We Live, Therefore We Create
Creation is a natural product of being.
Whether we intend to or not, we create. We create conversations, situations, and we create the framework of our lives. Within the bigger picture, we are still creating. Everyday, we create looks for ourselves. Fashion. We create environments. Design. We create and invoke emotions. Relationships. Everyday, we leave behind things we make.
We are makers.
We make moments. We make decisions. We make ourselves. To be responsible makers, we must be intentional. We must be willing to acknowledge that in which we are creating and have the power to create. We must take initiative. We must create on purpose. With purpose.
As a creator, I vow to use every aspect of my life to create intentionally. I want to respect the ideal of creation and pay it due honor. My life will be my art. I will create on purpose.
This is my creative manifesto, inspired by Matt Appling's quote in Life After Art, "You will be creating for the rest of your life. You might as well do it on purpose." It is vital to realize that creation is inevitable. Even if someone claims to not be creative, they are still creating. It may not be according to the traditional arts that are associated with creation, but it is creation nonetheless. Once that is realized, we are responsible for what we create. Life becomes so much more than menial decisions, routine, and comfort zones. When we use our decisions to go beyond those routines and comfort zones, we create purpose for ourselves and others. We start living artfully. That is perhaps the first and most important step to creativity. It isn't about having a moment of genius inspiration followed by a chaotic undertaking to create something grand and beautiful. It's about taking mindful steps towards a more wholistic creativity. It's acknowledging that the way you spend your first moments awake will affect the rest of your day. It's deciding to take control of your emotions because of the way they effect you and others. It's choosing to use your time productively. It's choosing what productivity looks like for you. All of these things add up to intentional living and creating art in your life. Each day is an opportunity to create. More than that, each day is a guarantee of creation. Therefore, hold yourself accountable to that which you create.
"We express our being by creating. Creativity is a necessary sequel to being." - Rollo May
Written in 2018