How do you live a creative life? As a former architect and someone actively engaged in the arts, this is not a small question. I was blessed with a curious mind. I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil in my hand and putting things together as long as I can remember. I believe all children come into this world with a curious mind and instinctive need to explore. Hopefully this desire is encouraged in the child, however, with age comes responsibilities and distractions. The dust of everyday life sets in. Being creative requires a conscious effort and initiative; it requires nurture and vigilance. A creative life will look different for everyone. I can only share what “living a creative life” means and looks like to me. I want to share why it’s important to me and not just merely provide a list of activities I do towards that end.
Living a Creative Life is to be actively engaged and exploring. It is becoming aware of our inner and outer worlds, and – with that as grist for the mill – reaching out; to respond; to express and give form to what we have discovered. It is being Mindful of your Environment and Reflecting Back. Many people associate a Creative Life with Making Art; the applied arts such as drawing, painting, sculpture; or the performing arts such as music, dance, theater, to name a few. These are excellent endeavors but I want to expand on what might constitute a Creative Life. I want to make a distinction between a living a Creative Life versus having a hobby that one engages when the time and mood fit. To help illustrate this point I’ll solicit help from the Spanish Cellist, Pablo Casals:
For the last eighty years I have started each day in the same manner. It is not a mechanical routine but something essential to my daily life. I go to the piano, and I play two preludes and fugues of Bach. I cannot think of doing otherwise. It is a sort of benediction on the house.
But that is not its only meaning for me. It is rediscovery of the world of which I have the joy of being a part. It fills me with awareness of the wonder of life, with the feeling of the incredible marvel of being a human being. Each day it is something new, fantastic and unbelievable. That is Bach, like nature, a miracle.
It is that last part (hopefully shown in italics or distinguished in some way…) that I want to emphasize. One does not have to be a great artist to live a Creative Life. One needs to be actively engaged with one’s self and the world around them. This is available to everyone. But it requires a conscious effort, nurture, and vigilance. The great work you do is the Life You Create and share with others.
For the record; I draw, do woodworking, cook, and garden. Someday I hope to learn an instrument.
Raymond Saucillo
Student Ambassadors 