creative and more open, and more receptive to others and life. In that way, others benefit from my creative practice.
It took me a while to be able to come to my art-making or creative practice with this level of detachment to the result. I, like everyone else, have been trained well by our culture to produce good results and to be sure they make a difference.
Being detached to the result just becomes a part of the practice of doing art in this way. When I notice that I am beginning to care what it looks like, how good it is, whether I like the result, I consciously let that go and surrender to the process again.
Are you interested in playing with art-making or creative practice in this way? There are an infinite number of places to begin, but here is an easy one. It’s a simple and lovely video called How to Grow a Mandala. Anyone can do this, even with no artistic or creative experience.
Where in your life can you honor the process of creative spirit expressing through you, just for it’s own sake?
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