Humanity and Creativity

"It is in everyday life and starting from everyday life that genuine creations are achieved, those creations which produce the human and which men produce as part of the process of becoming human: works of creativity." --Henri Lefebvre, Clearing the Ground--Art and the Everyday

Human beings are inherently creative as a way of expressing themselves. Even my quietest, shyest piano student will speak up if she has an interesting idea to share about music in our studio time, or her life in general as a first grader. Our ideas, even if they are similar to those around us, will always be our own. They may be modified by what we learn or the experiences we have throughout our lives, but they will always originate from our own brain and our own spirit and soul.

The human thinker uses all aspects of his or her mental or physical self. I believe the best intellectuals, artists, scientists, musicians, mathematicians, teachers, secretaries---the best human being of their trade---is often in balance with every aspect of their selves.

The heart is often full of passion for our individual thoughts and beliefs. Our soul and whole fiber of our being is truly behind our thoughts in every which way. If you try telling a man of the cloth he is wrong about his belief and thoughts of God, he is not only offended by your antagonistic and contradicting thoughts,  he is morally offended in his soul. He is utterly connected between al of his intrinsic parts. An individual with a brilliant mind who is not in touch with their heart and soul lacks the most basic, yet important aspect of all human life: humanity. 

An individual with a brilliant mind, yet who lacks humanity, will never have the capacity to reach their fullest potential in a general sense, and a creative sense. Creativity spawns off all our thoughts, feelings and senses. It is when we have distinct thoughts, feelings and senses that we are divinely inspired to express ourselves through art, whether it be perfecting a math problem using perfection in numbers through the Pythagorean theorem, or an abstract oil-painting of a scene only viewed and imagined in the artist's mind.

There is no such thing as conventional art, for there is no such thing as a conventional person. Each action, each step, each word, each thought and feeling is always unique to the individual. These actions occur on a daily basis, and are always more than just an action, step, word, thought or feeling. Such things make up symphonies in the air around us, bright colored picture shots of a world that is miraculous in its everyday-ness. For it is our everyday actions, thoughts and feelings that are interesting in themselves and which set each human apart, yet also bring them together in the most human way possible. We can express ourselves individually with a musical solo piece, or express ourselves as a group in an ensemble piece. Regardless, the two pieces hold creative force: a force that lifts our thoughts and feelings to a higher plane, even if it is just for a few moments. Enlightenment can come in many ways, but I believe it comes through knowing our true selves through our creative works- even if that work is just a doodle on a napkin.