Creative moments
I am feeling particularly fortunate today to have a number of friends, some from as long ago as fifth grade, who have built careers around their creative talents. The work—whether building colorful clay collages, composing songs, or penning novels—calls them to sit still, listen to an inner voice, and then create pieces that translate their thoughts, feelings, and impulses into something the rest of us can observe. This requires focused engagement with the present moment.
A few years ago a friend invited me to sit at her dining room table to make a collage from an assortment of printed material (magazines, postcards, wrapping paper and the like) that she had collected over the years. Even now, when I look at that collage I feel myself return to the quiet space where small “a-ha!” moments followed one upon the other as I found, arranged, and re-arranged the images that I pulled together. I especially liked that she laid down no rules and my only task was to sense what felt right and pleasing to my own eye. That evening I felt unusually present to the textures, sounds, and colors in front of me.
Moments like these, where we are fully with ourselves, seem larger than the millions of mindless moments that make up most of our lives. They are similar to what psychoanalyst Danielle Quinodoz calls “small moments of eternity.” They’re memorable and enlivening.
One thing I don’t understand is that even though these moments are freely available, and even though they constitute some of the most satisfying moments of my life, I don’t make time for more of them.
Creative arts therapists understand the healing power of creativity, and they invite clients to engage in art making, dance, or music making as vehicles for healing and wholeness. It seems a shame that shy of art class or expressive arts therapy, many of us watch weeks and months pass without listening closely to our creative selves.
At the same time, I recognize that every act of every day is an opportunity for creative expression. Cooking, writing memos, organizing the garage, furnishing a room—all can be approached with the attention and care of the artist.
May we do so!