I have met a number of artistes, painters, actors, writers in the course of my life and found many stereotypes attached to the notion of creativity. On the one hand, unlimited freedom seems to be the driving force but, on the other and a bit perplexing, is a bubble blown with all the must-haves, must-dos, right environment, the suitable, the cannot-do-without. Those inside the bubble breathe this specialized air, eat this unique diet, thrive in this world which is for them alone – a world of creators.
But what would happen if one pricked the bubble? Let the stereotypes fizzle out? Would those inside still be able to live, to work, to nourish themselves or the world they create for? There are some who think not, for such is the training the mind has received. Everything would seem undone – the mood, the energy, the vibe. Taps run dry, the earth dries up. But take a look at what has changed – the shapelessness of the bubble only means the parameters set have now been disabled; everything once thought to be conducive to creativity has been dispersed.
But the creator remains.
His air and diet changed.
But he is the same.
He still has the brain which created. He still has the same heart which sang. He still has the same spirit which infused with the love he felt, rode on clouds of inspiration. None of that is different; only the stereotypes he lived by dissolved.
True creativity can never be eliminated from ones being, because true creativity finds its source not in man-made illusions but god-made aspirations. True creativity is the direct offspring of the Divine and not just what we aspire for but what He aspires from us. And the true creator is he who allows his being to spread open, across the span of the heavens, and not stay enclosed within the confines of a bubble. He needs only one thing – a connect with the Light within and he can be sure the earth will remain forever drenched.
(Painting by Priti Ghosh ©)
