Giving Yourself Permission to be Creative
"The first quality that is needed is audacity" - Winston Churchill
WHAT’S STOPPING YOU
The question that comes up again and again…How do I make time for my creative intelligence?
The list of things to do is high.
There’s no time, no energy…to paint, to write, to make a song, to work on that short film…
Yes.
And what if I make the time and nothing beautiful comes of it? What if I’m met by my unimaginative self?
It seems, then, that deciding to create something becomes an act of defiance in the face of all the voices and everything around you that wants your attention and money.
“Do you have the courage to bring forth this work?
The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say YES.” - Elizabeth Gilbert
CREATING AS AN ACT OF DEFIANCE
I like thinking of creating this way. And I think my favourite example comes from Winston Churchill.
“The first quality that is needed is audacity” - Winston Churchill on painting
The statesman came to painting in the midst of a deep depression. Not surprisingly, he chose to paint with oils, a more robust and bold choice of medium. It’s clear, given his turbulent life, that painting was the thing that enabled him to push-back on all that stalked and defined him.
He shared the following on painting:
“Happy are the painters for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end, or almost to the end, of the day.”
With the battles that haunted him and the loss of his young daughter, seeking peace and hope at the end of the day seems so normal an act. And yet, it is audacious, as Churchill claims, to play with colours and paints at the end of the day…when so much else is calling at you.
The defiance I think I seek when I write is more aggressive. I want to be heard, I want to shout at the world. It can all feel egotistical at times. In fact, it can feel like a compulsion. And yet, a therapist friend said to me last month, when pursing your goals, your callings you must remind yourself of your why. What is your why?
The answer came to me quickly. After 10 years of writing and publishing stories, I know now that the narratives that come through are in the voices of Afghanistan and Sicily (where my parents are from). And often feature the women of my heritage who were strong but controlled and suppressed into roles. To be a woman from that lineage who lives in a very different time and with a host of privileges drives me. How daring and how able I am to find platforms to voice their stories. What a fool I would be to think that these stories were not worth the time and space they needed to be aired and worked through. My why.
WHEN PERMISSION IS GRANTED
Some very cool folks have been joining me in a new Dormer Window Studio workshop series this month. We’re putting together a story-based art installation I’m excited about at the Brickworks in Toronto on the creativity of the natural world and the self.
What’s been most interesting for me is seeing two things… one, to witness people question whether they should join the group. The act of giving yourself permission is heavy, complicated, risky, exciting. You’re on the precipice of something, and you don’t know what it will lead to.
The other piece I’m really privileged to see is when people open up and become inspired by what comes forward when they’re giving themselves this space and time for their creative voice. Not all get there, but those who do, come alive and it’s quite an emotional thing to see and be a part of.
And so, onward. Keep believing in your powers of creation! Keep believing in your audacity!
And more to come on this cool art installation project the Dormer Window is leading in Toronto…
Amazing Nadia. I love seeing Dormer Window as it grows. And although defiance might not drive me, I love the word audacity and how you see it showing the path forward. :)
This is what I needed today (and every day) Nadia!! Excited to hear more about the Brickworks project. Thank you!!