Kelly Gibbons, artist and writer, about me

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Yesterday I had to go to a seminar for work, and the one thing that stuck with me the most was what the speaker said about creativity. She was an expert in trauma and she talked about the importance of creativity. It is a huge part of self healing and she said it is critical to the survival of mankind. She pointed out that not one culture in history has ever not used the creative arts. Think about that, not one culture ever. She said that creativity is part of our evolutionary nature. It is part of our makeup. We are born creative, everyone of us. When we are not being creative we are not functioning properly.

She also talked about how almost every patient who is asked to draw, paint, or write resists doing it. The typical response is, "I'm not good at that, I can't do it." Why? Because, someone along the way let them believe that they could not do it. Once they started, they realized that they were great at it.

I have also responded this way, many, many times. I know a lot of people who have. It's time for all of us to stop doing this. We need to create and be creative to be happy. It is that simple. We all need to remember that it is part of us, and that no matter how much we resist, or give in to doubt and fear, it will not go away.

Personally, I know this is true. I always feel better when I make the time to write or paint. I have brought myself out of really bad moods by picking up a pencil or a paint brush. The simple act of creating something really does make me feel better. Every single time I have doubted myself, as an artist or writer, I cured myself by creating something.

My suggestion: To be happy you must create, so go create something wonderful right now.

posted by Kelly @ 9/28/2004 04:44:00 PM

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