Aug/Sep 2020 Aspire Magazine FULL Issue Aug/Sep 2020 Aspire Magazine FULL Issue | Page 23

This is why creativity matters in and of itself:
it is a reflection of you that literally makes you
feel more, well, you. It confirms your place in
the world. It acknowledges your dignity and
your right to exist — and everyone else’s
— simply because you’re alive. Creativity
reminds you that you are worthy in and of
yourself. Therefore, it is the act of being
creative that matters most, not the products
of your creativity, because creativity has
no agenda beyond life affirmation through
connection.
All tangible side effects such as glorious
works of art, inspiring performances, and
brilliant innovations are magnificent blessings
and encouragements. Yet they all spring from
same source: life affirmation. Keep focused
on this primary matter, this first principle, and
your creative process will flourish.
Disconnection is one of the most terrifying
sensations we experience as human beings.
Think of the immediate and intense distress
babies feel when separated from their
parents. When we get disconnected, we
feel horribly unsafe. Disconnection doesn’t
have to be dramatic to have an impact.
Simply feeling set apart from others in
everyday life can trigger extreme anxiety
and depression. Disconnection from our true
selves is perhaps the most frightening of all
when, severed from source energy itself, we
wonder if life has any meaning.
Our survival as human beings depends
on being connected. The reality is, most
of us wouldn’t last more than a few days
alone in the forest. Surviving, let alone
thriving, demands creativity. Humans
are not endowed with protective fangs or
formidable physical strength. We don’t even
run very fast relative to other creatures! Our
“WHEN WE MAKE
OUR MARK ON
SOMETHING
THROUGH CREATIVE
ENGAGEMENT,
WE SEE OUR TRUE
SELVES REFLECTED
BACK.”
– Diana Rowan
superpower is our spectacular creativity. It’s
our adaptability rather than our strength or
intellect alone that has allowed us to survive.
Creativity is by its nature ever changing.
Adapting to the present situation, creativity
then elaborates on it, bringing forth ever
more vital expressions of life force. The
circle of life turns: creativity affirming life, life
sparking creativity.
Our creativity has protected humanity
through millennia of radical change.
Creativity urged us to evolve. If we want to
keep evolving — if we want to further our
individual and collective life force — we must
stay creative. All this points to creativity’s
grandest message: life is worth affirming
and amplifying, because it is the energy of
connection — love — made manifest.
Many types of therapy aim to reconnect us
to the world, to ourselves, to our source.
Astounding breakthroughs can happen when
we reestablish the connections in our lives,
WISDOM & SELF-GROWTH
23