Creative Spirituality Reflection

1.     How do you define “spirituality”?

The idea of spirituality, to me, is something I automatically link with the topic of “soul”. Everyone has a soul, or we are led to believe that everyone does. It’s just one of those topics that will always be unclear because we can’t see or control it. However, you may access your spirit. In the reading, Grey states that “Inspiration means access to spirit. Spirit brings vision to the artist via the imagination, the multidimensional media center of our minds” (2001). I would argue that the ideas of soul and spirit are either one, the same, or intertwined because “Third, and only in the deepest art, a condition of the soul is revealed, one’s heart is opened, and spiritual insight is transmitted to the eye of contemplation” (Grey 2001).

2.     Does spirituality differ from religion?

I believe that there are some differences between spirituality and religion, but on some levels they do intertwine. Religion is the belief in a high power. There are many different religions in the world, majority but not all believe in God. In the unit reading Grey states that, “The opening of the crown chakra is the goal of yoga, union with God” (2001) – this is an example of how spirituality intertwines with the ideas of religion. Chakras are believed to “mediate the energies of the auric bodies that surround and interpenetrate the physical body” (Grey 2001) – these chakras are a widely believed in by people all over the world, in order to better connect with your spirit. Grey also talks about spirituality using the three eyes of knowing which include the eye of reason, the eye of flesh, and the mystic eye of contemplation.

3.     How do you define “creativity”?

Creativity, to me, is one of those ideas that have no real definition. The definition of creativity may be different to everyone due to how they look at the idea of creativity itself. Personally, I believe that creativity arises/prospers within an individual. It’s the ability to use your imagination & experiences in order to create something. This something may be anything from an object to an idea. Remember in middle school or high school when you had an assignment and your teacher tells you to use your creativity? The process of creativity takes place in your mind.

4.     What is the source of creativity?

Before this unit, I would say that creativity arises/prospers within an individual. Even though this is still true, the idea of creativity is much more than that. In this weeks reading, Grey explains that “First, artists see their subject, which inspires them to create” (2001). With this statement, I questioned whether the artist’s mind or the object that evokes the artist’s creativity to start going is the “source” of creativity. One could debate that both could be considered as a source of creativity. The process that creativity goes through takes place within the artist’s mind but the creativity is usually triggered by some type of object that they see.