Creativity re-imagined
The agony and the ecstasy.
Some people believe that creativity is a gift from God. He made us “in his image” therefore we look like him and (unlike the rest of the animal kingdom) we can create like him.
Some people believe creativity is a by-product of evolution. Snails have very little creativity but, according to Jurassic Park, velociraptors had a lot more! We are scared when things that don’t look like us display imagination and cunning (by-products of creativity), which is why we’re also scared of A.I.
Whether true or not, the day-to-day lives of both animals and early humans remained unaltered for hundreds of thousands of years until something pressed fast forward on evolution, thereby skipping a few hundred thousand years of natural selection.
Either… God came down from heaven and made two humans – Adam and Eve. He forbade them to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. They disobeyed and ate… hence creative humans.
Or… Extraterrestrials arrived from other solar systems with vastly advanced intelligence. They infused us with some of their superior DNA… hence creative humans.
Our own experiments in genetic engineering (mainly limited to plants and animals) have yielded unwelcome consequences. So the question is: are creative humans a net positive or negative for the planet? Was this a wise or foolish choice?
As far as most religions are concerned, God can’t possibly make mistakes, so their stories focus on the fact that we stole our gift of creativity… in the Garden of Eden.
As far as extra-terrestrials are concerned, the jury is out. There could be many different species – some for, some against.
Greek mythology focuses on two superior races: the Titans and the Olympians. Zeus (Olympian) was happy to observe the antics of early humans (the beta version). Prometheus (Titan) felt sorry for them, so he gave them the gift of fire (aka creativity—after all, if it was just the means by which to barbecue their meat, Zeus wouldn’t have been so furious with him).
Zeus clearly thought creative humans were a terrible mistake. He punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock for all eternity while an eagle pecked out his liver.
Creativity is a double-edged sword. We can kill and we can perform brain surgery. We can use our gift of creativity for imagination or deceit. We can enhance the world, or we can dominate and destroy it.
Michelangelo did a lot of world-enhancing. Believing that his gift came from God, he dedicated his life to sculpting the most noble aspects of humanity – the courage of David as he faced Goliath; and the compassion and sorrow of Mary in the Pieta. He even immortalised the moment God bestowed the creative spark into Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.
Michelangelo was in service to something greater than himself. It doesn’t matter what name we give to it. It was his practice of devotion to it that allowed him to become a clear conduit, enabling him to infuse matter with a higher quality of love – one that evokes tears and inspires awe.
Creativity is powerful energy and (just like any powerful force) it needs a safe container. Not the lead-lined silo of a physical container, but an energetic container of a larger context. For Michelangelo this context was God. Devotion to this energy kept his individual ego from megalomania and allowed him to keep using his gift to a ripe old age.
Some people only get to enjoy their gift for a short time before it disappears. The pain and torment of artists when “the muse” deserts them is legendary. In some cases the loss is so great that life is no longer worth living.
We all have the capacity to become a clear conduit for creativity – not necessarily in art but in our attitude and our actions. If we don’t rise to this task, then those who become conduits of destruction will have an open goal.
He thinks he’s Prometheus but that burning bush seems to be saying “Pride comes before a fall.
On another note, I’m doing a Creative Unblocking Retreat on a Greek Island this May. DM me if you’re interested!