The Creative Spark

There’s a popular presentation on TED by writer Elizabeth Gilbert, who talks about the mental blocks individuals and society can have surrounding creativity. She points out that when a person announces that they want to be an engineer or an accountant, nobody warily suggests that they might want to take up a less risky profession. But if a person announces their intention to be an artist or a poet, there’s a great chance that someone is going to say “Aren’t you scared?” or “Maybe you should consider taking some business or computer courses as a back up.” I don’t think people mean to be discouraging when they say stuff like this; I do think they’re scared, which to me is understandable. It’s as though having predominantly creative talents is seen as something of a negative, at least from a practical point of view. And while I can certainly see that some professions offer better financial renumeration, if that profession is truly not what you’re suited for, it will likely take more away from you than it gives.

Following the monster success of her book 'Eat, Pray, Love' a lot of people asked her if she was terrified to write her next book, the suggestion being that the chances of her topping, let alone equally the insane popularity of that book was nil. I guess that could be a kind of paralyzing place from which to embark on your next creative endeavour, on the other hand, it might be kind of freeing. If you consider that that kind of lightening indeed probably doesn't strike twice, what the hell? You may just as well lean into it, because what have you got to lose? The alternative would be to not proceed with doing something you love and that doesn't seem like a viable alternative.

Gilbert said one more thing that stayed with me and that is that all you really have to do is just show up for your piece of the puzzle, the little creative piece you're meant to contribute. And that for that alone a person deserves an Olé - an expression that traces its roots to the Moorish 'Allah.' To me, wether or not you believe in the divine is not really the point, as long as you believe - in my humble opinion - that your creative spark is something that deserves to see the light of day.