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When I was four I went to an art class and was told to draw a circle. My circle sucked, the crayola shape resembling a pear very unlike the teachers' beautiful round shape glowing in adult perfection on the board. Being four, I mistook poor craft for a lack of creativity and -right there in class - added "uncreative" to my self-definition. In all honesty, maybe I was right. Perhaps a truly creative child would have just pushed through, bravely allowing her creativity to explore itself despite an apparent lack of hand-eye-coordination. What might that pear have become if I'd seen it as creative opportunity instead of poor craftsmanship?
It's not just your average four year old that confuses good craft (i.e., skillful manipulation of thoughts, materials and muscles) with creative inspiration (i.e., that unique, highly personal perspective that gives birth to something fresh). Craft and creativity are so closely entwined that the distinction may be pragmatically pointless, for creative inspiration without some level of craft to express it (so others can enjoy it) is only interesting potential and craft without the creative spark is merely manufacturing.

I find the tension in the concepts interesting as I (finally!) follow the creative urge that I put aside so young. I enjoy eschewing craft in favor of creativity quite often - choosing to struggle through problem-solving some jewelry design concept instead of taking a class which would speed my learning curve (though, frankly, schedule constraints factor in as well). To me, I find the problem-solving itself is very much part of the creative process, the experimentation and failure good practice for my craft and my life. I'm the same way with writing, choosing to learn by doing. I suppose if I had designs on either jewelry or writing as a profession, I would invest more in developing my crafty skills, but for now at least I am working on self-expressive growth and a wherever possible creating a source of joy for myself, and hopefully for others here and there.

Where I don't find the tension between craft and creativity very interesting is in my consumer life where I see so much craft disguised as creativity. Walk into any store - home goods, clothing, office supplies, groceries - and the design that now passes for "upper middle class desirable stuff to spend your credit on" is highly manufactured and the design concepts narrowly bounded to appeal to the lowest common denominator target market. Pop radio, TV and movies are the same way. In my day job, I do a lot of marketing so I really get the economics of this, but personally, the older I get the more I find it boring (which doesn’t mean I don’t consume it.) Contrast this with my average stroll through a craft fair or Etsy , which is delightful exploration of people's creative visions and crafty skills (see Roz's pears for the kind of delight you're likely to stumble upon). I am so grateful to the Internet for resuscitating the niche markets in the highest common denominator zone and making them economically viable.

I haven't mentioned Art yet because to me Art is altogether different than either craft or creativity, while building upon them both. Craft and creativity come out of human beings as unique individuals; they are expressions of our personality, tastes, abilities and unique ways of looking at the world; but Art... Art is something whole and complete to itself,something with a gift for us, the ability to evoke an emotion or perspective (sometimes pleasant, sometimes not) that makes us perceive the world a little differently. To me, a work of Art - great or small -has its own spirit which chooses a human (sometimes a professional Artist, sometimes not) to birth it into this world. The human Artist is its channel from wherever it existed before into a form of being that other humans can perceive. Artists use their own creativity to let the spirit capture them and to fall in love with it - which is ultimately the Artist's greatest skill - to fall in love with the spirit seeking entry to our world and to journey with it, helping refine its expression through craft so others can perceive its gifts. Often being in love with an artistic spirit is a messy process, one that requires faith and perseverance with no guarantee of success and often no knowledge of the impact their dance with spirit has on others. Those who pursue the artistic path are some of the most courageous people I know. They have the guts to listen to what is not seen, heard or perceived (yet) by others and let it carry them away, sometimes to dead ends, but often to amazing places.

In case you've ever been visited by an artistic spirit who made you question your sanity, you'll enjoy writer Elizabeth Gilbert’s take on the spirit that lives in the walls of her house.



Because the ultimate experience of Art - that emotion or perspective which is evoked in the observer - is personal and internal, Art will always be debated. And the creative process that brings that spirit into being is equally mysterious, but in its mysteriousness is the very thing that sets it apart from both craft and creativity.

On my own journey, despite having detected some spirited whispers here and there, I have decided to focus on learning to work for the moment with creativity, weaving it into everything I do and exploring its potential through the - sometimes awkward - development of craft. I find that opening myself to creativity improves my relationships, helps me find more fulfilling work and generally makes me a happier person. So far no downside.

But I still hold out a small hope. I hope that at least once in my lifetime I will be lucky enough for a spirit to find me a useful vehicle through which to become a piece of Art, and that if that happens, I will have the courage to give myself to the love affair. If it happens more than once I will consider myself truly blessed.

The relationship between Art and the spiritual is a rich area of exploration, which I won't explore in this post but may more in the future. If you have opinions on these subjects, please let me know as I would love to explore these things in community and discussion with other explorers, following their own paths.

Credits:
Pear: Oil on canvas by RozArt on Etsy
Wine Labels: Marketing pic for Tall Horse Wine (Yes, those are giraffes. No, I've never tried this wine.)
Artist: Sergio Olivos in the studio he shares with his artist wife, Claudia.
Writer: Elizabeth Gilbert, Author of Eat, Pray, Love