Dewitt Jones
Moving into the month of July, we wanted to look more closely at the subject of Creativity.
We often think of creativity in really narrow terms. We think of artists and musicians, designers, performers and such. But, have you ever thought about your life as art? Well known photographer Dewitt Jones has.
[What] if creativity is just falling in love with the world, then everything I do can be a creative act. My life can be my art—whether I’m taking a photograph, or working with a client, or raising a family, or volunteering in my community. In every act we have the potential to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
— Dewitt Jones
“Everyday Creativity”
There’s such an interesting tension that exists in the realm of creativity, embracing both the freedom to express and create… and an openness to allowing oneself to be placed in the harness of constraint in order to focus our creative energies. We’ll talk about both of these perspectives in the upcoming weeks.
I’d love to be as sharp in my life as i am with my camera. Locking in sharply on the things that excite and interest me, yet fearlessly willing to easily change my focus as the situation develops, and continuously looking for that next right answer…
When will I listen to what my photography teaches me every day? That focus and balance are always in flux, that every new experience needs new settings, and that change is all that is constant. My easy and elegant response to change not only ensures my survival but might also elevate life to the level of art.
— Dewitt Jones
“Basic Jones”
Here, Jones touches on yet another interesting necessity of creativity… being willing to change direction when the situation changes. That’s one of the areas that I struggle with a little (okay, a lot)—being resistant to change when change is called for.
I’ve had so many experiences where I’ve had a creative impulse, and launched out hoping to see the vision become a reality. It might be something I’ll write, a design project to embark upon, a new product to create, or sometimes even a new mandala to paint. And I’m embarrassed to admit that all to often something in the landscape shifts or changes… or perhaps I didn’t find “it” where I went looking, or finding it, realizing that “it” wasn’t what I was wanting or needing at all… or sometimes, things have changed enough to take the figurative wind out of my sails altogether, and the creative spark dies within me.
It’s when I persevere, though, that I most often find that creativity truly blossoms. Coming up against a roadblock, a difference of opinion, my own frustration or lack of ideas doesn’t have to be the end. I’ve come to realize (not always willingly, happily or elegantly) that if I’ll just hold on and open my eyes, mind and heart when things begin to shift there are new opportunities to take the original idea and allow the muse to blow the doors off my own limited thinking and surprise me with wonder and delight.
Therein lies the rub. The ego hates it when I let go, because it ceases to be able to steer the ship of my mind and heart. There’s always resistance (Lynn talked about that recently, here). Remembering that creative thought leads to creative action… often triggering resistance on some level… and when I break through and let go, rolling with the punches and allowing Spirit to take over… genius revels herself in ways that I hadn’t even considered.
Years ago I sat in church and listened to a sermon in which the pastor told the story of an eagle in flight. Have you ever watched an eagle fly? (Cue the orchestra… joking). They are so cool… they rise on the currents, and with seemingly little effort just… glide. They’re able to do this because of the tiny little feathers in their wings, which sense the changes in the atmosphere, wind, and thermals. They’re continually changing and adapting, and making it look so easy. By being willing to shift and change depending on the environment, they glide effortlessly from place to place.
May my life be like that. May I welcome change as a friend and harbinger of wonderful new creative experiences and revelations… moving from where I am right now into an greater experience of life… with ease and grace. Regardless of the form it might take… regardless of what it might look like.
Really, it’s important to remember creativity doesn’t originate or reside within us… it flows through us. And the thing that stops its flow and robs our joy is the ego relentlessly telling us that we’re incapable, without talent or resources, or utterly unworthy.
I am so grateful for having had the experience of Prime Potential… and stepping into, and living from Authentic Identity. I know what it means to be connected, and to be a channel through with the Source of all things can flow and create unspeakable wonders before my very eyes… when I let go, anticipating and allowing that the trajectory will change… and the result will be even better than I’d imagined.
When was the last time you launched an idea into the ethers, opened your arms wide and screamed, YES! You ought to try it… it’s an exhilarating ride!