The Naked Journal
Thoughts, musings, and meanings behind NakedPastor Art.
The Naked Journal
Creativity Should Not Be Controlled
Yesterday at church, instead of me speaking (since I'm taking a break from it for a while), we invited anybody to read something they'd written. For about an hour several people got up front and read what they'd written. Everyone was astounded. The quality of writing was amazing. There was poetry, journal entries, song lyrics, short stories, proverbs, and things that just can't be categorized. (Click on my painting "Together in the Midst of Life" to see it in my store.) The youngest to read was my daughter Casile, 15 years old, and the oldest was Joyce, in her 70s. There were people up there who are normally quite vocal and play a pretty visible and audible role in the life of the community. They weren't surprises. But there were others who never make a peep and hide in the shadows who got up and read some of the most amazing stuff. We were shocked! This is what I think: when you do something that doesn't follow the norm, like reading personal journal entries in a religious setting, then something happens. It's like all of a sudden things are being said that don't sound religious, don't have religious overtones and aren't even at all moralizing.Some of the poetry that was read had to do with physical abuse of a child. Another of the beating of a woman. Some had to do with our blatant disinterest in Darfur. Some had to do with love. One had to do with the death of a sister. One had to do with wanting to die. One had to do with atheism and doubting, questioning and abandoning a god that never seemed to exist to begin with. One had to do with a tubal pregnancy and grieving something that was never even seen. One had to do with wanting to stop this race and just enjoy the view from here. One was a friend's tribute to another woman in our congregation just diagnosed with Altzeimers. One had to do with depression. And I can fairly say that although they didn't contain religious vocabulary for the most part, they were very religious in the sense that they testified to something larger than themselves. We all left amazed, encouraged and filled with a sense of awe. Everyone left feeling more creative or the desire to be. (If you're looking for tips for igniting your creativity here's a post I wrote) Creativity cannot and should not be edited or controlled or directed. I don't think most of the people who read thought, when they were writing, "What would God want me to write?" They just wrote what was heavy on their hearts at the time. As a result, it was free, risky and incisive. But because of that it did something. It crossed boundaries. It walked through walls. It altered our reality. We left changed. Related Blog Posts on Creativity The Importance of Being Creative During Faith DeconstructionWhy You Need Nature in your Creative ProcessEmbracing Creativity: An Artist Trapped in a Pastor's BodyCan Art Help Improve Your Mental health?
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10 Tips for Igniting Your Creativity
First of all... know you are creative. Everyone is creative in their own special way in their own special medium. I've met lots of people who believed they weren't creative. I've never met anyone who wasn't. Think outside the box No idea is too outlandish! Do you want to reproduce the past or forge a new path? Are you going to keep doing what's already been written about or will you do something that will be written about? The best creativity has something refreshing about it, even if offensive. (This painting, Eternal Cross, was a painting that resulted from me experimenting with new kinds of paint and a new abstract style. Click on the image to see it in my store.) Make time Stop the craziness and plant yourself before your palette. It won’t come to you. Leisure is a key ingredient in creativity, and nature can be an essential source of inspiration to help you reconnect with your creativity. Even philosophers know that leisure is necessary for creative thinking. Some of my most creative ideas come to me over my morning coffee or an evening scotch. Don't care what people will think. That will kill creativity on the spot. Creativity should not be controlled if you want it to flourish! If I listened to my critics, you wouldn’t be reading this and I wouldn’t have written it. Everything offends someone. Learn that quick and then ignore it Don't do it for money. Creativity can be drowned out by monetary ambitions. Staying true to yourself is key—authenticity in creativity matters more than chasing profits. If your art sells, great. If you sell your soul, not so great. Money poisons motives. Experiment Writing? Put pen to paper before you have a thought. Painting? Throw it. Sculpture? Smash it. Philosophizing? Don't sleep for 2 days. Choreography? Drink wine then video it nude. Try something. Anything! Don't be afraid of mistakes or waste. My painting dramatically improved when I stopped caring about how much paint or paper I used. Some of the best symphonies, paintings, choreographs, architecture, etc., were created after totally scrapping previous attempts. Explore new possibilities. If someone told me I'd be cartooning every day I wouldn't have believed it. I did my first one in fear and trembling. Now I can't stop. I plan on trying new things soon because I don't like ruts. But I love wells. And creativity is a fathomless well. Once you tap in, you'll know what I mean. Enjoy it! Creativity is fascinating and fun. Especially when it materializes. Although there can be excruciating work involved in the process, a deep feeling of satisfaction often accompanies it, even if it upsets everything around you. You may feel like Chuck Noland in the movie Cast Away: "I make fire!" while you beat your chest in triumphant joy. Well, I have. Risk exposing yourself Your creations are your babies. They are part of yourself, borne out of your own heart and passions, and they say something important about you. Putting your creations out there is like putting yourself out there. And even though you will get praised as well as shot at, I think you must do it... for you, for me, and for our world. Related Blog Posts on Creativity The Importance of Being Creative During Faith DeconstructionWhy You Need Nature in your Creative ProcessEmbracing Creativity: An Artist Trapped in a Pastor's BodyCan Art Help Improve Your Mental health?
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