The First Principle: Creative Courage
We must replace fear and chauvinism, hate, timidity and apathy, which flow in our nation's spinal column, with courage, sensitivity, perseverance and, I even dare say, love. And by love I mean that condition in the human spirit so profound it encourages us to develop courage. It is said that courage is the most important of all virtues, because without courage you can't practice any of the other virtues with consistency.
—Maya Angelou, from Even the Stars Look Lonesome
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Courage is the attribute upon which all others depend. Without courage, we cannot realize our potential and approach the greatness of the human spirit. Courage, in this context, means the trait in human beings that allows us to persevere in spite of fear and despair, to transcend our boundaries, and to strive, endlessly strive, toward traveling the paths of life (in the words of the I Ching) swiftly, honestly, and valiantly.
Psychologist Rollo May outlines four distinctive kinds of courage:
- Physical courage: the archetype of the American frontier, the explorer, the adventurer, the ability to journey forward in the face of difficult conditions; to triumph in the face of adversity.
- Moral courage: the ability to stand up for our beliefs, to live according to our conscience or inner dictates, and to act with compassion toward the suffering of others; to right wrongs.
- Social courage: the ability to risk ourselves for the sake of meaningful intimacy with others.
- Creative courage: the capacity to risk what is known for the sake of discovering innovative solutions, unique forms, and fresh patterns upon which a new society may be built. To experiment, journey into the unknown and leave behind the habitual formulas and familiar recipes that may have worked in the past - to discover and sustain a fresh response to each moment; the ability to be present.
The word courage has the same roots as the French coeur,meaning heart or the seat of feeling. To be courageous is an act that springs from the heart. Through our feeling nature, we are called to courage; and through courage we are called to create. And through the creative act, we are called toward being and becoming - striving to fulfill own growth and evolution, supporting the welfare of others, and making our contribution to the world of which we are a part and that sustains our very existence. Creative courage begins the journey of discovering our most distinctive human characteristics.
The Second Principle: Right Place, Right Time
Peace and an hours time, given these one creates. Emotional heights are easily attained; peace and time are not.
—Edward Weston, from his Daybooks
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In the creative act, when we are in the flow, all the elements of the process synchronize into what we experience as a unique sense of "rightness." We are here, now, occupying the moment with all of ourselves. Our energies are fully engaged. It is a form of magic, a finely-tuned sorcerer's dance between ourselves and our materials. We could not be anywhere else. This moment, this place vibrates with a resonant intensity.
The quality of such moments depends on our focus, dedication, sensibility, and the accumulation of knowledge and skill that we have attained with our medium. Much is up to us, yet we need help. An essential ingredient of creativity is the discovery of suitable, supportive, and sometimes appropriately challenging conditions. This second principle—right place, right time—refers to the need for coordinating our schedule and environment to correspond with the demands of the creative process. And, it refers back to Socrates' great admonition: "Know thyself." Here the creative process branches into many tributaries; we must find the circumstances that we need, our sources of sustenance and support, our own allies and places of power.
The question is: What works for you? What conditions, challenges, and influences do you need, that bring you closer to an intimate relationship with the creative impulse?
The Third Principle: Deepening Connections
Once we allow mystery, in nature and in our definition of a person, then we discover that our current technological and therapeutic responses are extraordinarily inadequate. We begin to appreciate the role of the arts, not as entertainment, but as servants of deep vision and subtle sensibility. We see the need for piety, an attitude of respect for the vast realm of experience we know little about and can't begin to understand. . . .
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We open to the mystery—to a deepening connection with the current of a vast intelligence that pervades all things. This principle reflects a hierarchy in which we come into relationship with a larger whole, with forces greater than those found within our ordinary lives and mundane selves—but which are available to our experience. Here we are called to the search, to become more deeply related with the core of our being, with other human beings, with the living culture, and with life itself.
It opens many questions and offers few answers:
In what way does a larger perspective, a deeper connection to the sources of life assist in our search for creativity and authentic expression?
Conversely, in what way does creativity help open the doors of perception? How can it function as a pathway toward the awakening of conscience and consciousness?
In what way does creative expression bring us closer to the sacred dimension of life?
What forces are we related to and aligned with; what energies do we come into accord with through the creative act? Can we become conscious participants in the universal movement of creation? Does the creative process follow natural law, on a level and scope much grander than we can imagine?
What is expression of Self, as opposed to self-expression?
How can artists function as agents of change and transformation for their times?
We are not looking for answers. The questions themselves enliven the mind, activate the heart, and sensitize the body’s intelligence. As we approach the questions, they may invite us into greater realms of experience, and help to awaken our search for an ever-deepening flow of creativity and awareness.