Art as Evolution

Today I have been pondering art as evolution and evolution in general.

When I think of evolution, initially I think Charles Darwin. My conceptualization of evolution is not “survival of the fittest,” rather it is of how do we each evolve? Certainly we know we evolve.  There is the simple physical development from baby to toddler, to child, to tween, to teen, to young adult, to adult often taking on more “adult” responsibilities whether engaging a cause, long term partnership, parenthood, a career. I think this stage is more about making a difference/following what we are told are the “expected pathways” of maturity. Then there is middle adulthood, I associate this with really looking around and evaluating, is this the way I want things?  Does this truly resonate with me? Or perhaps, I see this is good, how can I do it better? Or even leave a legacy. And eventually this evolves into later adulthood, if we be so lucky to reach this stage. Later adulthood I see as even more about legacy, perhaps enjoying the fruits of your labours. It could be returning to the more traditional idea, where elders are seen as the wisdom keepers who pass on knowledge gained to the younger generations. I understand this is not always how things go in our modern world, but I do think it is a good framework to strive for.

Where does creativity and art fit into all of this?

My initial thought is that creativity is our natural state.  Think of toddlers and young children.  They are always thinking of creative ways to express themselves and they have not yet experienced (hopefully not yet) the voices of limitation/what is considered proper. What 3 to 5 year old thinks their artwork is terrible?  They share to not necessarily get approval, so much as they want to share and have the art related to.  Or perhaps it is how they built towers out of blocks, or a train out of chairs, something wonderful out of playdough.

When I consider this process, I notice how similar it is in the process I follow when I create expressive arts workshops and courses.  It is taking time to ground into yourself (young ones are always in that state as is), create in a modality, and create again – often switching things up to remove the left brain logic and to engage the right brain creativity as much as possible. By the end of the process there is a sharing (aesthetic response) which I find is open of the most rewarding aspects of the process, to see what your creative reflection of your reality evokes and is related to by others.  It is such a beautiful way to join and break the isolation that is so pervasive in this individualistic world.

As I write, I find my mind recalling earlier times for myself, though very much part of my own personal evolution. Tough and difficult times that felt like “I was the only one” – far from, but before I became widowed, I was the only one I knew who was widowed at 37 with a 9 month old babe in arms. Similarly when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 39 with a toddler. There was “who does this happen to?” Yes I met young widows who then had cancer and they too had small children. Yep, I was not alone. And, when I found community, I felt understood… and when I did expressive arts training and my classmates responded to my art, poetry, clay creations – whatever the form -- they reflected understanding, this deep intrinsic understanding of what is it to be human, vulnerable and going through painfully difficult times, and this was with most of my classmates not being aware of the fullness of what I had, at that time, recently been through. What I discovered is creativity expressed and shared this way joins us, it reflects back who we are, it doesn’t push us back into the pain, instead, it give us acknowledgement and supports its release.

Then I find myself on yet another tangent reflecting on evolution and an image that has been calling me recently. This is one of creative imagery of the Phoenix. Phoenix, the fire bird, is known to burn into ashes and rise again from its ashes. It represents the burning off of the negative, the pain, and moving next level, to rise greater and stronger. I feel I have been moving next level, one can say engaging a new incarnation at each level of development.

Which in some ways takes us full circle to the beginning of this reflective entry. I come to think of each stage of growth I can see pictures at different times in my lifetime so far.  When I see the picture of me as a young child, I know she is me, yet I am not her, not any longer.  I can say that for the preteen, the teen, the young adult, the becoming established adult. The career woman, the widow, the cancer survivor, the risk taker who choose to follow her heart, no longer feeling satisfied with following a predictable path. I can look back at the photos taken in each of these stages of life, I know that woman, I recall those times, yet I am no longer that woman in the picture. I am only me now, wondering what the new developments are going to be and what shape this phoenix is rising into today.

This is our evolution as humans. We are each phoenixes. Every day we are invited to live fully, in the moment. To set out to see how we may evolve and develop to explore our own evolution. Likewise follows art. Consider a lifelong journal writer, his reflections at age 10 will change by the time he is 15; those reflections and notables in writing will shift and read differently at 21, at 32, at 44, at 59; much like the pictures taken at different stages of life. Same with creativity, what one creates will also evolve. In some ways, life is art, is creativity, is evolution, is the phoenix rising again and again from its own ashes. This is how art is evolution.

Are you ready to explore your creativity more and reflect upon how you are evolving and what you may be evolving to? Creating Your Way to You is a 6 week course, available on demand. If you want to self-explore through creativity, this is the course you are looking for. A gentle yet deeply reflective process that take you from where you are now, understanding the barriers to developing your next level, plus exercises that clarify what direction best suits you. Not ready for a full course, make sure you are signed up for the free community resources and following the Soul Nurture Project Facebook where I share inspirations, mindful moments, some creative activities such as writing prompts, or sometimes spontaneous artmaking on occasional livestream.