Creativity can fester. The same way vegetables left too long in the fridge turn mushy and mouldy and rancid, creativity, left unused, festers in the internal organs and begins to feed on the flesh of your sanity.
The creative urge is the pulse of God and it must find a doorway to the outer world. If it cannot find this doorway, which is to say if you, as the vehicle, do not make time and space to give it a doorway, it will have no choice but to burrow downward into your belly, or upward into your brain, where it will wreak havoc with your life.
With each passing day that you deny the creative impulse within you, all of life becomes increasingly troublesome. You find you cannot sleep. You argue with your love. You cannot focus on a single practical matter. You are constantly irritated, agitated and on a very short fuse.
Finally, when you realise that you can no longer even fully breathe, you sit down and do what you should have done long ago. You coax that festering creativity back upwards from your belly or back downwards from your brain, back to where it originated, in your heart.
Once there, you do whatever must be done to make a doorway and finally swing that doorway open, releasing the creative spark into the blue sky and fresh air of the outer world.
Artists don’t create because it is a nice thing to do. Artists create to save themselves from the toxic fumes of rotting creativity. They create to stay alive.
Love and courage,
Leah
Hi Leah,
Oh I’m so sorry to hear about your bathroom roomates! That’s not good at all and I’m not surprised it gets you down. I hope you can hold on to the fact that it will get sorted in time and I think it’s amazing you’re planning to look after the house as you are, it is a long, hard road though and I’m sure will feel like wading through treacle.
I agree with festering creativity! It’s always there wanting to come out. Sometimes it can’t because I’m just not in the right frame of mind or I don’t have time. But I can feel it there, biding it’s time, making me itch occasionally.
Stay strong Leah, there are better times, and dry bathrooms ahead, I feel it in my itchy, creative bones!
Loads of love and warmth.
Sarah
Hello Sarah, so lovely to hear from you and feel you here with me in my moment of cold need – thank you! You are right, of course, that it will get sorted in time, and spring is on its way. By next winter, with a little luck, the dry bathroom you feel in those itchy, creative bones of yours will be a reality! Yes, the creativity is always there, pushing for a way out, waiting for us to give it life! Sending lots of love to you too sweet soul. xx
Greetings Leah, always a pleasure to see your name in the inbox. You know one of your creative gifts is just nailing it every time, it’s kind of marvellous and simultaneously
disturbing, fortunately I like this type of disturbance.
You’re right, whether it’s stifling ones creative urges or just in any way nor being true to yourself, the body never lies. You will suffer in a myriad of ways, and you won’t recover properly from things you used to brush off routinely.
This is how it is for me.
In my case having turned 60 my identity is primarily derived from poor health and fatigue, most likely as long as I keep working that probably won’t change.
So much of who we think we are really comes from what seems like free energy, particularly the energy of youth.
When that starts to dwindle, so does everything else, the best antidote to that is to live the life you want, even if that only means getting rid of all the negative rubbish.
And then just to exist simply, I’d settle for that in a heartbeat.
When a young boy I lived in a very old house,I remember cold rooms and condensation, it was only the kitchen that ever seemed to be warm.
It was in Halden forest, sadly gone now.
That’s the house, not the forest.
Hope your DIY doesn’t get too stressful even if there never seems an end to it,warm regards to you.
“So much of who we think we are really comes from what seems like free energy, particularly the energy of youth.” This feels so wise and true and touches on something inside me I can’t quite put to words right now. I loved hearing about the old house you lived in as a boy, which reminded me of some of the stories my parents have told me about their time growing up – it is always good to remember the luxury many of us live in today compared to even a generation ago. I’m sorry to hear that house is gone now though. Thank you as always for reading, Geoff, and I’m glad to know the emails are a good sort of disturbance in your day 🙂
As my wife’s health has deteriorated with advanced breast cancer, I have become her full time carer 24/7. Despite that most days I get little breaks where I pick up my guitar and find a chord sequence. I put this on a loop then go hunting for melodies. Once I have the ideas I record them on Logic Pro and embellish with synths, percussion etc. This creativity is my excitement, it keeps me positive, upbeat. Sometimes I feel tired. I could go for a nap but more often than not 30 mins creative work is enough to re-energise me.
My wife is a composer. During the last 2years despite lockdown and cancer she has composed (in my humble opinion) three pieces which are her best yet.
You are so right with this blog. Creativity is our lifeblood
Tears reading of your wife’s health, dear Mike, and for the beautiful commitment you have to one another. It is wonderful to think of you picking up your guitar and creating music and how it re-energises you. What a gift music is! And your wife, I can only imagine the magic of the pieces she has composed these last two years. Creativity is indeed our lifeblood. Sending much love to you both on your continued journey together.
Your each and every words, statements make sense to me. It’s impacting on me. I feel overwhelmed to receive your write up. Thanks dear!
Sending warm hugs on your way…
Much love and affection
Bless you, Indira! Your warmth fills me up. Thank you so much! Sending lots of love.
Thank you so much Leah for sharing your thoughts. Your messages always shine right through all the clouds clogging up my head and get me back onto a better path. I’m sure if the warmth your messages generate could be funnelled into your bathroom you’d be toasty.
Oh, what a lovely thought to think Nigel – thank you! I am so grateful for your presence.
Hi, Leah, love your thoughts on creativity. When Maria Popova’s piece arrived today I automatically thought of you. Don’t know if I can forward to you, but I will try. Maybe you already get her beautiful offerings. Anyway, I will try. And I’m sending you love and warmth. I would be having a very hard time with walls dripping moisture for the slugs. Oh, dear!
https://www.themarginalian.org/2022/01/20/nick-cave-creativity/?mc_cid=29b928a8dc&mc_eid=6d3ccfa254
Thank you, Cate! I’m glad you to know you enjoyed this and very much appreciate the love and warmth. Amazingly, after putting out my request for warmth on Friday, the weather warmed up somewhat so I think my readers are miracle-makers 🙂 I don’t get Maria’s emails, but know of her utterly beautiful work and the light she shines, of course.