Creation Is Already In You

A short reflection upon the state of our mind and the impact on our works of art. It’s meant for anyone who creates, hobby level or professional. (Maybe it suits visual artists a little more, because of my background).

Transcript

Welcome.

In this short talk,

I would like to share some thoughts on an interesting point of view for everyone who is creative.

Do you know Michelangelo's quote,

I saw the angel in the marble and I cut until I set him free?

I first heard it when I was studying art history at university.

I then thought that an artist who could say something like that must be an exceptionally great artist.

I was too young to really understand that sentence.

And besides,

I wasn't trained as an artist at that time.

But after my theoretical studies,

I went to art school because I felt that making art was my path in life.

So I was trained as a sculptor.

And over the years,

I developed my own style.

And when I think about my creative process,

I clearly see how events in my life influenced my work.

This will probably sound familiar to you.

But I also experienced shifts in the stimuli of motivation to create.

The moment I started meditating regularly,

Some interesting things happened.

First,

My relationship with the outside world changed.

As I turned more inward,

The grip of society loosened.

For instance,

The actual trend was no longer some kind of reference point.

And what other professionals said about my work was only important to think about,

But not to wonder how to change things.

The fact that I had to be in a specific gallery for the next step in my career turned into presenting my work only if I felt it was an environment that nurtured my work and myself.

It can be a struggle to let go of the outside world as a benchmark for what you create.

But once you understand that the outside world will never give you true satisfaction,

You're on the right track.

You will feel less and less the need to depend on the outer world to shape your life and your artistic creations.

That doesn't mean you can't get your works into galleries or other commercial circuits.

It just means you no longer feel dependent on the demands of the outside world.

The energy that comes from your own inner source is much more vibrant and nourishing than what the outside world has to offer.

Then secondly,

I started to wonder on a deeper level why some works were never finished or why I didn't keep some.

I overlooked all the works I created over the years and how they came to be.

I noticed that all the works I didn't keep or didn't get finished did not come from an inner urge.

There was always something external driving the process.

An open call,

A deadline,

An urge to show.

And some came out of mind-driven practices or I started them because I couldn't wait until the time was right to create.

These works also have their value.

For example,

If you reflect about the aspect of your life to which they refer.

And then also,

I started to be more patient.

I developed an inner knowing that I would feel it when the time is right to start working.

You can compare it to the way your body knows when it is time to eat or to go to sleep.

When you can stay in an open,

Receiving state,

Just noticing,

You automatically connect to something greater.

You can trust the nature of things.

What you need at a certain moment in the creation process will present itself.

It's worth waiting.

Waiting not like doing nothing and waiting for something to happen out of nowhere,

But waiting in the sense of do what you have to do during your days and do it with attention.

Keep your skills ready and be aware of your deep desire to create.

You can write or draw or do whatever you want just for the love of being creative,

For the flow of energy.

Because that energy and openness make it possible for that beautiful inspiration to emerge.

So when you notice that your intellect is starting to interfere or that your mental will is active,

Simply return to your state of open acceptance.

It may be strange at first and against your normal behavior,

But the more you practice this way of creating,

The more it will become your natural way.

I have experienced it.

I do know that creation is already within you.

That's how it works for everyone and not just for exceptional artists.

It only takes the right mindset to connect with this powerful creative source.

In Shunryu Suzuki's book Zen Mind,

Beginner's Mind,

I found a paragraph that beautifully underlines the topic of this talk.

It states that creation is already within you when you start.

I will read it for you.

A wonderful painting is the result of the feeling in your fingers.

If you have the feeling of the thickness of the ink in your brush,

The painting is already there before you paint.

When you dip your brush into the ink,

You already know the result of your drawing,

Or else you cannot paint.

So before you do something,

Being is there,

The result is there.

He compares it with sitting in meditation.

He says,

Even though you look as if you were sitting quietly,

All your activity,

Past and present,

Is included,

And the result of your sitting is also already there.

And the great thing about living and creating like this is that your work will have an honesty that you can't get otherwise.

It will communicate on a deeper level than works created from willpower or energy that isn't really yours.

You can feel that.

To conclude this talk,

I would like to read a story by Zhang Zi about woodworker Qing.

Woodworker Qing carved a piece of wood and made a bell stand.

And when it was finished,

Everyone who saw it marveled,

For it seemed to be the work of gods or spirits.

And when the marquis of Lu saw it,

He asked,

What art is it you have?

Qing replied,

I am only a craftsman,

How would I have any art?

There is one thing,

However.

When I am going to make a bell stand,

I never let it wear out of my vital energy.

I always fast in order to still my mind.

When I have fasted for three days,

I no longer have any thoughts of congratulations or rewards,

Of titles or stipends.

When I have fasted for five days,

I no longer have any thoughts of praise or blame,

Of skill or clumsiness.

And when I have fasted for seven days,

I am so still that I forget I have four limbs and a form and a body.

By that time,

The ruler and his court no longer exist for me.

My skill is concentrated and all outside distractions fade away.

After that,

I go into the mountain forest and examine the heavenly nature of the trees.

If I find one of superlative form and I can see a bell stand there,

I put my hand to the job of carving.

If not,

I let it go.

This way,

I am simply matching up heaven with heaven.

And that's probably the reason that people wonder if the results were not made by spirits.

What this story tells us is that fasting of the body or of the mind will bring you in a state in which you are empty of intention and preconception,

And a state in which you are able to wait until the external object presents itself to you with clarity.

The state of openness or emptiness gives rise to action,

Action that is effortless and at times described as non-action,

In Chinese known as wu-wei.

Thank you for listening.

I hope these insights will encourage you,

Whenever you feel tempted by your mind or the outside world,

To be creative.

Many blessings.