Let It Go

To me, creativity is always an adventure, so much so that it seems almost magical.

Don’t you remember?

When you were a kid, you had no problem with make believe. If you wanted to dance, you just moved your feet and your body followed. You didn’t even have to have music. But if you wanted music, you could open up your mouth and out came the notes with all sorts of words that didn’t have to make sense. And as for drawing, I’ve never seen any kid’s art that didn’t exude its own indescribable charm.

So how do we get back to that lovely state of abandonment?

First we honor the creative process by letting go of it. When we try to control or manipulate creativity, we lose access to its portal. Of course, there’s a rhythm to it, even a discipline, and creativity can actually adapt to schedules, but it must be free from pejorative restraints that deny it the freedom to simply be what it is–an extraordinary gift, lovingly bestowed by a Master Creator Who enjoys our every effort.

Then we respect our own voice enough to listen to it. The challenge is to hear our heart’s cry to participate in the human stream of artistic beauty. If we ignore that voice, we risk wasting our days buried in ever-escalating to-do lists and Facebook marathons into the midnight hour. Little by little, we either lose sleep over the perplexities of life or we lose the ability to care. Neither of those options work for me. How about you?

Thought for today: How well do you listen?