Begin Now.
by Jill Austen on 08/27/12
Begin now. I take that directive from Austen Workshops, my own course on Creativity, the Arts and Individuality, and omit any lengthy history of how I arrived here. Integration of music, visual arts and poetry has long been the foundation of my creative life, but “here” is where my understanding of creative energy has reached a new level. What does it mean to be creative? To live a more authentic life? To apply creative concepts from the arts (even if you don’t think of yourself as particularly creative) to your career, personal life and aspirations?
My natural inclination as an educator is to share knowledge and guide individuals in pursuit of insight and mastery. I inaugurate this blog, featuring content on the arts, creativity, suggested reading and activities, in the spirit of exploration and new beginnings.
Encourage and enrich your creative habits. Connections are key to integration of all information. Do you remember math class in elementary school, and the introduction to fractions? How do you add 2/5 + 1/3?
Common denominator! 2/5 +1/3 = 6/15 + 5/15 = 11/15
No matter how strange it looks, there is always a common denominator in fractions that allows for their addition. I know, I know…this is not a math blog!
But in order to illustrate my points, I will pull concepts from many sources.
My point is that if you look for commonality between seemingly unrelated things you may generate extraordinary thoughts and potentially innovative ideas. Instead of asking, “What’s the difference?” ask “What’s the similarity?
Try it now. For example, in what way is a pot of basil on the window sill similar to the red suitcase you still haven’t unpacked from your weekend out of town?
Unlike fractions, the answer will differ for everyone based on experiences, associations, personality, disposition and circumstance, and will likely take a little time to formulate. Chances are, no matter what your response, it will be poetic. You will have to make the kind of imaginative and associative stretch that is the hallmark of creative thinking.
Here’s my answer:
From its aerial vantage point the tender, green basil
yearns for morning in the city that never sleeps,
but not as much as it dreams of acreage.
Likewise, the red suitcase yearns for roots,
nestled in a comfortable home, hibernating
on the top shelf of a seldom-used closet.
Could it be that plant and suitcase contain within,
essence of life past, present and future?
