Saturday, September 22, 2012

Signs and Guideposts for the Creative Life

Howard Thurman suggests, "Don't ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive and do that.  Because what the world needs is more people who've come alive."

And Fred Buechner states this in a slightly different way: your vocation is "the place where your deep gladness meets the world's great need."

We are programmed from an early age to consider certain things more noble than others.  And if we are "good", we try to meet others' and our own expectations, trying to fit into those ideas.  It then often takes some failures, perhaps depressions, to kick us in the butt, make us examine our lives and what we want out of them.

Are you still struggling to fit into a mold that is not meant for you?  How might you engage your creativity to let your true self emerge?  How will that change your life?  How might it affect the world around you?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I think if I knew graduating high school what I knew now, my life would have taken a different direction. Back then I was trying to fit into a mold that I thought would guarantee success but not so much now. I definitely held in a lot of my creativity and try to focus on studying Business - which I think brings a nice balance to my "creative job" now. :)

becky nielsen said...

having a business background is sure an advantage to marketing your work! so many artists find that the most difficult aspect! when I talked to Heidi at Art Riot she said she started out in art, but found that she actually liked the business aspect more, once she got into it. that's unusual! but it is great for those of us who work with her!