What is Creativity?

Even Creative people can't quite agree what creativity is or how it expresses itself. If you were at my house Sunday night where Maria and I deliberately brought together four of our friends that are creative in a certain field but do not make their living at it, you could have come away with a better idea of the nature of creativity.

A painter, screenwriter, photographer, and musician all gathered in our home and discussed their passion. I thought it bit odd that they were more inclined to listen to others than talk about their own efforts, but maybe that was because they didn't know each other that well.

There were a couple of things that I could say were important to all of them. First of all, they would all create even if their work never sold. Steve, the musician, put it best when he said good music was not and should not be about money. Kieth has been active in marketing his poetry and screenplays, but his relative lack of success has not dampened his will to continue writing. Patty has sold her work, but for the most part her photography has been a part of her job description or to enhance her job performance, Ann is changing her style and approach to her paintings and isn't ready to "let them go"at this point.

On the other side of the conundrum, is the desire to be appreciated. Creative people have something to say and their product is their way of expressing it. As such, they all wanted to be seen, heard or acknowledged.

Often the maturity of an artist is marked by the discovery of their "voice" or message that they discover by working with their talent. Practicing our art maybe just a way of finding our heart. It is easy than to see why one would continue to perfect and work on a mode of expression for years and not be discouraged by a lack of success.

We all agreed that most people probably have some creative talent in them. Some have a strong need to express it and others repress the urge. Why? I ventured and most agreed that doing something that produces nothing except personal satisfaction is considered somewhat selfish and wasteful in our society. We need to give ourselves permission to "play" for no other reason than it feels good and gives us insight into ourselves. Easy to say, but difficult to do in these times where demands are made on us that pull us toward the practical rather than the magical