"A
problem is a chance for you to do your best."
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Duke Ellington
Iıve
been revisiting the relationship of creativity and form lately. The
different shapes and sizes that creativity wears as it walks around
in the world.
Sometimes,
perfectly innocent creative folks get scared away from pursuing a
creative path or career by form. Every creative expression or creative
job has a form. Creativity loves form. Heck, thatıs why weıre here
Say for
example that you like words
My point
in writing to you today is to say thereıs a great gift in this challenge.
Itıs important to learn the form. The form is the framework through
which creative energy moves and expresses. Just donıt get fixated
on it. Or give up because it may seem hard to grasp. Itıs not where
creativity lives. Creativity lives in you, and flows through you.
The compass that helps you chose the right form for you to express
it is your heart. Study the form. Learn the form. Get it down well
enough so you donıt have to think about it; so it becomes transparent
to your creative expression. Form without love is simply technique.
It ainıt got no soul.
What
brings up this issue for me is a current personal writing project
Perseverance.
Iıve said it before
1. It could be a challenge that life is throwing you to test your
willingness to trust the path or the form youıve chosen. Yes, life
does have a way of doing this.
2. Or, it could be that you are gently being guided to try a different
direction, a different form that lets you express your particular
flavor of creative energy with more joy. In either case, the challenge
is a gift.
In #1,
it strengthens your resolve and your self esteem. In #2, it opens
you to explore other "forms" that you may have overlooked.
The message
to remember is that the form isnıt creativity. The inability to perfect
a form doesnıt mean youıre not creative. Learn the rules of the form,
but donıt let the form rule you. Use the form. Explore the form. Change
it if you like. Maybe even develop a whole new form. Just continue
doing what you love to do. And remember to do a little bit each day.
It's the regular doing that is important. Perseverance will get you
through almost any form, and what you learn about yourself in the
process