The Wire and the Electricity

I was having a discussion with a creative friend yesterday, and she mentioned that she believes her creativity doesn't come from within herself but that she is channeling a higher power. In other words, she is a conduit for creativity — she is only the wire, not the electricity.

I thought a lot about that. What do I believe about my creativity and where it comes from? What is the source of human inspiration? The ancient Greeks had their Muses — female spirits that whispered in the ears poets, writers, and artists. What do I have?

Like any artist, I have had the experience of going into an almost meditative (or blissful) trance and creating something, a “zone” if you will. I've come out of that mystical place, looked at what I've written, or a doll I've just finished and thought, "Where the hell did that come from?" I didn't know I had it in me. Not a clue. I know I created these works but it seems like the ideas were placed in my head. Creepy? Maybe. It feels more like having a friend inside me whom I collaborate with.

So, how do I explain that experience? How can I create something from so far from my awareness?

All this leads to some questions. Why can't we believe in ourselves? Why can't we believe that we are that creative and that the mystical things we create come from hidden aspects of our inner being. Why can't we believe that creativity is the act of dredging the soul and bringing the beautiful, secret aspects of our humanity into the light?

Sadly, I think I know why this is so hard to believe.

First, we don't think we're good enough. Society, or our religion, or our parents, or our peers have convinced us that we just aren't that amazing. Somewhere deep down, we think we're not quite good enough, so anything good we've done was either a fluke, or someone helped us.

Second, we have had humility beaten into us. We have been trained to not stand out in a crowd, not to brag. Certainly, we shouldn't take all the credit for a creative act that we alone performed. Therefore, we didn't perform it alone. We had help.

Third, we doubt things we can't explain. How could I create something that I never knewI had in me? There must be some explanation.

And I think there is an explanation. I think the very nature of creativity is the act of bringing the unknown inner world of ourselves outward. Creativity is communication between an individual's conscious and subconscious, perhaps even a conversation between the individual and the universal collective consciousness.

Now, I know that's a lot to take in. But I really believe that when we are being creative we are simultaneously processing, discovering, sharing, and absorbing what we know about being human.

This is what I believe about my creativity. I believe it truly comes from within me. My obligation is to do what I love to do. That is the please and the thank you. I am a part of the creative universe doing creative work, just as other artists are doing theirs. My creativity doesn't make me better, but it does makes me unique. No one can express humanity the same way.

I am the wire and the electricity.

That's what I believe.

What about you?