Discovering Your Creative Self
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.”
― Albert Einstein
by Michael Corthell
It is not just the fortunate few who are gifted with artistic talent. We all have an artist within, but there are many of us, like myself who practice a form of covetousness regarding talent. My sin is wanting to be a singer when I can't even carry a tune in a wheelbarrow! In church I am a very quiet hymn singer, so as not to offend, but I have found that I am a pretty good photographer.
My point is, you should accept your God-given talent, and be grateful for it because you have those unique talents for a reason. But, first, you have to find them because some may be hiding. That process of discovery can be a creative adventure in itself.
Being creative, in any way, is always a big leap―a leap that involves faith in yourself. It is faith manifested in action. An author sits down in front of an empty page. A painter blinks before a blank canvas. The photographer scans a scene. Actors rehearse to empty seats and dispassionate directors. Creativity, by its very definition, is an experiment, because it is always new.
Some talents are obvious from an early age. Some need coaxing. Let's look at some ways to discover just what activities will express your deepest inner passions.
"The world is but a canvas to our imagination''
Know what 'creative creating' is. Creativity can be expressed by painting a scene or writing a song, but it is so much more. Creativity is a very broad category of life's experiences. And it encompasses and envelopes many things―from cooking, to decorating and bringing a room to life, to creating your child, to dressing in style, to the lifestyle you have created up to this point. Your creative side is a great storehouse of thoughts and ideas that most often are found in the details of everyday life.
Have a impulse to create? Act! It's easy to dismiss the impulses we all have to create. We may feel fearful or embarrassed because it is something new for the world to see. Or, sometimes it may feel like a waste of time, but creativity is not ever a waste of 'time'. Our creativity is an expression of our divine natures. When we act and create we are accepting and showing the world our true selves. When we unleash the power of our creativity we are one step closer to realizing our greatest purpose in life.
Understand that you are one of a kind. The quickest way to limit your creativity is to compare yourself to other people. Resist the urge. Direct comparisons will contaminate your talents. We need to be true to ourselves and acknowledge your abilities as unique to us.
Carve out and compartmentalize time. Stop with the technology for a bit. Manage your time wisely. Don't let time be your reason for not being creative. Make time for a creative life.
What have you done so far? Look around, appreciate and recognize what you've created. You have created a lot―we all have, it is a product of living. Be grateful for all you have and have done, the progress you've made. Getting to the point of gratitude and appreciation validates your creativity, and that opens you up to more and more of it.
Come play with me! Have fun! We all have to be serious, as part of a good productive life, but being stern and serious does not stimulate creativity as well as having fun. Our creative self lies with our heart, the core of our being. When we laugh and play our hearts expand with joy, therefore our creativity expands as well. Make fun happen and creativity will appear.
Explore your world, see nature, be nature. Our natural world stimulates creativity. Take in the whole world. It is yours. Don't just look at things, really SEE things―all the life around you. No need to buy an airline ticket. Just walk out the door and start in your own back yard.
Finally, trust the judgement of your heart, your soul and especially your spirit. Your creative self is alive and waiting. You were created by the Creator to create.
In the process of discovering your artistic self you will become more positive minded and more alive.
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Elevating Artistic Expression For All
by Oles Zhulyn
Art and self-expression are ever-evolving. In his talk, Oles focuses on how technology can used to invent new forms of self-expression or reinvent old ones to make it easy for anyone, regardless of their artistic ability, to both create their own unique and beautiful works of art and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of the process.
Oles is the founder of ''Honeycombinatorics'', an app development company based in Canada. Oles' talk will focus on how technology can be used to invent new forms of self-expression (or reinvent old ones) to make it easy for anyone regardless of their artistic ability to both create their own unique and beautiful works of art, and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of the process.
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