Objectives:
• Become familiar with was in which spirituality influences artists
• Discuss the differences between spirituality and religion
• Examine spirituality as a generative force and a well spring for creativity
Original Post:
1. To me, Spirituality can be defined as a belief in a power operating in the universe that is greater than oneself, a sense of interconnectedness with all living creatures, and an awareness of the purpose and meaning of life and the development of personal, absolute values. I also believe that spirituality can be defined in multiple ways depending on an individuals personal beliefs. That is, spirituality is what builds up inside an individual over the years based upon their beliefs, influences, and life experiences. Beliefs play a role in spirituality in that they will lead to something being produced as a result. Influences effect spirituality so that individuals tend to lean a particular way when expressing themselves. Life experiences will cause change on an individual’s spirituality in that a traumatic event will stay with the person and leave an everlasting conscious when living.
2. Spirituality and Religion are different because spirituality can be more defined by an individual rather than religion that is based on a major principle. With spirituality, one connects to certain ideas. Spirituality is more of an individual concept I believe because there are multiple factors that play a part, such as life experiences and beliefs on social issues apart from religion. Most religions are based upon a particular event or person and sharing the story or journey of that individual. Religion is the ideas you practice or follow.
3. Creativity is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity is characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions. Further, creativity is defined as when an individual decides to separate themselves from a collective norm and push their own boundaries. When this occurs, the act of expressing creativity occurs.
4. I believe that the source of creativity is an individual’s spirituality. That is, because creativity is influenced by an individual’s personal influences and beliefs, spirituality is the reduced form of what the mental make up. When being creative, an individual is acting based on instincts that has placed them in the specific position. By having spirituality as the source of creativity, the individual is completing the process of self expression. To put it simply, creativity is a direct result of an individuals spirituality.
Reflection:
After doing this week’s assignment, I got a better understanding of the meaning of spirituality and its relationship to religion. I also got much more insights into the real meaning of art and its relationship to spiritual practice after doing this week’s reading. I thought “spirituality” is related to the deep mind of each person’s inner world and can only be expressed by one’s own ideas. It is far more on personal experience and focus on the attitude, behavior of one individual rather than a group of people, While, Religion is always about loyalty to institution or rules, which should be a common believe among diverse people with different cultural backgrounds. After reading a“Art as Spiritual Practice-The Mission of Art” by Grey, I got better understanding about the relationship between spiritual practice and art. The author first describes the difference between seeing and looking, and regard it as “a difference which is fundamental to artist experience” (Grey, 72). The question and reading assignment help me set up my own understanding mode of creative spirituality.
Future:
As I continue to grow, I hope to be able to keep in touch with my spirituality in that I continue to keep my individual-ness when it comes to self expression. In the future, I will focus on developing my own “creative spirituality” by learning different religions, beliefs and cultures around the world. I think being an individual in this world, we should be more open to others’ culture and belief, then re-evaluate our own values and re-develop creative thinking through different spiritual experience. All-in-all, I think that this will lead me to getting more insight into the difference between “religion” and “spirituality”, and also be much more open-mind to others’ individuality.
Bibliography:
Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art (1st ed., pp. 205-233). Boston & London: Shambhala.