Originally Creative
According to Google, creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas to create (bring into existence) something. But I recalled that Mark Twain said there is no such thing as an original idea. So then is creativity just an imagination? Creations had often been surmised as original, new, or unprecedented but in reality they are not. Mark Twain explained, “there is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely, but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.” Sounds outrageous, but that would mean that the idea of creation as original or new is false – merely an imagination; indeed, it is unreal.
If only I had known earlier. Since young, I equated creativity as being artistic, imaginative, and inventive i.e. original. Some popular expressions used to convey this are “think out of the box” or “colour outside the lines.” Ironically, when I was 7 years old, my grandmother commented that my colored pencil art piece was disappointing because it was not colored neatly within the lines. Also, my elder sibling was unimpressed by my reluctance in adding a fresh approach to playing board games by switching up the rules a little – often in his favour, I might add. Further, my art teacher was appalled by my indifferent regard for artistic depth and perspective, which includes anything made with my two hands. The lack of creativity continued through to my drab sense of fashion and reluctance to slather makeup on my face as a young adult. I then gave up hope of ever relating myself as being anywhere near creative.
Since I had no aptitude for aesthetics, I grew up believing I truly lack even an ounce of creativity in this left-side dominant brain of mine. I was mostly logical, structured, and objective. I thought that only others who have the inborn talent possess, channel, and develop the intrinsic creative ability to mastery. So, that excludes me indefinitely. I took myself to be a stereotypical human duplicate at the end of a production line with no supernatural talents. My life thus far was then lived trapped in this narrow-minded lens where any consideration to attempt at being creative was shrugged off and cast away. I stamped myself as a consumer rather than a creator.
After four decades of life, I only now learned that creativity is an expression which more accurately symbolises the source of whence we came from. And thus, all that stems from the source are creative inherently, as an extension of the origin. Not being spiritually predisposed until recent years, it never crossed this mind that creativity is an innate potentiality in everyone. I only needed to acknowledge and embrace it before I could even begin harnessing this potential. It was a revolutionary discovery for me. This newfound understanding opened many new doors for me on this journey of learning about this limitless mind. Its ability to be creative is indeed unconditional. When dogmas and beliefs are introduced to the mind, however, they limit and bind the universal capacity of the mind to tap into itself i.e. creativity. It is astonishing that whatever knowledge gained in the past was all just imaginary – concepts made up that are not absolute truths.
In order to unravel the true nature of this veiled force, one has to forgive and surrender what we think we already know as the absolute truth. By understanding how our limiting beliefs and views are shrouding the creative energy, forgiveness of this ignorance leads to the surrendering to what is beyond and unknown to take over. The letting go of attaching to what we held to be true and real hinders this form of divinity from manifesting. Ever since I started practising forgiveness and surrendering a year ago to welcome the learning of what I do not know yet, more insights, joy, and peace have arisen in my life. Every moment a dot is linked to other dots in the big mental picture of my experiential existence, the purpose and direction in life become clearer. If you have been trying to find the meaning of life, then I would invite you to come and explore together with me at WISE.
In grace,
Hui Yee
16 Aug 2022