My Favorite Forms of Creative Expression

Many people have many different ways of expressing themselves creatively. I have discovered two methods of personal creative expression that, if asked a few years ago, I would have told you I would NEVER have done. Heck I never even considered myself as creative...I am usually at my most creative when I am tired or frustrated. I realize that sounds odd, but perhaps because I am tired, the mental blocks to creativity are lifted. When I am tired, my brain (which NEVER turns off) tends to free-wheel more and that is when more creativity comes to the surface.

Also, when tired, I am actually too tired to edit the ideas that may come pouring out of my slightly off-kilter brain. It is at times like this I get waves of creativity. The difficult part is trying to harness the creativity and direct it in a productive manner.

One way I LOVE expressing my creativity is in my stone carving. Unfortunately, lately, I have been so tired that I have not had either the time or the energy to carve. When I do carve, though, it focuses my whole being. I am aware of the stone, I can feel the vibration of the stone when striking it with a hammer. If I feel a slacking in creativity, I will pick up a hammer and chisel and start tapping away at various stones I have. These are not random tappings, each stone already has it's design inside, it is the creative mood that chooses which stone is used for that day.

When striking the stone with the hammer and chisel, you feel the vibration from your fingertips up, into your shoulder and throughout your whole body. After carving for a while, you begin to understand how the stone will respond to the various strikes to it. It is at this point that you become aware of how the stone may actually break, even before you make that tap. This is when my creativity is at it's highest. At this point, I have already 'seen' the shape within the stone, now I am letting the stone reveal itself to me. I do not force the stone to do what I want it to do, I am merely being used by the stone, and am the one clearing away all the excess rock to show the beauty that lies within.

My newest expression of creativity is in my writing. I used to write a lot as a child, but got away from creative writing while going through school. Within the last 2 years, I picked up writing again, originally for business purposes, but have been enjoying the creative freedom of writing on a wide variety of subjects. My creative writing is still in its infancy, but since this is a new creative outlet it is exciting to watch where I have been and where I am heading. (Also, it is not as messy and noisy as stone carving....)

Until tomorrow...