The Act of Creation

I posted a quote from a famous photographer, Gregory Crewdson, on my Facebook page:

"The whole process of making art is an act of faith in a way. This idea that you are going to will something into existence that means something to the larger world...."

I have an old friend who has an artistic soul, he's a musician and a painter, and he replied that his paintings mean nothing to the larger world, that only his mother appreciates them.

Here was my response:

"I wouldn't say that! There was a writer once who said that it was crazy for her to realize that so many of her writings are read without comment or feedback, but appreciated none the less. I bet there are more people touched by your paintings than you know! I have stories like this, so many stories... from "Finding Vivian Maier" a documentary about how a woman's hidden photos touched so many people after her death, to the novelist who thought he wasted four years on an unpublished novel only to learn he had grown as a person from writing it, to me finding my grandfather's travel journals in my parent's basement and suddenly feeling like he was back in the room with me, speaking from those pages. Today I heard a psychologist talking about an encounter with a Mark Rothko painting that changed his life.... I could go on and on...

In fact, I see that "act of faith" in a more profound sense than Crewdson. It's not just the larger world that ascribes meaning. You are actually participating in, or we might say mirroring the act of creation.

The age old philosophical question: why is there something rather than nothing? This question presupposes the act of creation, the necessity of creation, the miracle of creation, the GOOD of creation: and most importantly the PERSONAL nature of creation. The grand question and the local question are not unrelated. Why is there something, for example, on my wall above my couch in my living room rather than nothing? Well, maybe it can be because someone created a painting, and I put it there, that's why!

In the modern age we have reduced everything to that which we see as necessities, as opposed to that which is "superfluous" or "extra." There's an implied order of value, FIRST the roof to keep out the rain, THEN the painting to hang on the wall. But this is just not true. For one thing, talk to any architect and you will quickly realize that utility and aesthetics cannot be separated, all utility choices are also aesthetic, and being creative is just what it means to be human, to be alive, to lean into your design and towards flourishing.

Also, creation isn't just about results: it's also about process. It's about LIVING a creative life just as much as it is about HAVING created.

So keep going! I'm your biggest fan and your biggest cheerleader!