The Need to Create

Inspiration

I absolutely love it when an artistic or creative idea comes to mind. I never really considered myself a very creative person growing up, but I was also very lost. Lost in society and in knowing who and whose I was. There wasn’t much that inspired me, but now inspiration comes often.

As a Christian, I believe that humanity has been made in the image and likeness of God. So then, if we have been made in His image and He is the creator of the heavens and Earth, then that means we have an amazing ability to create. I would even go as far to say that we have a need to create.

Edith Schaeffer said, “Encouraged, we recognize the importance of living artistically, aesthetically and creatively as creative creatures of the creator.”

Francis Shaeffer said, “Art is a reflection of God’s creativity, an evidence that we are made in the image of God.”

Vida Dutton Scudder said, “Creation is a better means of self-expression than possession; it is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed.

How do you like to express yourself creatively? Where does your inspiration come from?

Security

Security – Poem on mixed media

One of the definitions of security is “feeling safe, stable, and free from fear or anxiety.”

How secure are you in who you are? I used to be very insecure. A lot of that came out of my childhood, and living with an alcoholic father that I feared constantly.

Today though, I am secure. I have a great husband and two beautiful children that are healthy and happy. I live in a warm sunny place that does wonders for the serotonin levels in my brain. I have a roof over my head, friends and faith. I also have purpose and peace in my heart.

Even though I am no longer a spring chicken, and the days of my youth have passed, I’m ok with that. No problem at all. My security and contentment do not rest in what others make of me. My importance isn’t in how I look or what I can do. It lies in something far deeper than passing things. It lies in something eternal.

Do you struggle with insecurity? Are you content with who you are? Where does your worth and security lie?

You Inspire Me

You Inspire Me – Poem on Oil

I love to create. I believe we were made to create. It’s like a driving force within. There’s a certain high that comes with creating something. The inspiration high.

I am a huge fan of the Ted Talks. There’s this one I’ve watched a couple of times by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. She spoke about creativity and how it could be divinely inspired. She shared the following:

In ancient Greece and ancient Rome people did not happen to believe that creativity came from human beings back then. People believed that creativity was this divine attendant spirit that came to human beings from some distant and unknowable source for distant and unknowable reasons. The Greeks famously called these divine attendant spirits of creativity ‘Daemons’. Socrates famously believed that he had a Daemon who spoke to him from afar. The Romans had the same idea but they called that sort of disembodied spirit a ‘Genius’, which was great because the Romans did not actually think that a genius was a particularly clever individual. They believed that a genius was this sort of magical divine entity who was believed to literally live in the walls of an artist’s studio … and who would come out and invisibly assist the artist with their work and who would shape the outcome of that work (source).

Now I don’t believe that there are genius’ in the walls, but I do believe that creativity and inspiration can be divine and is something that has been carved – breathed – into each of us. Like I mentioned in a past post, we all have an impulse to create. It’s in our veins.

Do you love to create? Do you believe that we were made to create? Where do you think creativity and inspiration comes from?

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The above poem is one that I wrote some time ago. I wanted to embed it into an original art piece, because in the past I had it embedded in a photograph. I’m not completely happy about the way the painting turned out, but I guess that’s all part of the learning process.

Please forgive me if I’ve been a little distant lately. I have been quite busy. I will be around very soon though ok. 🙂 ❤

Made to Create

Made to Create – Loop poem on mixed media

Why is it that human beings are so creative? We have imaginations and an ability to create that separates us from all other species.

“According to Marc Hauser, ‘mounting evidence indicates that, in contrast to Darwin’s theory of a continuity of mind between humans and other species, a profound gap separates our intellect from the animal kind.’ (source: live science.com)

Another article from livescience.com says, “Without a doubt, the human trait that sets us apart the most from the animal kingdom is our extraordinary brain… …the ability to reason and think on our feet beyond the capabilities of the rest of the animal kingdom, and provided the works of Mozart, Einstein and many other geniuses.” (source)

As a Christian, I believe that we were created by a creative God, and we were created in His image. Out of my intimacy with God I create, and my creations are a response to what He reveals to me.

Gotquestions.org says, “Mentally, man was created as a rational, volitional agent. In other words, man can reason and man can choose. This is a reflection of God’s intellect and freedom. Anytime someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a landscape, enjoys a symphony, calculates a sum, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming the fact that we are made in God’s image.” (source: gotquestions.org)

Michael Card says in his book, ‘Scribbling in the Sand: Christ and creativity‘ –“God is an artist and he is beautiful. He has woven his image into the fabric of our lives, which explains our drive to create things which are beyond us and which we don’t always understand.”

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Why do you think human beings are so creative?

The first comment has a Youtube video by Michael Card called, “The poem of Your Life.”

 

Identity

Identity:

• The condition of being oneself, and not another
• Condition or character as to who a person is
• The set of behavioural or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable
• the fact of being who or what a person or thing is
• Characteristics, definition, defining oneself

Thinking back to how I used to be, and pondering all of what I’ve gone through, I consider myself nothing less than a miracle. The need for the sense of identity is very important to human beings, both on an individual and social level. My identity was so lost and confused in the past, but God has brought me through so much.

I love the passage in the Bible where God calls a prophet to choose a new King. The prophet went to the house of a certain man who had seven sons. When he saw the biggest and strongest son, he thought definitely he was to be the new king. God told him ‘no’. In fact, the answer was no for every one of the sons that this man had presented to the prophet. He then asked the man if he had any other sons, and he said that there was one more, but he was out in the fields tending the sheep. A very humble position at best, for that day and age. When the prophet saw this son, right then and there God said, “That’s the one”. God wasn’t looking at his outer appearance. He was looking at his heart. I love that.

Today, I am comfortable in my own skin. I am sure of my identity, and of what is expected of me. I know that what really matters is how God sees me, and He knows my heart. And He should. His finger prints can be found all over it.

Where, or in what do find your identity? Are you comfortable in your own skin, and secure in who you are as an individual and within a group?

Swing on a Star

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have been invited by Geralyn, from Where My Feet Are, Sibella, from Arts & Rhymes, Himali, from Decoding Happiness, Sagarika, from In Depth, and Christina, from The Wordy Rose to participate in a ‘3 quotes/3 days challenge. I don’t think I’ll be able to do this consecutively, but I will get all three out sooner or later 🙂 (this is post #2)

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I’m a huge fan of being counter-culture (I touched on this a bit in a past post here). I want to be who I am meant to be. Not what society says I should be. Not what others say or think I should be. Not trying to live up to the expectations of others.

I used to be really insecure and my self-esteem was sooooo low. I remember when I was a teenager trying to decide what kind of ‘style’ I wanted to ‘be’. What for? Why not just wear what looks good on you, and what you like on yourself? Why not just do what you were made to do? Why not just be who you were made to be? Why not be an original, and not a copy of someone else?

How about you? Do you try to live up to the expectations of others? Have you tried to be someone you’re not? If so, why? Are you comfortable and secure in who you are? Are you living that out?

Music and Stars

I have taken the plunge and decided to do a mixed media art course online. This is the first art piece, which is actually the warm-up, where there was an introduction to colors and the color wheel. It’s just meant to be an intuitive piece and the words I came up with as my message to this piece are written within the hearts, “My heart is hidden away with you. You rejoice over me with singing.” Part of this comes from the Bible verse, “He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will renew you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” I love this verse. It makes me think about how God’s love for me is not far off and based on religious rituals, but He feels for me as an Earthly parent would feel for their young child.

A Human Being

“We know artists by their most important creations” –Kurt Bruner at thriving family.com

Human beings are such amazing creatures, don’t you think? There is something special about being human. Something unique. Something that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom, and all creation. I think people instinctively know and believe that. We speak, blush, have compassion, wear clothing, have a spirit, appreciate beauty, have very fine hair, walk upright, understand time, live long childhoods, know the difference between right and wrong, and are self-conscious.

Here are a few interesting things I found online about the difference between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom.

“Without a doubt, the human trait that sets us apart the most from the animal kingdom is our extraordinary brain. Humans don’t have the largest brains in the world… …Yet the human brain, weighing only about 3 pounds when fully grown, give us the ability to reason and think on our feet beyond the capabilities of the rest of the animal kingdom, and provided the works of Mozart, Einstein and many other geniuses.”  —livescience.com

“Animals sing. So do we, but we make it into music.
Animals breed. So do we, but we also make it into love..
Animals kill. So do we, but we try to feel remorse.” (source)

Do you think humans are unique? If so, why?

Like A Child (mixed media and kyrielle)

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” –Mark 10:15

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It must be the time of year, but I’ve been feeling so uninspired and blah. In Brazil we are heading into our winter, and although it’s often sunny, the temperatures have cooled considerably. One of my more recent posts touched on how my body reacts to climate changes. I get down and depressed.

I wrote the above poem and created the mixed-media piece thinking about how simple and trusting my faith used to be. Little children don’t worry about their lives. They are completely dependent on their parents for everything. A place to live, food to eat, an education, protection from harm. Little children don’t even think of these things. I believe that that’s how I need to be before God. I may be an adult with responsibilities, but if I don’t trust him like a child does their parents, it is so easy to try and do things on my own. When that happens, I am prey to worry, anxiety, fear and uncertainty.

I have seen God do some pretty amazing things in my life. Prayers have been answered and much healing has taken place in my heart and soul. All of my needs have been met, despite the lack of finances, and I believe that they will always be met by Him. I have found meaning and purpose, safety and security, provision and abundance. Yes, I think I will continuously seek to have the faith of a child.

What do you put your trust in?

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A Kyrielle is a french poetry form and the rules are as follows:

Four line stanzas (quatrains)

Each line eight syllables long

The first two lines in each stanza rhyme.

The last two lines in each stanza rhyme are the same. Like a repeating refrain

aabb/ccbb/ddbb/eebb

There is not limit to the amount of stanzas.

For more on the Kyrielle, click here.

A Child’s Faith Poem, by Staci Lys

Take Me Deeper

My word for 2015 is ‘CREATE’. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you already know that ‘create’ has been a strong word in my life for the past couple of months. I really want to do it all: poetry, song writing, photography, mixed-media art, design, etc. I have joined a new on-line faith-based community called ‘His Kingdom Come‘, and am excited about growing in various art forms. I have been asked to be the lead moderator for the poetry group, which will allow me to continuously challenge myself to grow and produce quality content.

The above photo is the journal cover I created for this journal. The girl is also wearing black shoes, but you can’t see them here. I haven’t completely finished it yet, but will work on it here and there. I hope to have a book full of creative works that I have produced by the end of the year.

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? Do you have a word that is strong on your heart for 2015?

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Just a quick note to say that I will be sooooo busy until mid-March. My family and I are moving from north-east Brazil to the south-east, so we will be packing up all week. Then we will take a mini-vacation to the beach in Porto Seguro, just to come back and prepare to move. Apart from all this, I will also be starting to home school our oldest, who has Asperger’s syndrome (school year starts in February here) and will be unable to read or comment much. Then my mom is coming from Canada for a month in February. If you write me a comment (and I loooooovvvvveeee your comments) I will reply, but it may take me some time.