Beyond experience
What if all acts of creativity were in the realm of the Holy Spirit? Is this commonality something that allows for a bridge with an unbeliever? We discount the movement and emotion that comes with looking at art or reading a poem when it is not written by a "known" Christian, but perhaps this slaps God. I wonder if it fits with other pieces of our image of God that allows someone to sense the Spirit's tugging. Why in seeing a Rembrandt and being moved as deeply within me as a church worship service do I dismiss the Spirit?
I've been skimming through Alan Fletcher's book The Art of Looking Sideways and he talks about creativity only being true creativity when it gets beyond experience. If the act lacks this component it is probably more along the lines of "process becomes product." This reminded me of Thomas Merton's understanding of meditation. To take something that I have studied and get beyond myself in terms of knowledge, insight, expectation, etc. Where it is God's insights that provide the lattice of understanding beyond my imagination. Probably only possible when the leap starts for faith.
Some interesting quotes from Fletcher's book:
I've been skimming through Alan Fletcher's book The Art of Looking Sideways and he talks about creativity only being true creativity when it gets beyond experience. If the act lacks this component it is probably more along the lines of "process becomes product." This reminded me of Thomas Merton's understanding of meditation. To take something that I have studied and get beyond myself in terms of knowledge, insight, expectation, etc. Where it is God's insights that provide the lattice of understanding beyond my imagination. Probably only possible when the leap starts for faith.
Some interesting quotes from Fletcher's book:
Creating a new theory is not like destroying an old barn and erecting a skyscraper in its place. It is rather like climbing a mountain and gaining new and wider views.
- Albert Einstein
I want to link creativity with something known as serendipity, which means to find something that you haven't been looking for but which changes everything that went before and comes after. [to be] surprised...
- Robert Grudin
Creativity... involves the power to originate, to break away from existing ways of looking at things, to move freely in the realm of the imagination, to create and re-create worlds fully in one's mind - while supervising all this with a critical inner eye. Creativity has to do with inner life - with the flow of new ideas and strong feelings.
- Oliver Sachs
It is not hunger, but love and fear, and sometimes wonder, that make us create... to give poetic form to the pragmatic.
- Emilio Ambasz
The prerequisite of originality is the art of forgetting, at the proper moment, what we know.
- Arthur Koestler
posted by Learner at 5/21/2006 06:51:00 AM
3 Comments:
Hi. I'm one of Katie H's college friends and she told me to check out your blog. This post was really insightful. I think about this sometimes when people are reluctant to put money into church building projects. Although, it can be overdone, I think a beautiful building gives people a sense of fulfilling the aesthetic desires that God has put into all of us. When we see something beautiful, something inside us feels more complete.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. I understand the pragmatics that goes into present-day churches, but share your sense that we are missing something with the austerity that churches tend to have now. I was involved with a little church project in northeast AZ that had a wonderful window facing east in the sanctuary. As we were remodeling I would regularly come in early to pray. It was peaceful and nice having all the senses, as well as the attitude, engaged in God. Unfortunately, the window was seen as a distraction and eventually it was sheet-rocked over.
That is really sad! And telling. It's interesting that while Europe has their cathedrals, I once went to a church in a roller skating rink.
Post a Comment
<< Home