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Creative Spirituality Reflection

Nov16

Spirituality is different for everyone. Some may say spirituality is not a religion and is not even affiliated with religion at all. In my opinion, not everyone will reach the  level to understand the one’s spirituality. It requires the extra stretch from the individual’s mindset, desperation, and preparation to reach the one’s limit. But spirituality is so personal level that nobody else will understand what is like besides only you. I don’t think I have enough words, knowledge, and life experience to define what spirituality is now, but I believe in order to reach your spirituality and understand it, you would need to empty your mentality and body in order to challenge your limit.

As deep as I got into with trying to define spirituality, the process of reaching and understanding your spirituality is religion. I believe spirituality can help and give benefits to our lives, just as many people turn to religions when they experience hardships in their lives. Once you take on your journey to find your spirituality and find a religion, it will at least give you a direction and purpose to live a life. Thus, I believe spirituality is religion, and religion is spirituality.

The word creativity is self explanatory. It means the ability to create something, and if I’m taking it further, it would require uniqueness of you. Being able to create something and being creative is like performing magic and supernatural power. The unique or creative ideas may develop at places and times you expect the least. In fact,  a lot of artists whose job requires creativity would say their ideas come to them when they are running, getting ready to go to bed, or drinking.

If creativity is skill and ability to create something unique, can it be inherited in genes? Neuroscientists would call right side of the brain as “lala land”. “Right side thinkers” are known to be better at expressive and doing creative tasks, although it’s often demonstrated as a myth. As I consider myself as a “left side thinker”, I would like to conclude with a theory that two sides of brains work together ultimately, but the more developed right side of brain would be the “source” of creativity.

For anyone who might be interested in the idea of the brain functions, I recommend watching this TED talk by Jill Bolte Taylor.

Bibliography:

Taylor, J. (2008, March). Jill Bolte Taylor: My Stroke of Insight. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

Creative Sprirituality Discussion

Nov13

This reading is by far my most favorite as I am a big fan of Alex Grey (I own a poster of one of his works). It was very interesting to read how Grey explained about viewer’s position and “job” when they encounter an artist form. He said, the viewer must see deeply by fixing his/her attention on the one thing and  feeling the artistic subject with awe and pleasure.

Grey said, “the artist’s spiritual eye recognizes the subject as a special aspect of an absolute” (73).  It was  interesting that he called “spiritual eye” that opens, sees and accepts the artistic form when an artist sees an art form. He must feel that he has the “spiritual eye” that opens when he paints and/or encounters art forms. Furthermore, I noticed Grey used examples of other artists (such as Van Gogh or Mona Lisa with Leonardo Da Vinchi) and many metaphors to explain and help the readers to understand. He used  “devil, angel, lover, or amuse” as metaphors to explain his view on inspiration. As much as I loved the picture ‘Imp of Inspiration’, he beautifully explained how inspiration was like some entities “creep up to your imagination and give it the most sumptuous gift” (82).

In this reading assignment particularly, I found a lot of phrases that touched my heart. One of my favorite lines was that when an artist encounters an artistic object, “There is a rush of aesthetic pleasure, and something clicks simultaneously on every level” (73). I believe anybody can be an artist if the one can show and present one’s passion, love, and appreciation by creating and expressing in any means. I am a singer so I could relate myself that my “eyes” are opened when watching another artists’ (singers) performances, and I feel the rush of aesthetic pleasure with awe. I would try to sing the “master’s” songs so that I can “see deeply”. It is parallel to how Grey said he would draw paintings in order for him to see a work of art. I would know the nuance, feeling, and the quality by singing, as Grey would by drawing.