Eight Essentials for a Creative Life.
1. flexibility
2. the ability to play
3. sensitivity to beauty
4. openness to experience
5. a willingness to be confused
6. an internal locus of evaluation
7. an inclination to let curiosity lead the way
8. the ability to hold opposing ideas in mind at the same time
inspired by Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person
My favorite quote for today from Cornelius Castoriadis (a Greek-French philosopher and psychologist who died in 1997). What is most human is not rationalism but the uncontrolled and incontrollable continuous surge of creative radical imagination in and through the flux of representation, affects and desires. My thoughts exactly.
Help us to be always hopeful gardeners of the spirit Who know that without darkness Nothing comes to birth As without light nothing flowers. -May Sarton
Principles of Getting Messy: Teaching and learning are courageous. They take us into unknown places with unknown outcomes. Being a learner (letting yourself get messy) is what encourages creative insight to happen. There’s always possibility under the surface. It’s just that you need a certain way of looking to see it. From Getting Messy: A…
I had a disagreement with an old friend recently about whether the images and metaphors that show up in our subconscious are “real.” I believe, just like with dreams, that when images and metaphors show up in our lives, they have something to teach us and I don’t think my friend would argue with that….
No matter how much we push, intend and effort, it’s clear that we don’t often have all the answers that we seek. But Something else does. We humans are brilliant when we’re aligned with Something greater than ourselves. We don’t get breakthroughs by thinking harder or better. We get breakthroughs when we open spaces we…
I adore Top Chef. I have no idea what fois gras is or why anyone would want to eat a meal of molecular gastronomy, but regardless, I think the show offers some very helpful tips for any creative genre. (Beside, where else can one hear such phrases as “exhibit balance” and “show restraint”?) Here are…