I watched a really powerful video clip of Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, Pray, Love" speaking on the creative process. The clip is about 19 minutes long, and is really wonderful. There is a link at the end of this post. If you don't have time to watch it, I will hit some of the highlights here.
Elizabeth speaks about creativity and all of the negative connotations that have grown up around creative people. She also speaks about the great success of her latest book and about how people are now saying things to her about her career having peaked and she will just go down hill from here. She is "doomed". So her observations about all of this have lead her to the belief that it is the artist's job to "show up" and allow the creative process or creative genius to work in and through them. Creativity is really not about the outcome, it is about allowing the creative process to unfold. (Somehow I think this ties into being present and finding joy!) We don't really know how the work we are doing will affect ourselves or others. Elizabeth certainly didn't expect her book to be the overwhelming success that it has been.
Julia Cameron also has strong beliefs this way. In "The Artist's Way" on page 55, you will find the "Rules of the Road". Julia states, in part, "In order to be an artist, I must 1) Show up at the page. Use the page to rest, to dream, to try."
Julia's list is ten items long and very well worth another read or finding a copy of the book!
So, to those of you who feel the need to create, but discount it's importance to yourself or the rest of us, I encourage you to show up!
Have a creative week out there!
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html
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