Category Archives: Creativity/Spirituality

Musings/thoughts/questions about creativity and spirituality

May Soul and Solace

Creativity/Spirituality,

I had to take an art course to complete my degree . . . at the time I was deep in soul pain . . . I didn’t feel the least bit creative. In class we made several clay pieces; all of mine STUNK! I drove home in tears, opened the door to my house, and dashed every one against our entryway floor. If I had known about altered art back then, I would have done something with those shards other than pitching them into the trash.

Altered art gives us an opportunity to transform bitter experiences into beauty. Want to give it a try? Take a piece of visual art you made that does not please you OR create an artwork that depicts a painful experience in your life. You can paint it, sculpt it, craft it, whatever. Let the piece sit before you and imagine how it might be altered. If it was done on paper, you can tear it to shreds, slather it in flour and water, and then create a paper mache piece that soothes your soul. You can break clay into shards and use them to create a mosaic that feels beautiful and hopeful. Just about any material can be integrated into a collage either as the collage’s underpinning or as its face. Anything can be transformed. Give it a try and then sit back and ponder. Where did your soul journey in the creating of your altered art piece? How did you feel as you were creating? Were you in any way surprised? What else can you alter?

Share your experiences with us on the A Spacious Place blog . We would love to hear from you!

“Ahh, Bach!” Moments

Creativity/Spirituality, , ,

In the TV series M*A*S*H—one of my all-time television favorites—, Season 1, Episode 14 (“Love Story”) Radar has fallen for Nurse Louise Anderson. They are from opposite worlds: his unschooled and earthy, hers scholarly and sophisticated. In trying to impress her, we hear the following conversation about music:

Radar: Ahh, Bach!
Louise: What does that mean? “Ahh, Bach”?
Radar: Uh, just that. Ahh, Bach.
Hawkeye: I think once you’ve said that, you’ve said it all.
Radar: Ahh, Bach.

I’ve begun thinking about “Ahh, Bach” concepts and moments in different venues, such as food, literature, art, music, etc. This is the beginning of a series of “Ahh, Bach” ideas. Each one will feature an exposition of an idea or object that is an “Ahh, Bach!” concept: an idea so obvious that you’ve said it all.

So, as we begin, let’s think about classical music. Is “Ahh, Bach” definitive of the genre? I am moved by all of his works in ways that few other composers have done, but that is not to disparage Beethoven or Handel or Mozart. Hey, Tchaikovsky? Even as I write this, I’m thinking of Beethoven’s 5th and 9th symphonies. They rock! Maybe classical music doesn’t have just one “Ahh, Bach” moment. Maybe it’s filled with “Ahh, Bach,” “Ahh, Beethoven,” “Ahh, Tchaikovsky,” and more (this is only the big names).

What do you think? Do we have any modern classical composers in this realm? Who’s a contemporary “Ahh, Bach” and why?

April Soul and Solace

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Poet Muriel Rukeyser wrote, “The universe is made of stories, not atoms.”

During April, explore the power of active, attentive listening to another person’s story. Try this: at least once a week, when a friend, family member, co-worker, or acquaintance speaks, give him or her your full attention. Maintain eye contact, ask questions only for clarification, and refrain from giving advice unless specifically asked. During the listening time, seek to encourage the other person’s soul, imagining that person as a powerful and beautiful story.

At the end of April, ponder these questions: What effect, if any, did the practice of active listening have on my soul and my story? How did my listening affect the persons to whom I listened? Do I imagine the universe made up of atoms or stories or . . .? Where might my imagining lead?

March Soul and Solace

Creativity/Spirituality, ,

As spring approaches, nature stirs to life; we see it almost shaking itself awake. Join the life stirrings that surround you. For Soul & Solace this month, take a sensory walk, inviting God to nourish you through what you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. You might take five separate walks, awakening a different sense to God’s presence in each one. You can share your sensory walk experiences on this blog. We’d love to hear from you!