The power of space: How creating sacred spaces fuels creativity and self-discovery
I’m currently enchanted by a book with an irresistible title: The Poetics of Space. Admittedly, I’ve barely begun reading it, but the concept alone has me hooked. I wish I’d come up with that title myself—it perfectly captures something I’ve loved my whole life: spaces.
From an early age, I’ve been drawn to the magic of spaces. My favorite childhood book was The Secret Garden. I adored dollhouses, jewelry boxes, and anything that invited me to create or explore small, magical worlds. At seven, I spent long afternoons bicycling through distant neighborhoods, quietly fascinated by the homes I passed (and occasionally, abandoned ones I ventured into). Walking through their rooms, I imagined the lives of those who had once called them home.
Spaces Help Us Know Ourselves
It’s often said that the Universe created humans to know itself—an idea I believe came from Thomas Berry (and I promise to update this once I confirm the source). But it makes me wonder: what do we create to know ourselves? My answer is simple: we create spaces.
A space could be anything:
- A private journal
- A treehouse
- An art studio
- Time spent wandering new neighborhoods
- A weekly writing ritual
- Or even a literal secret garden
These spaces allow us to dream and imagine, pulling us beyond surface ideas and habitual thoughts into a deeper realm of possibility. When we intentionally create these spaces, we invoke something sacred—something worthy of respect, as Parker Palmer might say. These spaces become fertile ground for creativity.
Studying Space Instead of Creativity
I’ve often thought about teaching an academic course on the concept of space. It ties directly to my work with metaphor, which also creates spaces for deeper understanding.
Here’s why I think space matters more than directly studying creativity: creativity is elusive. When you try to pin it down, it vanishes. It’s ethereal, intangible, and nearly impossible to analyze head-on. But if you study the structure—the space where creativity lives—you get closer to the heart of the matter. By examining space, we uncover insights about creativity, self-discovery, and human potential in a much more tangible way.
