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Introduction
In
this article, I want to discuss some aspects about the nature of creativity and
how it relates to just one sample set of creative endeavors – acting and music.
These 2 art forms have been closely allied since early human civilization and
have remained so up to today. Because music effectively communicates emotions
and acting is essentially the act of performing emotions through the recitation
of lines and portraits of body language, it’s only natural that acting and
music would form an artistic bond.
The
Cycle of Creation
Creativity
is commonly viewed as an inborn or developed faculty of imagination, guided by
a purpose, and fused with a skill such as painting, music, or writing to
communicate that purpose. Distinctly, imagination in action is viewed as the
creation, maintenance, acquisition, destruction, and improvement of some
portion of the physical universe according to the way one desires to see or
change it. Imagination and creativity are both part of a chain reaction that
originates in the soul of an artist and manifests in the physical universe
through art. A more complete chain or cycle of creation might look like this:
Knowledge
or Skill > Perception > Problem > Solution (or Invention) >
Execution > Creation (Production) > Expansion > Conquest >
Domination (or Mastery), repeat cycle with New Knowledge or Skills.
To
help illustrate this point I’d like for you to think of creativity in terms of
molten lava. Lava flows where it must and when it meets an obstacle it can go
through the obstacle, but it can also go around, go over, or do a combination
of these things to achieve its purpose, which is to continue its flow. Just
like molten lava, creativity cannot be contained, it must continue its flow,
and it does so by seeking new conquests.
The
Nature of Emotions in Acting and Music
Because
acting and music are rooted directly in the conveying of emotions, it makes
sense that actors would turn into musicians and musicians turn into actors.
This brings us to one fascinating aspect about creativity which is that
creativity cannot be contained. When a talented individual has nurtured access
to their creative spirit, their creativity overflows and finds new areas to
conquer, new worlds to explore. That’s why the actor turned musician or
musician turned actor are interesting examples of artistic or creative
overflow. They exemplify this quality of the nature of creativity where in
human action it permeates an area, conquers it, and overflows into new areas to
find additional channels for artistic expression. Other examples of this
quality of creativity overflowing into new areas are the athlete turned
musician, actor, or businessperson; the soldier turned politician; the actor
turned writer; the author turned radio talk show host, the wife and mother who
becomes a small business owner, and many others.
But
what exactly is the relationship between our emotions, creativity, and
imagination? In my estimation, creativity and imagination are static functions
in the human mind in that they are not animated by their own power. Emotion, on
the other hand, is a motive power because the word itself denotes bioelectrical
or thought energy in motion. Our thoughts, through the lens of our world view,
actually play the primary and originating role in this chain reaction. [You can read more about this topic in my
article, “Words in Songwriting and their Power as Emotional Triggers (Part 1).”]
So
now armed with this information let’s make our statement clear. The role our
emotions play in relationship to creativity and imagination is as a motive
power, which animates or puts into motion the creativity and imagination we’ve
been endowed with. Moreover, our emotions activate the genius that is possible
through the energizing of our personal reservoir of creativity. Just as in the
example I gave before comparing creativity to the flow of molten lava, it’s the
flow of our emotions that circulates creativity and imagination into our
thought processes giving rise to all of the wonderful inventions the human mind
has been able to conceive.
The
Magnitude of Creativity
Everyone
on Earth possesses the faculties of creativity and imagination– some greater
and others less – within themselves, so that all people exercise them to some
degree. Aside from the degree with which some people exercise them, artists,
musicians, and even scientists cultivate these faculties to the highest levels
they can possibly achieve in order to discover their usefulness and possibilities
when applied to some area of life, art, or study. The greater the creative
mind, the more creative endeavors they seek to conquer, and the greater the
magnitude their creations facilitate change in society and the world.
Creativity
Unbounded by Time and Space
Another important point is that the nature of creative
action is such that time and space cannot constrain creativity. In other words,
creativity is unbounded by time and space. For example, from the storytelling
traditions of early human cultures, to the playwriting that grew around the
theaters of Athens with the birth of Greek tragedies, as well as the diatonic
flutes made from the bones of animals 10,000 years ago, acting and music as
manifestations of creativity always seem to survive the passage of time and
escapes extinction.
Although we know that many artistic traditions have been
eliminated in their pure forms, their influence still lives on. This is one way
creativity is unbounded by time and space. Human nature provides for the
preservation of ideas and art forms through various types of communication, so
that even though a culture may disappear from the planet, remnants of that
culture fuse with other cultures to change or create new cultures. Some
anthropologists, archeologists, and even biologist share the view that human
life is nothing more than a vehicle for DNA – the genes. But I would go a step
further and state that human life is not only a vehicle for DNA, but also for
knowledge, including the arts.
Another way how creativity seems to be independent of time
and space is that from whichever way you examine it, creativity seems to be one
of those things about the human mind or spirit which exists outside of this
universe. In this universe the products of creativity are readily apparent, but
creativity itself permeates everything and originates nowhere except in the
mind of sentient beings. Perhaps it’s the mind that originates elsewhere and
creativity and imagination come and go with it. This is another topic for
another day.
Conclusion
So
in conclusion here’s a list of important recommendations for you creative
people out there in connection with the ideas I’ve presented here.
1) First
of all, it’s not the amount of creativity you possess that makes you a great
creator, but rather the amount you use. In my opinion it’s so much better to
develop your full creative capacity instead of just settling for ½ of a huge
capacity. Fifty percent of a huge capacity may yield massive results but you’re
still not giving it your all.
2) Remember
what creativity and imagination are and try to access these areas of your mind
so that they increase in their capacity for artistic action. Also, keep in mind
the role emotions play in activating creativity and putting it into circulation
in our thought processes. Remember the molten lava description.
3) Seek
opportunities where your world view is either challenged or supported through
your experiences. The emotions are manufactured through a combination of your
world view and experiences and it’s through these experiences where we’ll
stretch ourselves in the range of emotions we are able to feel. Beware of fear.
Fear is a paralyzing emotion that counteracts the work of the imagination and
prevents the flow of our emotions.
4) Be
open to new opportunities for creative expression because they are channels for
communicating your passion for your art or craft with an expanded audience. These
opportunities offer you new ways to think about your approach, method, and
techniques for generating artistic effects and communicating them to others.
5) Attempt
greatness in all that you do artistically. Work hard on increasing the
magnitude and impact your creations have on people, societies, and the world.
Use all of the resources at your disposal today to make your work last. With
the Internet you have an amazing opportunity to play the part of the historian
in cataloging your works of art for future generations.
To
learn more about specific examples of artistic overflow with some of the artists
of today, click here.
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Related Music:
Creative Flows
Palace of the Goddess
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Related Articles:
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