Unit 07

1. How do you define “spirituality”?

For me spirituality means connecting with something outside the physical world that serves as a guidepost for how I live my life.  My spirituality definitely has roots in the Jewish tradition in which I was raised but I don’t believe it is the same thing as religion (see question #2).  These unseen but deeply felt guideposts are like an invisible border around my values and they make themselves known when I stray from them in either thought or action.  They help me remember to be kind even when I don’t feel like it and to think carefully before judging others.  They remind me to be open to what the world has to offer and to show up every day with gratitude.

2. Does spirituality differ from religion?

Yes, spirituality definitely differs from religion. I think religion in general or a specific religion (like Judaism) is defined as such because it has a specific framework with shared beliefs, common rituals, and sometimes strict rules about who is “in” the group and who is “out.”  Religion is more about a particular community or group.  I see spirituality as more of an individual thing that gets developed over time as someone grows, matures, and experiences life.  However, I do think spirituality and religion are related.  For example, I don’t think of myself as a religious person even though I was raised Jewish and believe deeply in many Jewish values and traditions. My spirituality is connected to these values, as well as others not unique to Judaism, but it is unique to me.

3.How do you define “creativity”?

I think there are many ways to demonstrate creativity including doing something outside established norms, breaking or bending rules, or approaching situations in ways previously unexplored.  Acts of creativity can have huge impact such as Steve Jobs’ creation of the Mac or Pete Frates creation of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  But, I also think there are less well-known or even unknown acts of creativity that happen everyday because people take a different approach to something.  I am reminded of my roommate Arianna when I filmed her for our unit on food as art.  She is a fantastic baker and she tries new things all the time.  So, creativity can be public or personal and have great influence or none at all.

4. What is the source of creativity?

I think the source of one’s creativity is as individual as the person doing the creating.  For some it might be their passion for a particular endeavor like baking or painting.  For others it might be something they physically experience, as Grey describes in our reading Deeply Seeing, and it drives them to paint, draw, or sculpt in a particular way.  Still others are moved by existing works of art or music and get inspired to create their own.  I think nature and the physical word also serves as inspiration for creativity.

After my initial reading of the chapter, Deeply Seeing, I have to admit to finding it somewhat inaccessible.  I am not an artist and I had a hard time understanding the author’s view of the artistic process.  Not that I don’t appreciate that artists, of all types, experience life in a way that informs their particular practice, but I found myself grappling with Grey’s descriptions and explanations.   However, I reread the chapter and some sections a third time and believe I have a better understanding of what Grey is offering.  That said, his journey to answering the question he poses,  “But what is the difference between merely looking at a thing and actually seeing it?” (71) feels convoluted and overwrought.  But, as he notes in the section about the chakras, “It is a matter of my personal preference to use this chart with seven levels.” (94) So, I tried to take in the reading as one man’s personal exploration of creative endeavors and how his spirituality impacts his own artistic product and his views of the creative process overall.

Clearly, the entire piece is very personal to Grey and his spiritual self is as important to him as his artistic self.  In fact, I think what Grey is saying underneath a lot of words is that the outcome of deeply seeing something is a spiritual experience and that in turn is a key ingredient to an artistic endeavor.  To be an artist, one must be able to truly see the world (as opposed to simply looking) because as Grey defines it, “Seeing occurs when our attention is arrested by a person, object, or scene.  Our mind stops chattering and pays attention.” (72) When this happens, Grey goes further to say, “when deeply seeing, the object of our contemplation enters our heart and mind directly.  In the act of deeply seeing, we transcend the egoic boundaries between self and the otherness of the world, momentarily merging with the thing seen.” (72) These two comments set the context for Grey’s practices as an artist and his belief that spirituality, in other words deeply seeing, is a significant force for creativity.

Later in the chapter, Grey talks about the creative process and the six steps he believes accurately captures it.  Step four, inspiration, is where Grey makes his case that artists follow a spiritual path towards creation of their work.  He says, “To in-spire is to be in spirit. Inspiration means access to spirit.” (82) Interestingly, the next section immediately following Grey’s explanation of inspiration is called “Seeing Art” and this is where Grey blurs the focus from the artist and his or her creative process to include that of the viewer of art.  He uses language such as, “ Many of us can recall profoundly moving experiences of art” but in reading and rereading this section, he is largely focused on his own experience of truly seeing art and his resulting epiphanies.

In trying to understand Grey and his strongly held beliefs about seeing, the artistic process, and the spirituality that informs it, I thought about a project I was exposed to when I interned at the HopeLab Foundation in northern California this past summer.  HopeLab is an organization whose mission is to use the power of technology to foster wellbeing and personal resilience. As part of doing this work, HopeLab engages in a process called “user centered design thinking” whereby the target audience for a particular technology (for example an app that discourages teenage bullying) is engaged to help think through and design the best product.  To make this happen, the staff at HopeLab has designed a deep listening protocol that actually speaks to the difference between hearing and listening.  Specifically, when we hear someone speak, we take note of the words and their superficial meaning so we can respond.  In other words, hearing is waiting to respond or take action based upon what we think we heard and it is largely a passive process.  On the other hand, listening goes a level deeper and is actually an active process.  When you listen, you actively concentrate on what you hear and you take in the information to transform it into knowledge.  Listening allows you to look into the feeling and meaning of what is being said word by word.   I see many similarities between this process and Grey’s explanation of what it is to truly see something and in particular a work of art.

Grey says, “Seeing determines every aesthetic decision.” (72) I imagine one could replace a few key words and apply the same statement to listening in certain design contexts.  While I don’t pretend to deeply understand Grey’s discourse on art and spirituality, applying what I learned about hearing versus listening helped me sort through his views about the key differences between looking and seeing.

Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art (1st ed., pp. 205-233). Boston & London: Shambhala.