Our inner creativity

The idea of someone being creative is now common place in our societies.  From children to artists or entrepreneurs, we labelled ourselves or other as creative when we notice that we do something different, unconventional, appealing.  The field of creativity has also specific attributes for a creative product, idea or process:  novelty and value.  

What is also common place, in many cases, is that we see those who we labelled as creators, with a special appreciation.  As if they had some inner trait, talent or personality that shines through in their work or aspects of their life.  As if they finally found themselves and do not care much if their  effort is acknowledged.  

We have inherited the idea that we can look within ourselves and discover or rediscover some kind of truth or insight.  It is said that with practice and patience, many creators learn to train their inner selves to distinguish those ideas or thoughts that could become creativity 'winners' from those which would not.  It is as if they would educate that part of themselves that can forget about the exterior world by incorporating it.  Or as if they would be able to connect with something larger than themselves (their aura, the universe) and reflect such connections in what they do. 

For creativity to be acknowledged as such, it needs to be revealed, brought forth, unearthed from our inner quarters and displayed.  My six year old daughter Sofía recently drew a picture of her school food menu.  The drawing was then taken to a children's exhibition and we were sent a congratulatory message.  Lovely thing to do.  

Sofía keeps asking me if I am proud of her, and I keep saying to her:  I am always proud of you, no matter what.  

Linked to this revealing requirement of our inner creativity is its potential to help us 'move on' in life as Anna Craft says (I presented her work in a previous post).  Creativity as potential personal and (later on) economic development  or survival seems to be the next stop for our inner creativity.  But where will this stop?  Is it necessary for creativity to 'come out' and then keep moving?  

This revealing seems to assume that creativity is a source of life.  And I wonder if we are confusing creativity with life.  Maybe we are trying to tame life, the life of our universe, with our own nets, with our own biological survival.

Maybe instead of treating inner creativity as a source or as an origin, we could treat it as a destination, one which could help us connect with our universe here and now...Maybe it is time to stop and reverse.