Creativity Lives in the Present
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ”
The four letters in my Myers-Briggs personality profile show that I am someone who daydreams. I feel comfortable pondering the future and reflecting on the past. It rightfully claims that my personality type often feels less comfortable focusing on the present. Yet, we find creativity at the moment. Julia Cameron, in The Artist’s Way, quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.” If I constantly plan or dream of what is in the past or future, I am never present enough to accomplish my creative goals.
Cameron warns us that many of us have squandered our creative lives by pulling our focus away from the present moment. Further, other people can take our creativity from us. “Our personal flexibility increases while our malleability to the whims of others decreases.” We are called to treat our creative time as a valuable item. We should not give it away, unless it is an emergency, and then we do it with intentionality.
This intentionality requires us to make hard decisions. When we make a creative time commitment, something else must be given up. As we write our Morning Pages, I had to give up reading the newspapers in the morning. More than just changing from one activity to another, it requires an internal battle as you break from an old habit to a new one. The old habit will try to tell you false facts. This old habit’s voice will say things like, “It’s too late to be creative.” “Wait until you have enough money, then work at creativity.” “This creative focus is more about your ego, and less about making a difference in your life.” Don’t listen to those negative inner voices. Listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice, which will guide you to new directions of creativity.
It was Johannes Brahms who said, “Straightaway the ideas flow in upon me, directly from God.” God spends time nurturing creativity because it provides deeper avenues for you and others to experience God. Today, continue to make creativity a priority. Recognize and value your time as a value to be treated as such. Prayerfully invite God into your present moment. Seek creative opportunities in the mundane activities of life. Try to keep your soul close to the surface, so when a creative opportunity arises, God’s Spirit can bless and expand the moment.
