Creativity By Don Lubov Creativity is the nectar of the gods. When it flows, its the adrenalin in your ve ins.

When bathed in its all-consuming fragrance, you know down to your bones that youre part of something greater than yourself. You lose all track of time. Your need for rest, for food, for sleep and especially, for thought, vanish. The artist, graced with creative inspiration, makes paintings, writes music, cho reographs dance, produces new shapes and writes books, because of this inner for ce. The inspiration (to be in spirit) needs a creative outlet on the physical pl ane, to express itself - The inspirational force is formless and so needs people to give it form. Without creative inspiration, nothing happens. Without the art ist, nothing happens. Without the witness to the creation; the audience, theres n o point in creating. All three are necessary in the creative process. Whether you paint, sculpt, write books, make music, dance, make crafts, design b uildings, take photographs, write poems, act, cook, garden, make films or are ac tive in science, you relish the moment when inspiration strikes. You can feel it . Its time to move, to make, to do. You will not be distracted. When your muse ca lls, the physical world disappears and your focus narrows to the task at hand. W ords and forms and sounds and design elements must all be assembled in balanced harmony so that beauty can be born. All thought vanishes in an energetic frenzy that will not rest until all creativ e efforts are resolved into a wholly satisfying result. This is not the time for critique. Not the time for thought. This is the time to surrender, totally, to the direction from within. Like a cork in a swift-moving stream, you are willing ly tossed this way and that, at the whim of the work. And, never forget that thi s is workglorious work, all encompassing work, welcome work. Work that lets you k now what it means to be fully alive, in the moment100% involved and 0% attached t o the results. The thinking artist puts pencil to paper and makes marks. The inspired artist ca resses the paper with graphite, lovingly and maneuvers the material to create ge nius on the two-dimensional level. Whether words or paint strokes or sounds, whe n the work is done, if only for that day, you are drained, but grateful to have been part of the creative equation. Exhausted, now comes pleasurable rest. The truth and beauty of great art can be felt by all who witness it. People are moved by the legitimate expression of inner forces. That sharing of honest form can lead to tears of joy or tears of sadnesswhichever the artist conveyed. The harmonious combination of just the right measured elements and a regularly p racticed technique the proper balance of parts, the just right scale of proporti on, the perfect word or sound or movement at just the right moment is beauty of the first order. No need for instruction on how to react. When in the presence of honest, true c reation, of any media, the heart knows how to feel. The pulse races in harmony w ith the creation. The appropriate applause comes naturally. The viewer and the v iewed, or read, or sung merge in a willing dance of appreciation. Smiles spread and beam, bursting with feeling. The artist creates from an inner urge to express. The force within gets to chann el itself, through the artist, to become a physical creation. This formless powe r has been given form. The viewer is pleased to share in this creation. Force, a rtist, audience a win, win, win situation of the first magnitude. All are satisf ied.

The writer, the content and the reader are all necessary in this celebration of creative activity. All have a part to play. Each must be open to receive its off ering. The force is grateful for a path to follow. The artist is grateful for t he inspiration and the chance to use his/her talents. The audience is grateful t o bear witness to truth and beauty. Creativity is a fundamental human expression. It puts the civil in civilization. It is, ultimately, why we are here. Without us, the sound of the tree falling i n the forest is lost. It is our destiny as a species to listen to our inner voic es. We are obliged to receive what is offered in the loving spirit in which it i s offered. We are grateful to be a channel for our inner force and to allow it t o flow through us to others. Inspiration, creator, audience. Sometimes we are one, sometimes another, but were all part of the creative equation. Creativity is the breath of life. We couldnt live without it.