It's Not Ours

It's not ours: 

it's helpful to not think of creativity as being ours, or at least not in the way that we normally do, as if it's a quality that should always be present at our command, responsive to our certain needs, and blaming ourselves for times it might falter. Yes, we are creative, it's innate to the very fabric of our existence, it's what we are in essence and through expression. Yet it's not a quality that we own, with some possessing it in finite amounts and others in clear abundance - it's not ours, not exclusively so, it's a gift of simply being alive, a mystery, and always in display in some unique and curious way. But it's also taken for granted through virtue of its constant presence, seldom given notice for the world that it produces, small wonders that we're given such as trees and grass, grand views of mountains, oceans, and the company of others, even our bodies are a gift of true creation, a cooperation of events inspired to show us as alive. Creativity isn't ours as a quality to reach for...

it's what we are. 

many ancient societies believed that creativity wasn't a human virtue, but something given from the gods, prayed for, rituals performed in order to be received. It often seems fickle when reached for, present at times and then vanishing before a particular need. This is shown in Kipling's quote on the creative notion of Daemons, a separate source of inspiration that must be invoked, courted and coaxed for its appearance in our lives - " When your Daemon is in charge, do not try and think consciously. Drift, wait, and obey" It's a lovely quote and one I'm in complete agreement with. But what's best realized is that the Daemon is always in charge, present now, and is actually who we are, not a separate quality, just an aspect of our life, deeply hidden, yet always working through our presence. 

and this is also what we surrender to, our Daemon, creativity itself, giving it free expression without any of our personal demands. We drift within this creative source, waiting only for inspiration to revealed through the pleasure of it's timeline, obeying the sudden whim of its whispered urge for action. This is creativity, it's not ours, not in the sense that we possess it...

it's what are by divine essence. 

and it's always in display. 

~

Peace, Eric