Let me say first that this is not a post about God, but God does make a cameo appearance.
I find a lot of beauty and intrigue and thought provoking, relevant things in religious texts.
I don’t feel that not being a Christian {or aligned with any other religion} means I can’t enjoy and learn from religious teachings.
And I’m referring to God as he because political correctness is not the point here.
So if you’re an atheist or feel a bit uncomfortable with the G word, you might be already thinking, um, no thanks, but maybe just bear with me here. You never know.
I’ll be the first to admit – I’m not that great at remembering to celebrate.
I don’t think it’s something we’re often taught in Western culture as an essential part of any process.
When I look back at past celebrations in my life they’ve been either tied to some kind of anniversary – like birthdays – or achievements, like passing exams.
So, celebrating is about ‘big things’.
But what about the other things that could – and perhaps even ‘should’ – be celebrated?
In the Bible, in the book of Genesis, after each creative act God pauses to note that what he has created is good.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
Genesis 1:31 {King James Bible}
I was reminded of this the other day and it suddenly struck me how much I do not celebrate my creativity.
Neither the process nor its outcomes.
Some of the things I do that are creative are ‘public’ and what you might consider larger scale, relatively speaking.
The colouring book I’m collaborating on; my own book; creating, launching and running art courses, selling my own work.
It’s easier to celebrate those because there is a period of intense effort followed by an outcome that others can not just witness, perhaps even applaud, but also be a part of.
There’s a feeling of having created something that serves others as well as myself.
I guess these could go under the ‘achievements’ column.
Many many more of my creative acts are silent, private, unnoticed or unshared, or done just for my own {and perhaps one or two friends’} pleasure rather than any commercial or promotional reason.
Painting, taking photos, playing in my sketchbook, experimenting in the studio, baking, decorating and rearranging my home, writing poems, learning something new about myself through using my hands.
And none of this ever gets celebrated.
I’m wondering why it is that we can bring things to life where before there was a void, like God creating the world, and not honour ourselves or the process or the outcome?
Why do we not say, this is good?
Well for one thing there’s usually a bunch of judging and doubting going on; is this good enough? Why aren’t I good at this?
And sometimes the process is difficult and uncomfortable and we’re not happy with the outcome.
But I’m wondering if that isn’t perhaps even more of a reason to celebrate?
Being creative, in my experience, is many things.
It’s a gift {one we all have}, a pleasure, a joy, a learning curve, a challenge, a way to connect, a way to grow, a way to express who we are in the world.
It’s also a miracle – how can we bring a white canvas to a riot of shape and colour and not consider that amazing, even if we don’t like the outcome or struggled through the process?
No one else could have done that, only us, each in our uniqueness.
So I’m thinking that maybe it’s worth being a bit more consciously Godlike. He brought something from nothing, and he called it good {even if it went in directions he might have not preferred}.
I’m going to start doing that more.
When I look around my home I see an abundance of things I brought from nothing to something. And I want to honour that, and myself, for listening, and for trying and for taking action even in the face of doubt or fear or frustration.
I think that might have some interesting side effects.
I’m not suggesting throwing a party every time a painting is finished or a poem written.
If you’re prolific that could get exhausting and time consuming. Also expensive. 😉
Perhaps ‘celebrating’ in this context need be nothing more than acknowledging silently to ourselves that ‘it is good’.
That we are here, in the world, and we created.
- Maybe celebrating is taking ten minutes with a coffee and our feet up to luxuriate in the feeling of just having brought something to life.
- Or doing a one song dance around the room, with full volume singing.
- Or lighting a candle and offering up a prayer of thanks.
- Spontaneously giving what we made to someone, or leaving it somewhere for a stranger to find.
Whatever, as long as it feels meaningful to us.
And it’s not about the size of what’s created.
It’s not about saying, well yes but God was creating the entire universe, I just did a five minute drawing.
It’s the principle.
Creating something from nothing. Bringing forth what’s inside us. Giving birth to something that before today never existed.
We can celebrate that it gave someone joy or helped someone in some way, or we can celebrate that we are able to experience the process of creation, that we gave ourselves the opportunity to do that, that we were brave in the face of something that was new and a bit scary, with all the myriad feelings and outcomes it brings.
I think that’s worth celebrating.
In fact, now I’ve brought this post down from the ethers, I’m going to celebrate with a coconut macaroon I made earlier.
There was a lot of editing and rearranging and second guessing, but it’s done, and it is good. {Good because I did it, not because it’s a work of genius. But feel free to think that.}
What do you think? Is this a bit of a crazytown idea? Or might it be a good way to offer yourself validation and support, a sneaky way of upping the self care and feeling good in your life? Are you celebrating your creative acts?
What a wonderful post Tara – usually when I finish a piece of work I’m so relieved to get it off to manufacture that I tend to totally ignore it and get on to the next thing on my to do list – organising a tour, or preparing work for the choir or students. but you’re right. Each time, I am creating something from nothing. And it would be so affirming to say well done rather than waiting for someone else to say that.
I have a friend who tells herself – that was awesome – every time she finishes doing the dishes lol And she says she uses awesome, not cause she likes the word, but because it feels a bit silly and is over the top and gives her much more pleasure than just saying that was good. Thank you for reminding us all.
Enjoy your macaroon 🙂
Thank you Fil – I think that’s something many {most?} of us do. We get used to churning things out without pausing to honour it, and also just to breathe and soak it up before moving on to the next thing! I love that story about your friend – something about using an ‘over the top’ word that makes you smile really feels like a good way to celebrate. 🙂
This is such a great post, Tara! I often think about how important it is to let ourselves ‘take in’ whatever it is we’ve just created – allow a pause to drink it in, so we can be nourished by it before we move on to the next thing.
If you’re familiar with the ‘Gestalt Cycle’, you may remember that they call it the ‘Satisfaction’ phase of the process, which if skipped too often is likely to cause problems.
Hi Emma – how lovely to hear from you! Thank you so much for taking the time. I love your food metaphors here. 🙂 And such a beautiful point about allowing ourselves to be nourished by what we’ve created. Love that. I’m not familiar with the Gestalt Cycle – will have to look that up! Sounds very interesting. 🙂
I never gave much thought to celebrating, and I love this idea.
I was raised in the Catholic tradition, but I never heard this interpretation of these verses, nor it never occured to me to think of it that way.
Really, so much of our creation proces is just about doing and moving on to the next thing.
Havi of The Fluent Self is big on beginning and completing rituals, and that’s something I’d like to add to my process. Clearing the decks in between projects.
These ideas go hand in hand.
I hadn’t heard that interpretation of those verses either Nela – it was something I found in a book by Joan Borysenko I think. Just loved the whole idea. And yes! Isn’t it funny that so much of it is about doing and moving on! For me that’s just part of it, not a negative, and I’m sure that’s true for many actively creative people. Once I’ve finished something I feel complete and tend not to want to ‘go back’, and it hasn’t occurred to me to at least honour that completed cycle and enjoy the fruits of the process! I suppose because often the process is actually the best bit for me. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! I’ve been having another look at Havi’s site since you mentioned it. Such interesting ideas and I love when people can do that with humour. 🙂
Tara, that is brilliant!! I have heard that passage and also like the enhancement, “that was awesome!” Another brilliant post that touches my soul.
Ah thank you Ellen! I’m very interested in bringing in ideas from all kinds of sources, so am glad this worked for you. 🙂
Fantastic post and so true. This is something I’ve been thinking about and talking to God about a lot. Being confident in who ahe made me to be. Thanks! Now if I could just keep up my blog, Ipu.d be making progress.
So glad it resonated for you Judy!
Tara, this is a wonderful post and great encouragment to look at our expectations of ourselves and “take them down a notch”! It expresses so much of what I wanted my creativity to be all about and how I wanted to see it but havent allowed much because it didnt seem to fit the discription of being a “useful activity” in our productivity driven world. It resonates with me in a wonderful way especially having just started “Touchstone”!!
So glad you found something that resonated for you here Anita! Getting past that ‘must be productive’ mindset is quite a challenge! But we can do it. 🙂
Thank you Tara for everything ❤️
Most welcome Jana!
Tara I love this post! I recognise what you say, and think it’s so true. Really thought provoking.
As a Christian I’ve heard this chapter and the next preached on plenty of times in the sense of God taking a rest on the seventh day and that what’s good enough for Him should be our pattern too! – but I’ve never heard this pause to appreciate at each stage pointed out before.
I know what I’ll be discussing with my friends this week!
Love that it resonated with you Ruth! And a very good point about resting too. 😉
Oh how I applaud your thoughtful words Tara. The comments added by others add to the collective wisdom. Can I also add that it is joyful to celebrate again and again and yet again .. even with a fleeting smile .. past creations remembered or present? Each time I reach the top of the stairs to my beautiful new retreat my eyes go in gratitude to my Chinese panel that I had the wisdom to collect many years ago. It is part of a new space from nothing which I have had a hand in creating … both the familiar and the new in harmomy.
Tara you have good reason to celebrate not only your own creations from nothing but the creativity you have fostered in others .. for it is indeed good. Thankyou for your role in our creative lives.
I like that idea of ‘re-celebrating’! And the harmony of the familiar and the new – beautiful!
I love this post! Such a good point! I’ve always been thrilled by the mystery of the white/blank surface waiting to be worked upon – it’s so perfect in its own right. It’s amazing that I can delibrately make one mark upon it and change it forever! Such power! And that can feel daunting and overwhelming, because there’s the evidence of my actions right in front of me, I can’t hide and pretend (no, that wasn”t me!) So yes, it’s good to celebrate this action, whatever the result, celebrate this showing up, this trying to manifest something wanting expression, however dubious we might feel about the result. Today I posted a painting on IG that I felt dubious about. But it was a brave step forward, a experiment. And who knows what will come through this door, now opened? Hurray!
Check out Marisa Peer and the daily ritual of self- acknowledgement and encouragement. Takes very little time and produces wonderful results.
Thanks for sharing that Ann!