Creating from the spirit
Subtitle: living each day as a creative act
By: Dan Wakefield.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 1996
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 321
Subjects: Creative thinking; Creative ability
Description: Wakefield explodes the many myths often associated with the mysterious creative process: that creativity is only for the artistic elite, that women's work is less creative than men's, and that to be creative means one must be tormented, alienated, neurotic, irresponsible, and a failure at relationships. The truth is that many of us are blocked by low self-esteem, unrealistic expectations, stultifying routine, or the double demons of money and artistic standing - we compartmentalize our lives into the "creative" and the "commonplace".

Drawing on examples from religion, philosophy, and literature, and exercises such as journaling and right-brain drawing, Creating from the Spirit teaches us that the key to creation is clarity of body, mind, and spirit. This book challenges the "dangerous nirvanas" of drug and alcohol as false agents of inspiration, examines the stereotype of tortured artists like Dylan Thomas, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jackson Pollock, and Kurt Cobain, and contrasts them with portraits of fulfilled and healthy creators, such as Toni Morrison, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Michael Jordan, and Hildegarde of Bingen. Creating from the Spirit guides us into the art of "emptying" ourselves of the incessant chatter that deadens both senses and soul. It teaches us the wisdom of "filling up" by accessing our natural perceptions and hidden creative resources. This cycle is brilliantly expressed in the lives and words of twenty "creators of the spirit" - from artists and writers to scientists and athletes, to CEOs and chefs - who have learned to embrace each moment as a creative act.
Notes: Includes index.