It’s not the same to talk of bulls as to be in the bullring. — Spanish Proverb
I am sitting on a floor covered with drop cloths, surrounded by construction paper, ribbons, paint of all kinds, feathers, glitter, and glue. I am flipping through catalogs of photographs, searching for images to transform my wooden triptych frame into a multi-textured collage representative of the image I hold in my mind and the feeling I hold in my heart. I am not alone, but I’m utterly absorbed in my task. Other participants in the art-immersion weekend hum around me intent on their own creations, rooting through boxes of supplies, chatting, splattering, snipping, and pasting.
Cross-legged on the cloth, I am transported back in time; I try to pinpoint how and why. Kindergarten comes to mind, but surely the environment there was not this free nor enriched with so many options. It is perhaps the immersion itself that is reminiscent of my earliest years. In the time before time existed for me, it was routine to lose myself in play, in creation. Here in this room, removed from the "shoulds" in my life, I am lost again. There is no grade, no deadline, no monetary value attached to my creation. The facilitators of the weekend have carved out a niche in space and time and gifted us with a bit of direction, limitless opportunity, and encouragement. We are a small community this weekend, and the creativity and purpose of others engaged in the creative process stimulates us all.
Outer space is not the final frontier; the final frontier is inner space: self. As limitless as the skies may seem, the terra incognito of our minds may be vaster and still more mysterious. Creative expression is one way of exploring self and the relationship between self and the universe.
Like other spiritual practices, creativity involves transcendence. The boundaries of time and space are altered; they lose their meaning and finally fall away. "When you are involved in the artistic process, time consciousness evaporates," says art therapist Pat Otto. "You become like a five-year-old child looking at an ant. That’s because time consciousness exists in the left brain. When you accelerate or slow down time, the left brain can’t handle it, and the right brain takes over."
In drawing, Otto explains, there are two exercises that facilitate this transcendence: gesture drawings, which are done so quickly that the left brain bows out, and contour drawings, which are done extremely slowly, looking at the object not the paper, as if the eyes and pen are connected. Speed writing has the same effect of bypassing the left-brain censor and tapping into one’s stream of consciousness. Conversely, poems often emerge from close examination of details. In dance, either deliberate, measured movements or high energy intensity can move the conscious mind out of the way.
Perhaps it’s inevitable that, as our society moves toward a more holistic view of life, creative expression is gaining recognition as a gateway to spiritual connection, self-knowledge, and truth. The publication in 1992 of The Artist’s Way (Tarcher), by Julia Cameron, seems to have marked the beginning of a resurgence of interest in creativity. Cameron demystified the creative process and thus democratized it, declaring that creativity is everyone’s birthright. She emphasized that one need not quit one’s day job in order to live a more creative life; one must only make room for, prioritize, and value the process of art in everyday life.
Cameron not only reintroduced many individuals to their creative selves, but through the success of her book and the plethora of groups that sprang up to work through her twelve-week program of creative reconnection, she may have sparked a larger creative recovery. Michell Cassou and Stewart Cubley, authors of Life, Paint and Passion: Reclaiming the Magic of Spontaneous Expression (Tarcher, 1995) echo Cameron’s premise: "Talent is not a gift given to only a few; it is universal. Talent comes out of openness, integrity, simplicity, and the courage to take risks."
We are taught early to give up our art. In most schools art is only an occasional indulgence, not part of the daily curriculum. Long before high school, most of us have accepted labels as talented or not, and our class schedules are chosen accordingly. But judging and then ending our efforts derails the creative process, says art therapist Pat Otto.
"Someone beginning in art may see the emerging product is not in sync with their original idea, and they give up. It is in going beyond that critical point, in letting go of the intended idea or vision, in allowing the piece to happen and responding to it that what emerges exceeds all of our expectations. That’s where the spiritual magic happens."
How do you get to that moment of revelation? Showing up and going through the motions are the essential steps, according to Cameron. She suggests making a deal: "Okay, Creative Force, you take care of the quality, I’ll take care of the quantity." Practice is necessary in all things, even art.
Of course, there’s more to it than that. It is also necessary to "relinquish control," says Otto, "to surrender." To truly be involved in the creative process, your ego must step aside and allow your whole being to become involved in the process. You must learn to focus on the process itself, rather than just the outcome.
The creator is present, but not central to the creation. "When you’re doing art (or any creative endeavor), it may begin with you, but it becomes a relationship between you and the media or between you and your psyche," Otto explains. In this way the creative process acts as both a mirror of the universal life process and a template for finding meaning in our individual lives. In emphasizing process over product we are joined to the cycles of creation in nature. No one ear of corn is the perfect, definitive ear of corn. All ears are created in an ongoing process of adaptation and renewed life. Relinquishing center stage and realizing our relationship to other beings and other life forms is crucial both to a healthy psyche and spiritual growth.
Likewise, letting go of our illusion of control and trusting the universe for sustenance on a daily basis is one of the primary steps toward a spiritual connection. The creative process connects us to the very essence of life. We become part of the creation of the universe as we join with spirit to bring something new into being.
"The soul can only be present when body and spirit are one," Gabrielle Roth writes of dance in Sweat Your Prayers: Movement as Spiritual Practice (Tarcher, 1997); "it cannot breathe, exist, or move disconnected from the body." When you quiet your mind and allow your body to lead, you experience a shift in perspective.
"I feel you can’t help working with a spiritual component," says Otto. "Spirituality and art are bound together." Michael Samuels and Mary Rockwood Lane, authors of Creative Healing: How to Heal Yourself by Tapping Your Hidden Creativity (HarperCollins, 1998), also state that spiritual transcendence is an integral part of their work. "Transcendence has to do with going into the place in yourself where the spirit resides and then coming out with spirit in your life."
"I do believe that. . .any creative act done from the heart. . .is its own prayer, its own affirmation of the‘animating or vital principal,’ the spirit in us all," writes Dan Wakefield in Creating from the Spirit: Living Each Day as a Creative Act (Damariscotta, 1996). "Creation is prayer; to create is to pray."
Exploration of the unknown through creativity is a powerful experience. It may be that creativity taps into our higher selves, connecting rather than dividing that which initially appears different, and thus, employing a holistic view of the world. New metaphors, imposed images, and blended musical traditions expand what is possible; they take our separate blocks of knowledge and build a unified creation. In other words, artists make connections, and connections make art.
At the end of the art-immersion weekend we have a show. It is informal, like the productions of children. We all work furiously to put the finishing touches on our creations, then display them to the best possible advantage. From the swirling chaos of scraps and paste, our creations rise, displayed upon tables and chairs. My new friends visit my exhibit, and I visit theirs. Everyone oohs and aahhs, and the artist in residence contributes insightful comments. We each acknowledge the sacred at each altar, and we ourselves are altered, changed.
Resources
Art & Soul Connections, 847-788-9322
Pat Otto, Artist-Therapist, 773-665-2220
First Creations, The Center for Arts and Abundant Living, 2058 W. Roscoe, Chicago, IL, 773-327-8632
The Painting Experience Series — Life, Paint & Passion Workshops with Stewart Cubley, 888-639-8569
The Fine Art of Feelings, 628 N. May St., Chicago, IL, 312-563-0160
The Studio for Experimental Painting, 109 First Avenue, Elmurst, IL; 630-967-2080