Summary

The article discusses the journey to finding inner peace through embracing one's creative impulse and aligning with the natural process of creation without seeking external validation.

Abstract

The author of the article shares a personal journey of accepting the creative impulse as a path to inner peace. This acceptance involves recognizing creativity as a natural and integral part of life, akin to the growth of a seed into a fruit-bearing tree. The creative process is likened to natural cycles, where ideas percolate and manifest in a manner akin to the growth of plants and the behavior of animals. The artist's role is seen as akin to that of other creatures in nature, fulfilling their purpose without expectation of reward or recognition. The article emphasizes the importance of gratitude for one's gifts and the responsibility to create beauty and lighten the load for others. It suggests that true fulfillment comes from contributing to the world through one's art, without attachment to outcomes, much like the tree that bears fruit without concern for the traffic it attracts. The article concludes with several quotes that reinforce the value of the creative act, the role of the audience in completing the artistic process, and the balance between inspiration and the labor of creation.

Opinions

The author believes that artists should not rush their creative process, but rather allow it to unfold naturally, as it is an essential part of their being.
There is an opinion that artists should focus on creating lasting beauty and contributing positively to the world without seeking praise or rewards.
The article suggests that self-acceptance and understanding one's role in the larger scheme of life are key to achieving inner peace.
The author emphasizes that creativity is not just about the artist but also about the audience, as they contribute to the creative act through their interpretation.
The piece reflects on the idea that an artist's work, like the contributions of other living beings, is part of a larger cycle of life and should be pursued with dedication and humility.
The author values the intrinsic rewards of the creative process over external validation, highlighting the importance of personal fulfillment and the joy of creation itself.

How I Found That Inner Peace

I Accepted the Creative Impulse

I’ve now accepted the creative impulse and made my peace with it;

no longer will I carry it like something that I have to hurry over to find the inner peace

but I’ll bear it as some sweet burden that completes whoever and whatever I think I am.

No real artist hurries to drop or dump what comes

for him to deliver, when he knows It can only consume to live breathing in that space bold in body and form

called to essence in being handmade and so differs from the roll-out of some conveyor belts;

It takes no instant tracks for it follows Nature’s course —

from the ideas that drip to percolate in the heat of some endeavour

and takes the lift to cooler regions where it congeals

and now heavier heeds gravity and manifests for man to see.

That’s the course of the seed that goes in the soil and sprouts

with time grows to the tree that bears the fruit and fills the harvest

No longer will I take me for something special 'cause what I have to do and must do like other creatures down here busy playing their own roles

and I, I should Get on with it not expecting salutation, ingratiation or congratulation for being where I am and doing What I have to do

I must have asked and received, and in gratitude should run with the gift

to create lasting beauty to lighten the load of all the others marching on their own paths.

The camel carries its hump with grace and takes up other loads and none has heard it stop to ask for pity or praise for what it has done.

The birds sing on never calling to enquire if there will be rewards or provisions for rest;

They may get a mate in return and the chance for romance or scare off others to feed on flies and fruits and sing more happily for the life, That gave them a song to cheer the world

Photo by Wynand van Poortvliet on Unsplash

When the tree bears fruits to enrich the earth, to feed the birds bats and bacteria,

it complains not about the traffic of visitors trooping in and stopping by.

The bright colours, the sweet smell, and the leaves waving in the wind,

all send out invitations to announce The feast of fulfilment in season after season

And when the tree goes, It does not worry about a monument rising in its honour but celebrates the termites, weevils and worms that eat its remains

or the human beings who hurry to use trunk and branches for firewood or to build a chair.

“She wears it so beautifully doesn’t she, her pain… Always smiling, always positive…. always happy to help… It’s like a garment perfectly tailored to fit the way she carries it… with a touch of grace… and the quietness of that sad smile…. All so you’d never know how heavy it really was.” ― Ranata Suzuki

“Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the stars. Keep grinning. Be bloody-minded. Argue with the world. And never forget that writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things — childhood, certainties, cities, doubts, dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves — that go on slipping, like sand, through our fingers.” ― Salman Rushdie

“The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act.” ― Marcel Duchamp

“The artist seeks contact with his intuitive sense of the gods, but to create his work, he cannot stay in this seductive and incorporeal realm. He must return to the material world to do his work. It’s the artist’s responsibility to balance mystical communication and the labour of creation.” ― Patti Smith