HARRY KILLBUCK (From ,Notes from the Edge, Copyright.@LaurenStaton)
Creativity is energy hard to confine. When this happens and there is no positive outlet, it becomes corrupt. Creativity will manifest itself in other ways. Starting with frustration and leading to despair, it lashes out. The mind will look for other ways to fulfil and satisfy what it needs. When it is denied, the person will look for another way to let off steam. Alcohol, addictive drugs, the ability to not care, the self becomes selfish. The person lost. Take away the mountain that needs to be climbed and the ground becomes flat, the challenge disappears along with all purpose.
“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong
”Joseph Chilton Pearce.
I am not creative,
Words I would hear constantly back in the days when I was teaching face painting and running courses. I would disagree. Creativity runs through us all. Think of it as a muscle that needs to be strengthens. If you can write your name, you can hold a pencil, If you can hold a pencil, you can hold a paintbrush. It starts with technique.
Teaching thousands of people to paint faces, I never had one person who simply could not do it when simply given the technique. Putting colours together and seeing what happens, often magic appears and wow! creative juices are allowed to flow, to the amazement of the students.
There is no right or wrong. This is why I love writing poetry. You say simply what you feel and if it comes out a little strange then possibly that is what it is meant to be.
Art is like that too.
Whilst staying at the retreat in Campello, I decided to give myself some creativity time. I had been to see some caves and wanted to paint something prehistoric, There were images building in my head. Walking through the tufts of long grass close to he retreat were fuelling the colours in my head.
When you paint in an abstract style you never know quite, what is going to happen on the canvass. I didn’t really mind. I am so chilled following a Yoga Nidra class, any inhibitions had flown out the window. There is no anger or stress to be painted here.
Opening up your creativity is sharing a piece of you with the world. People often say it is a gift that you have, I see it more as a gift that you are giving. There is so much beauty inside of us and creativity is one way of letting it out.
When I wrote about Harry Killbuck, I learned how difficult life was for him, when his burning desire to create was suppressed. The poor wretched soul had so much to give, however it was not allowed to be received. He turned to a life of crime and destitution. This has been seen throughout history, stories of artists, living tragic lives, never recognised, until years after their deaths. Creativity is so important but often linked to the fear of not having an artistic streak. It stops us seeing and being aware of what is around us. Look at nature and how she gives us colour, look a bit deeper and notice the shadows and the tones, look at the light, look at shapes. Just look at it all. Blocking what you see can be stressful. Connecting with it, opens another level of existence.
Watching my students, when painting their first faces, they were leaning the basic techniques, by their second and third attempts, I could notice their body language change as they relaxed. Their confidence grew as they started to experiment. The smile from a child as they looked into a mirror confirmed that magic of creativity was at work here. The artist was pleased with herself, they felt good. It was a simple process.
When you watch a child create, they have no fear. They paint a house and ask very few questions. They just paint what they see in their heads.
I finished my painting and felt at peace, there was no cave painting, but it did not matter, The colours took me somewhere else. I have already given it away and hopefully it will hang somewhere where it will fit in and convey something nice.
Love to hear your thoughts on this, please leave a comment and have a lovely creative day.
