Category: Unit 7

Creative Spirituality Reflection

1)   I define spirituality as a correlation between some kind of higher power or universal law and everyday life.  Spirituality can either relate to organized religion or simply a feeling experienced by an individual.  There are many aspects of an individual’s spirituality and it depends on their perspective on the world.  It is easy to assume that a religious person would view spirituality as a relation from everything to a higher power.  However, a non-religious person might say that spirituality is feeling connected to something like the earth or another person.

2)   I would say that spirituality is definitely different than religion.  Experiencing something spiritually does not necessarily have to relate to God.  It simply means that it reaches a person’s spirit.  To have a spiritual experience can refer to feeling connected to one’s surroundings.  Spirituality means something different to everyone but it does not have to be religious.  Religion has much more structure and organization than spirituality.  Spirituality is experienced on an individual basis.

3)   I believe that creativity is similar to innovation and it means creating something new or experiencing something a different way.  Creativity relates to many different aspects of life.  Obviously art is a creative process.  Artists constantly push boundaries and cross lines in order to create a new piece and evoke new emotions and reactions.  Creativity is a method of expression for the artist.  It can spark spirituality and affect the way other people view the world or religion.

4)   I believe that creativity is endless.  There is an infinite amount of sources for creativity.  It is whatever an artist is inspired by.  That may be a spiritual experience, another piece of art, a person, a setting, or any number of various aspects of life.  The source of inspiration for creativity knows no bounds, but it always starts with the artist.  An artist must be open to creativity and innovation.  Without a willingness to be inspired, creativity cannot take place.

Creative Spirituality Discussion

For many people, art is a form of expressing their spirituality through creativity; this much has always been true.  However, just like each piece of art has a different meaning to each viewer, each artist has an individual approach to creating and seeing art.  I thought that one of the most interesting aspects of this week’s article, “Art as a Spiritual Practice: the Mission of Art,” was when Grey identifies the five steps that every artist takes either consciously or subconsciously.  For me, the incubation step is the most fascinating.  In this third step of the creative process, an artist lets “the unconscious sift the information and develop a response.” (Grey 75) Grey shares his own personal experience through his art and explains that his vision began to take place after a dream and an encounter with drugs.  These two visions helped him see what he truly wanted his art to portray and how he wanted to achieve this (Grey 78).  Without the subconscious constantly picking at new ideas and making them better, the creative process would be deeply inhibited.  I believe that it is this incubation step of the creative process that truly adds the spiritual aspect.  After mulling over each idea in the subconscious mind, an artist is able to see what it truly means to them and how they will achieve such a piece.  By truly letting the subconscious take over, the art becomes about what the artist believes deep down and this is when a piece of art becomes spiritual.

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