creative spirituality
o b j e c t i v e
- discuss the difference between spirituality and religion
- examine spirituality as a generative force and a well spring for creativity
a r t i f a c t
Spirituality
I would define spirituality as the act of divining (read: appropriating) meaning. Whether or not you believe there are celestial or cosmic forces at play is irrelevant, unknowable, and lack of belief therein doesn’t preclude one from spirituality. I return to Dissanayake’s idea of “making special” or, alternatively, meaning production again and again: value is only ever subjective, whether collectively determined for the prosperity of maintaining structure – a system – or individually assessed.
For the purposes of this dialogue I am focusing on the latter. Grey articulates this as the act of seeing (looking) versus deeply seeing: “There is a vast difference between looking and seeing – a difference which is fundamental to the artist’s experience” (Grey, p72). I would argue, perhaps only semantically, it is less a passive act of “recognizing meaning,” as he later goes on to define it, and more an act of projecting value – however subconsciously. In this way the act of creating value is an act spirituality.
Spirituality v. Religion
I believe spirituality and religion to be separate entities, yes. If religion is defined as a set of beliefs and practices, it is likely those beliefs and practices (value constructions) inform spirituality (the appropriation of meaning), but that does not make the two equivalent. Much the way we discussed in the first week’s readings that our values are in part influenced by our family, culture, experiences, etc., that does not make them congruent – there is a separation, an opportunity for the individual to assess those exposures and choose in favor or in spite of them. Similarly our individual values (religion) certainly influence how or what meaning we may divine, but just as certainly do not define it.
Creativity
I would define creativity as an act or perception of innovation and appropriation – a combining of disparate elements – whether they be physical or merely associative of the mind – into a complex and symbolic whole. It includes spirituality, defined as the act of appropriating value, and the stringing together of seemingly unrelated yet analogous parts. In short it is the construction of meaning, beauty, or otherwise transcendent values that offer reprieve from or insight into the harsh realities of the human condition.
Source of Creativity
I believe the source of creativity extends from the desire to construct meaning in an otherwise bleak and meaningless existence – which some interpret as the “divine” – as well as the conscious manifestation of the subconscious mind. It is in many ways an effort to explain or define existence, the human condition – life. In the first week of reading we discussed survival value among other concepts. Largely there is little survival value associated with utter and absolute meaninglessness – the ego doesn’t thrive on lack of purpose. It requires validation. It requires a reason to be. It requires an unpacking of the “mysteries of the universe.”
r e f l e c t i o n + f u t u r e g o a l s
This unit was interesting in that it required my to articulate in words intuitive thoughts that had existed in abstraction for years. I can’t stress enough how relative and important expressing your thoughts verbally/in written format is to comprehension. Creation has always been very therapeutic for me, but I never looked deeper into it than feeling “inspired.” I think what’s really relevant here is that creating really allows you to get to the crux of a thing — whatever is consuming you at the moment (that “spiritual generative force”).
This unit also allowed me to take a more in-depth look at the defining characteristics of religion and spirituality — and examine how and why they are separate entities. This was another unit where the readings gave me a lot of trouble, not in terms of comprehension, but in terms of agreement. As I discussed with some of the other students via blog posts, I wonder how much of this is merely semantics. Whether you define spirituality as of a divine place or merely the crux of what drives you, it ultimately doesn’t matter — what’s important is that there is something that inspires you to courageously explore and create meaning.
I find a lot of these “future” objectives somewhat difficult (and the reflection too, honestly). I’m not going to lie and say that I’ve never considered these concepts before — in fact I’ve studied the majority of what we covered in this course academically in the past. I’m 29-years-old and well beyond the stage of identity construction. I’ve lived enough life (probably more than my number of years might indicate) to have a pretty firm grasp on who I am, what I believe (tee-hee — there’s that silly word again) and notice that while I’m still flexible to change, the degree to which my perspective alters lessens with time. In other words I’ve compiled enough experience at this point to have a decent foundation to which future endeavors inform more than entirely deconstruct.
I don’t know if that’s good or bad — or if it has to be either. I know I don’t ever one to be one of those people who “knows” things.