Creativity

By Abel Merawi

September 24, 2020 (Ezega.com) – Let me give you the pleasure of living the life of an imaginary writer. She is sitting in a room filled with the sound of silence. In solitude, she struggles with her inner world, seemingly lost in the outer world. In this state of being, there is transcendence of immediate reality in a struggle to create the future. She is oblivious to the daily struggles of ordinary people. As the rest of us continue to be victims of circumstance, this writer is waging the noble war for humanity. Her pencil and paper work in unison to create order out of chaos. Make no mistake in assuming you have neglected life; it is rather her seriousness that leads her down this path. The path he travels is full of the unknown, but it is this very path that recreates and reshapes the world. Anxiety overpowers her, as every word she prints on paper creates new possibilities. There are hesitations and long pauses whenever you feel the weight of uncertainty. However, she pursues her vision by humbly accepting the possibility that she is wrong. The fight is completely personal, but the result is universal. Every visionary and creative person from all walks of life, throughout history, manifests in our imaginary writer.

Creativity is more of an experience than an object to define. By defining it we tend to limit it. Think of a mother’s love for his child. This love is experienced in every little gesture and act of the mother. The philosopher of ethics may endeavor to define this kind of love, but in the process he limits and distorts it. The same goes for creativity, which is more of an experience than a definition. Therefore, we will proceed by showing the characteristics of the creativity instead of its definition. Let’s start by relating creativity to courage.

As the famous adage goes, courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to carry on despite it. So what is creative courage? Rollo May in his work ‘The Courage to Create’ provides us with the following observation. He maintains that creative courage is “the discovery of new forms, new symbols, new patterns on which a new society can be built.” Let’s discuss this concept for a moment. What the creative or the artist does is, fundamentally, discover new possibilities. The word discover fits more in this context than create because it is not something completely new that the artist brings to life. It is a discovery because what was created is a new way of understanding the world. We perceive the world subjectively and collectively through ‘shapes, symbols and patterns’ and this is the real work of the artist. The outside world is truly chaotic, and it is up to the creatives to mold them into a new pattern. It is a reordering of the old pattern, giving rise to a new perspective.

This is the daring task creatives take on. So why do they do it? I think they get the highest form of work from him. Rollo May further argues: “In whatever sphere we are in, there is deep joy in realizing that we are helping to form the fabric of the new world.” First of all, creativity is not just given to artists; Every profession needs an artist to develop rather than simply grow in proportion. All genuine progress in the economic, political and social life of people is attributed to the work of creatives.

It is common to find people who perceive artists as carefree and misfits of society. When we imagine an artist, the image of an isolated and tough-looking individual often comes to mind, who has stopped caring about the real world. This misunderstanding is born when we ignore the anxiety and burden of the artist. The task of creation is too heavy for such people to engage in the common buffoonery of the rest of us. The creative faces deep anxiety and fear that emanates from breaking previous realities and creating new ones. Rollo May argues that anxiety arises when creativity “broke my previous hypothesis” and “shook my relationship between the self and the world.” He goes on to say, “At a time like this, I find myself having to search for a new base, the existence of which I still do not know. In the end, this anxiety leads to deep joy when the work is completed and becomes part of reality.

In the creative process, a balance must be maintained between solitude and solidarity. The artist must seek solitude and a moment of pause for reflection. This lonely existence is not hatred of social life but absolute love for humanity. In the life of every religious prophet, we see the prophet abandoning the people and temporarily leading the life of a hermit. This time is dedicated to meditation and holistic understanding of reality. Only with this momentous vision does the prophet return to the village and quench his thirst for wisdom. The same is the reality of scientists, writers, painters and all kinds of creative people. From there alone arises a new understanding that shakes the foundations of the old.

When the old system is questioned by the new reality presented by the creative, it is common for institutional people to become its enemy. Rollo May expressed it eloquently, stating: “Just as the poet is a threat to conformity, he is also a constant threat to political dictators. The assembly line of political power is always about to blow up ”. It is no wonder that artists are always susceptible to harassment and persecution from any tyrant and dictator in the world. The artist exposes his propaganda and creates alternative realities. But we need these people for our society to develop and improve.

Most systems require conformists and collective followers. This is accomplished in our modern world, as most people fear isolation. People want to be part of something and will deny their belief in order to gain acceptance from the population. They are afraid to think that it is the fundamental element of our species. Blaise Pascal in his book ‘Human Happiness’ argues: “Certainly I can imagine a man without hands, without feet … But I cannot imagine a man without thought; it would be a stone or an animal. “In truth, to abandon individuality is to abandon the human element.

As a final thought, I hold that the creative is also the rebel, and the rebel becomes the savior of humanity. Rollo May argues: “Remember how often in human history the saint and the rebel have been the same person. Socrates was a rebel and was sentenced to drink hemlock. Jesus was a rebel and was crucified for it. ” But the fear of death is less in the visionary and creative. Death is a fact of life and fear of it should not prevent us from living a dignified life. In the process of creation, the artist transcends and triumphs over death. As the poet Dylan Thomas says:

“Don’t go gently into that good night,
Rage, rage against the death of the light. “

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Abel merawi is an Addis Abeba contributor for Ezega.com. You can contact him through this form.

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