c is for creativity

It happened again! Another artist surfaced right under my nose--proof that CREATIVITY is alive and well despite rumors to the contrary. This week I invite you to check out my daughter's, Andrea’s, photos at http://myforom.blogspot.com. Go ahead—do it now. I’ll wait.


To me this is proof that beauty…and meaning…surround us if we take the time to look carefully and deliberately at the simplest things—a fallen leaf, frost on the window, a cup of tea. So much of what we take for granted touches the artist’s soul and the rest of us don’t even notice it. Which is why we need photographers, painters, writers, and composers to open our eyes and ears, to claim our hearts and souls.

There is something to be said for walking slowly, breathing deeply, listening carefully, and looking closely at the world around us. Beauty is easy to miss…or ignore…or deny because we are hurried, or anxious, or irritable. Because we have an agenda to accomplish from day to day that doesn’t include listening to the wind, or watching the sun set, or jumping puddles...

…so we miss a lot. Thankfully it only takes a moment in time to rectify the situation…just a moment to glance up at the sky or down at the earth, a moment to inhale the fragrance of honeysuckle or wood smoke, a moment to listen to the sound of the wind or the waves. It only takes a moment to awaken to what is given to us to write about or sing about, to draw or photograph.


I believe that, like the beauty that surrounds us, CREATIVITY is present but hidden. We have been taught to deny it…or trained to ignore it…or forced to forsake it. But stay alert. Given a little time and freedom and inspiration CREATIVITY might just surface right under your nose.

When is the last time you caught a snowflake or listened to the wind or took a deep breath?

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"If I CREATE from the heart, nearly everything works;

 if from the head, almost nothing."

--Marc Chagall--

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In my next post, we'll exam a few nasty distractions that can be so annoying.

jan