Tag: Artists

Heeding The Desire to Create

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

Editor’s note: I am taking next week off to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. I’ll be back the following week with a new post about the writing life. Until then, be safe and keep writing.

Yes, Virginia, the desire to create is real.

Many years ago, I watched the movie “Enchanted April,” a story about four women at various stages of their lives who spend the month of April at a secluded castle in Italy. Set at a time and place where there were no cell phones or computers and no access to a radio or TV, these women were forced to entertain themselves in other ways, whether it was taking long walks, having conversations with each other, or preparing meals together.

After a week or so, one of the women, an older widowed aristocrat, (played by the legendary British actress Joan Plowright) felt restless and felt the urge to do something constructive. What did she do? She began drawing. The simple act of drawing helped calm her and center her, and to no viewer’s surprise, made her less cranky to be around.

Mind you, she was not an artist to begin with. She was an aristocrat, used to hosting parties and entertaining guests. She wasn’t used to spending a lot of alone time with her thoughts and imaginings. But being out in nature with few people around, she gravitated toward this unfamiliar yearning. A yearning to create.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a German aviator, airline executive and religious leader once said, “The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.”

It’s my belief that we are all born with an innate desire to create, and to create beauty that will be appreciated by others. It’s as real and natural to us as breathing and walking. 

Except not all of us recognize this desire or believe we have creative talents. But this isn’t about natural ability or talent. It’s not about excellence and achievement. It’s about desire. It’s about the need to produce something of beauty that will leave a lasting legacy.

As the movie example above showed, the creative need can show up in your life at the most unexpected time, usually when you’ve spent a lot of time alone and immersed in nature. But that’s not the only way. This creative need can manifest in your life in different ways. 

  • You might be moved by witnessing something beautiful, like a song, nature or artwork.
  • Events in your life might inspire you to start a journal so you can write down all your thoughts and musings.
  • You might have seen an exhibit at an art show or museum that prompts you to experiment with drawing, sketching or painting. 
  • You might have heard a piece of music that moved you or made you want to learn to play an instrument or pick it up again. 
  • A friend may have encouraged you to join them in a new crafting hobby, like knitting or weaving.

When you see how others have brought their creative vision into reality, it makes you want to do the same. But how do you access this creative self-expression yourself? What can you do to satisfy this desire to create, especially if you believe you have no creative abilities?

  • Spend time alone without distractions. This will be hard to do, considering all the devices at our disposal these days. Imagine spending time in a private villa with no access to computers, TV or radio. With only your thoughts for company, and perhaps a friend or two for occasional conversation, you may feel the need to do something with yourself, just like our aristocrat from the movie. Listen for inspiration. You don’t have to go to a private castle to do that. Find any place that offers a peaceful respite from your busy life.
  • Spend time in nature. Going for long walks, whether in the local forest preserve, in the mountains or on the beach, immerses you in nature. Being around nature or any green things can be calming to the frazzled mind. It can also inspire you to create (or re-create) the beauty you see around you.
  • Experiment with different tools and techniques. Thai is especially important if you believe you were born without creative abilities. What are you most drawn to? Drawing? Writing poetry? Journaling? Taking photos? Cooking? (Yes, cooking is a form of creation too). I once tried a sketching class. Because I’m used to writing as a form of creation, drawing objects was a new challenge for me that forced me to use a different part of my brain. I enjoyed the class. I occasionally take out my sketchbook to take a break from writing.
  • Listen to beautiful music, ideally instrumental. What images come to mind when you hear the music? How does the music make you feel? Does the music inspire you to do something creative, such as writing poetry or drawing or wreath-making?
  • Practice meditation and/or yoga. Both activities will calm your mind. And a calm mind is a creative one. Many writers I know use meditation and yoga when they’re stuck in a work-in-progress as a way to get unstuck. By taking time to check in with yourself, your inner guide will help you find the creative solutions you’re seeking for any problems you’re grappling with. 
  • Visit an art museum. Note the different methods that the artists used to create their pieces. Is there a particular artist whose works resonate with you. Or inspire you to try your hand at painting or drawing?

As humans, we have an abundance of needs–physiological, emotional, connection and relationships, esteem and self-actualization to quote from Maslow. Somewhere in that hierarchy is the need to create.  

Experts at Creativelyllc.com offer these guiding questions to help you source out your desire to create.

1. Do you enjoy the experience of creating? If you enjoy something, you’ll be more likely to stick with it.

2. Don’t judge yourself too harshly when you create something that doesn’t live up to your vision. Set up a judgment-free creativity zone in your home where you can create anything just for the sake of creating.

3. Experiment with different outlets. Try music, acting, dancing, poetry, or crocheting. There’s bound to be one or two of them that resonate with you.

4. Does creating feel like work or play? If it feels like play, you’re on the right track. Creating is supposed to be fun.

5. What drives you to create? How does creation help you fulfill your purpose in life or showcase your individuality?

The next time you feel a yearning to create, don’t dismiss it. Give in to that desire and see where it takes you.

How Stories Are Revealed to Us — One Layer at a Time

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

candy

Have you ever stopped to consider where stories come from? I’m not just talking about the words on a page. It’s more than that. It’s the stories we view around us – at an art museum, on stage at a theater, behind the brick and glass storefront building, or behind the eyes of child.

Stories come in various shapes, sizes and formats. One single item can produce multiple story lines, which I call layers. Think of an onion. You peel back the skin to reveal multiple layers underneath. Every story is like that. It isn’t one single story being told; it is several, and not all at the same time.

I came to this conclusion while wandering the French Impressionism exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago recently, and again at the Shedd Aquarium. I later contemplated those same ideas as I watched movies and TV shows, and listened to music.

With each work of art, there is more than one story being told. First, there is a story about the work itself – how it came into being, the creator’s motivation and inspiration, and the tools and materials the artist chose to use to create it.

But behind the artwork’s story, there is a story about the artist. Where does she/he live? What was happening in their lives when they were creating this piece? Why did they become an artist? What message did they want to share?

I think of the French Impressionist artists and I wonder about their personal stories. Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear, and what did he really see when he painted The Starry Night? Why was Monet fascinated by the different plays of light throughout the day? How did Toulouse-Lautrec compensate for his physical disabilities?

Then there is the story of the museum and its relationship to the work and to the artist. Why is the museum showing this piece of work? How did they acquire it? How are they displaying the work – in a darkened room with a single spotlight on it, or in an open space with similar works?

I saw similar stories at the Shedd Aquarium and its display of sea life from around the world. From the smallest fish to the dolphins and whales, there are stories about each one. Why are they so important to our knowledge of the sea world? How is each one created? What does it eat? How does it move or swim?

Trace that same story to the region in which the fish live. Do they swim in the Caribbean, or in the Midwestern lakes? Part of the answer to that question is biological of course. You won’t find a stingray swimming along the shores of Lake Michigan, when it needs warm salt water of the ocean to survive.

Apply that layering approach to the people in our lives. Each one has a story. Some are obvious, carried on their sleeve. Others are deeply hidden, but you can see it in their eyes. “The eyes are the window to the soul.”  I believe that to be true, which makes me wonder about the people who frequently wear sunglasses, even on a cloudy day. What story about themselves are they reluctant to reveal?

Stories abound all around us. We only see the ones on the surface. There are layers of stories for each tree, each animal and each person we meet in our lives. But we are all like onions, with layers upon layers of stories within us. It takes a certain amount of self-awareness to know those stories are there. It takes even more courage to share those stories with others.