Are you sharing your creative gifts?
By Francois Coetzee
The holiday season is upon us, especially if you look at store displays aimed at inspiring moments of consumer madness. But if we postpone scepticism and embrace positivity, there are still moments of goodness and deep humanity to be found in the relentless marketing efforts of large organisations.
One that stands out for me is the Apple holiday commercial for 2018.
Regardless of how you feel about this brand, they tell a wonderful story that will resonate deeply with everyone that aspires to be a creative being.
In the commercial (above), a story plays out around a young creative who keeps her creations locked up in a box until an accident releases it to the world where it finds an enraptured audience despite her fears and insecurities.
It is a beautiful metaphor about how we sometimes hide the most beautiful parts of ourselves away from those who exist to appreciate it.
For me it comes back to the ability to share our reason for being and how it changes and enhances the world as a result.
When we work on discovering our purpose, one of the questions we consider is this one: What do we love to do?
In considering this question there are many things that will come up, from activities that we are passionate about, shared moments, hobbies, fun and much more. Somewhere in there will be activities that embrace acts of creation.
The need to create is an inborn capacity of being human. And if you love to create, it will be part of your purpose too.
The author Neil Gaiman, in his book Art Matters, says,” The world always seems brighter when you’ve made something that wasn’t there before.”
I suspect that he refers to the positive emotions on creating something which include joy, self-satisfaction, delight, awe, and gratitude. And these emotions might extend from something as simple as baking a cookie in an oven, to something complex as a fine art masterpiece.
Unfortunately, the act of being creative comes with less than positive emotions too.
And often these are the ones that hold us back.
The psychologist Rollo May referred to negative emotions in his book, The Courage to Create, when he wrote that anxiety and self-doubt are unavoidable aspects of the creative process.
Every idea arrives in a moment of glorious inspiration, often followed by the hollow despair of self-doubt and anxiety when the realization dawns of the gap between the idea and the actual incarnation of it.
And beyond that, there is the fear of rejection when we are about to present our creations to the world.
Showing your creations to the world exposes your self and opens up the possibility of criticism and ridicule. But at the same time, you are bringing something new to the world that is uniquely yours, and by its existence it changes the world that you are part of.
The truth is, not everyone will like, or appreciate, what you are doing. But some will!
In the words of Rollo May:
“The creative process must be explored not as the product of sickness, but as representing the highest degree of emotional health, as the expression of the normal people in the act of actualizing themselves. Creativity must be seen in the work of the scientist as well as in that of the artist, in the thinker as well as in the aesthetician; and one must not rule out the extent to which it is present in captains of modern technology as well as in a mother’s normal relationship with her child. Creativity…is basically the process of making, of bringing into being.”
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“As I would put it, [the creators] are the ones who enlarge human consciousness. Their creativity is the most basic manifestation of a man or woman fulfilling his or her own being in the world.”
So be brave and have the courage to send your creations into a world that you are a part of. Live your purpose and become the promise the world received when you were born.
When you are ready for self-growth – Here are some of the ways that you can work with me:
- Book onto our Awaken the Hero Within program or our Break the Threshold! immersion program in the wilds of South Africa. In these programs we help you find your purpose and embark on a powerful process of change using the Hero’s Journey.
- One-on-one virtual coaching sessions – I have limited spots available for a select number of people who are serious about creating big change. If you are interested to take up one of these spots, please contact me for a no-obligation virtual call.
Are you ready to create your future?
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