I’ve had some conversations recently that made me think about what creation means, this act of bringing something into existence. I’ve been thinking about how life expresses itself through our creations, and how that changes us.
I heard my sister’s emotions after reliving a defining memory by writing an essay on it. I watched a friend foster a terminally ill dog. She made his last days memorable with bucket list items like cooking him a steak dinner, and after he died, she raised money and awareness for heartworm in pups by starting a campaign and running media for the animal shelter. I listened to a friend realize she might want to plan surprise date nights for couples after pouring over each detail to organize her sister’s surprise engagement party.
I wonder how often we are impacted by creative energy in our lives without us even knowing it, and what would then be the impact if we prioritized creation more?
Creation is as simple as cooking a routine meal or trimming your flowers and as complex as giving birth to a human or writing a novel. It’s as deep as co-creating a marriage and as light-hearted as filming a weird TikTok.
While working at a tech company, I remember an account manager who always worked late. He supported the largest clients and the majority of his job was fielding requests and putting out fires. I could tell the constant reactivity to these requests weighed on him. One night, while both of us were still at our desks, he told a joke in an email sent back to his client. I can’t remember the goofy line, and if I guessed it’d be a disservice to him. We waited, a bit tense until the team responded. He didn’t get the response he hoped for, and then laughed hysterically, either from the fear of putting himself out there washing over him or from late-night email delusion. Probably a combination of both.
I consider that one-liner, in a sea of emails, to be creative energy. It’s a reminder that when situations make you feel powerless, if you leave room for a smidge of creation the dynamic shifts. You are reminded of your individual power. Aren't we happier when we are creating versus solely reacting to our lives?
There are reasons we don’t partake in creative energy. Instead, we sit in limbo weighed down by inertia. We’re fearful. What if? What if our love changes, asks the soon-to-be fiance. What if it fails, asks the entrepreneur. What if I’m rejected, asks the new artist.
Sometimes creating feels raw too. Emotions are drudged up. It’s not easy to care for a terminally ill dog. It’s not easy to write a vulnerable essay on sexuality. It’s also not easy to show up as ourselves sometimes. Even writing a quirky email can be scary. How will I be received?
So what meets us when we take the leap of action instead of waiting for our fears or doubts to subside? As you create- bring something to existence- expect to feel. Our hearts seem to break open a bit wider, a bit deeper. We start to understand ourselves and all our intricacies through action (we’re complicated beings!). “Wow, this is scary,” and eventually, “so worth it.” We start to build foundational confidence.
There’s a part of creation that feels universally present where future worries fade and past stories are rewritten. For a moment, the account manager realizes his job isn’t so serious and out of his control. For a moment, an ex-wife clinks her wine glass on a first date she planned, realizing she can put herself out there again. For a moment, the artist witnesses someone else's art and understands the beauty of their own expression.
Critics call comedian Bo Burnham’s Netflix special Inside, a poioumenon, a type of metafiction in which the story is about the process of creation, sometimes creation of the story itself. In addition to his cultural critiquing, the viewer witnessed Burnham’s physical and mental changes throughout creating his special during the pandemic. The story evolves, Burnham evolves.
Our lives are metafictions too. They are stories about our life cycles, our creations, big or small. Destruction is also a part of the creation cycle. Death, illness, breakups, missteps, and pain happen.
Emily Fletcher, a meditation practitioner, says, “There is only creation, maintenance, and destruction. Nature is going to support people who are supporting it in its dominant theme- which is creation. The more you're leading with creation and evolution the more support you're going to get. Maintenance is the illusion of safety. The ever-repeating known is the most dangerous place there is. If you're leading with maintenance you wave the flag of irrelevance, allowing destruction to come in and clean house. The good news is even when destruction comes through, creation and innovation are right behind it. As painful and scary as destruction can be, ask yourself, ‘Where am I leading with creation? Where am I leading with maintenance? And where is destruction happening? They are all part of the cycle.’”
My 5 takeaways on creation: Creating isn’t reserved for the imaginative- the artist, or the constructive- the entrepreneur. It is in our nature to create- it’s our life force. It is scary and emotional to participate in our lives through this creative action, but necessary. It is fulfilling. Creation is cyclical- letting go, or “destruction” is part of the process *a topic for another Tea
Cobble Hill Historic District, Brooklyn, NY ~ July 2021
https://www.insider.com/bo-burnham-inside-special-details-analysis-breakdown-2021-6
https://almost30.com/spirituality/2021/05/04/423-the-science-of-meditation-with-emily-fletcher/
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/poioumenon#:~:text=poioumenon%20(plural%20poioumena),creation%20of%20the%20story%20itself).
Love this one!!
I love the idea of the creation/maintenance/destruction cycle. Very inspiring Colleen💕