Ways of ‘getting out of the box’, overcoming
blocks, and really expressing yourself.
Creativity – innocent and guileless force! That which
drives our 3 year daughter to try Marmite AND honey on toast.
And smear the result on her palm in order to eat it. Well,
why not? As adults we have all kinds of ‘learned resistance’
to such things, ideas about what is ‘normal’ and
‘proper’, don’t we? Getting creative is
sloughing off the heavy overcoat of the habitual, and diving
into the playful, colourful, limitless and messy world of
the child.
You might be doing creative things and want to do more. If
so, read on! Or: ‘I’m not creative!’ you
might wail. Or: ‘I’m not an artist/musician/singer/dancer’
whatever. Fine, fine. Let’s label such thoughts simply
as ‘resistance’ (very normal, very human!) and
put them aside for now. This is for everybody (although painting
is in many of my examples, the process applies to all kinds
of creative work).
Going back to the child for a moment, remember how you were.
Loved sploshing in mud, maybe? Ripping paper, plodging the
yellow brush in the blue paint with not a thought for the
smeary consequences... pouring the water all over the paper
just to see what it does...playing with clay...pastry?
Unfortunately, creative boogiemen usually descend, and the
dreaded ‘rational way’ quashes us into boxed ‘niceness’,
tells us we are ‘not good enough’, will ‘never
make a living as an artist/writer/dancer etc’, denies
our natural brilliance in the name of ‘control’
and... Aaaargh!! We lose the golden brilliance of the child.
I was lucky, had a Mum who encouraged me to get messy, played
endless ‘squiggles’ (where I made her scribbles
into pictures so that now anything, a rubbish bag, a leaf,
a twig instantly assumes human or other form in my mind...rapid
inspiration for art!) I later encountered various creative
pygmies at art college though (it did damage... I stopped
painting for six years, having previously painted from age
five! Unfortunately, many art teachers are ‘blocked
creatives’ and take their frustration/envy out on hapless
students). One must look out for these, protect oneself. Never
mind, I got over it, found a wonderful teacher called Frank
O’Cain at the Art Students League of New York. His idea
of ‘art criticism’ (Ach!!! I hate the very idea,
used too often to crush something beautiful barely out of
bud) was to say ‘Hey! What a beautiful abstract!’
when I painted my first painting with him, having been freed
up by an exercise he got me to do first.
Often, important things in ‘creative recovery’
seem silly, even, ridiculous. Frank got me to paint a large
abstract on paper, about two and a half metres square. It
took about half an hour. Then he had me cut it up and stick
it back together another way. It ended like a big feathery
papery duvet thing! The THING in itself wasn’t important,
but the PROCESS – WOW! ‘Now, paint a painting’
he said quietly. Gosh! I picked up my brushes and colour and
whoosh – off I flew! The paint just flowed and I made
something truly beautiful that was really ‘me’.
And, it was so easy.
Anyway. Years of painting, I continued sneaking to my studio
at odd hours in between everything else. Somehow in that quiet
moment, the gap between thinking ‘how about RED here’
and finding my hand has already got the red onto the canvas
somehow before my conscious mind has screamed ‘Red?
Ridiculous...!’ I find God, myself, meditation, something
delightful, peace, joy. And you can, too!
Secrets of Creativity Part One
It’s easy. Creativity is easy! Heresy, but true. A
poem dashed ‘in one’, is probably better, fresher,
than one you toiled over consciously for hours! It’s
our ideas about creativity that make it seem difficult. (‘how
can something so precious be... so easy?’ we think –
then slave four more hours on something that is already good
enough!). Just... allow! And don’t correct. Keep mistakes
and go on and do another piece. To free up and have fun, try:
• Write a 5 line poem or limerick about how you feel
on Wednesday. And another on Tuesday... • Paint with
marmite, jelly, jam, honey, sand, glue. Call it ‘cooking’
or ‘playing’ (but whatever you do, don’t
call it Art with a capital ‘A’!) • Go for
a walk and sing to yourself as you do. • Take ten minutes
to do something you’ve been putting off for ages. Polish
your boots, write a short postcard to a lost friend, clean
out the cutlery drawer... • Make cookies. Cut them into
any shapes you like. Stick raisins in them or ice them, give
them names. Share with friends. • Find a puddle and
splosh in it joyfully. • Write an angry letter. DON’T
post to the miscreant! Instead devise a ritual ending for
the letter. Burn, tear, bury, destroy...
If some of these things seem like ‘personal development’,
don’t be surprised! Creativity is very much a personal
recovery as well as a gift for everyone. Enjoy! More practical
tips next week, including ‘overcoming the dreaded writer’s
block’.
Join Jeli Lala for ‘Yoga, Crystals, Dreams’ mini-workshops,
Tegun Gallery, Hanoman St. Ubud, Wednesdays and Saturdays,
10am-12pm. Please TXT 081 239 43354 to book or email JELILALA@BREATHE.COM
NEXT ISSUE: Creativity Part II – more canny ways of
‘getting out of the box’, overcoming blocks, and
really expressing yourself.
Jeli Lala created the ‘Ashram of Spiritual Jewellery
and Art’ at no. 1, Sukma St., Tebesaya, Ubud, with her
husband, Putu S. She has studied yoga and many other spiritual
practices for more than ten years. She writes “As a
life-long artist, I’ve been exploring my inner world
since I was a child. In this column, I will share some of
my personal experiences and spiritual methods – hopefully,
you’ll find this interesting, and maybe it will give
some ideas for your own journey”.
Jeli welcomes comments and may be contacted on:
Email: jelila@jelila.com
Website: www.jelila.com or www.imagine-retreats.com
