There was a time when we all knew the natural value of creativity and free self expression. The phrase, “I’m not very creative” is like saying, “I’m not very flesh and bone”. Spend an hour watching kids under 7 years old as they improvise, sing, paint, draw, and move brilliantly - and remember that even you were that open and free at one point. Most traditional cultures have dance, music, and art at the very center of the community and as a vital tool for healing. The fact is, we are all extremely creative and when we deny this truth, we endanger our health, our connection with the Great Creator, and therefore our sobriety.

Of course, it’s not an easy task to reclaim our creative freedom in a healthy way. As a therapist and creativity coach for 18 years, I have been teaching what I most needed to learn. Along the way, I have discovered that, although there is some requirement to feel more deeply, we need not cut off our ears (ala Van Gogh) in order to dance with the muses. Some of the process resembles the principles of 12-step recovery and involves a lot of letting go of preconceived notions and contempt prior to investigation.

As a kid, I was lucky to have several women (Mom, Sister, Aunts) who constantly encouraged my creativity especially in the areas of music and role play games. But as I approached 7 or 8 years old the masculine messages of “How can you make a living at that” and “find something useful to do” and “that’s for girls” began to seep in and freeze the creative muscles. We all have our narratives of creative disempowerment. I was able to fight off much of the oppressive fog until my early 20’s when I completely let go of everything creative in favor of “more practical things”. This is also when I began my very serious addictive career - attempting to medicate the pain of leaving my creative life in the dust. Like many of us, a useful crash and burn occurred that forced a return to spiritual solutions, and a few dribblings of art, poetry, music and theater began to show up.

As the first 164 pages of the Big Book hammer home, we can’t do it alone. So is the case with creativity. We must find allies on the creative path who will give us the freedom to explore without criticism. Once you make a commitment to this path, synchronistic events and others on the path will show up “miraculously”. When I made a commitment to my recovery and creativity in the early 90’s, one of Broadway’s most successful producers “just happened” to be conducting a musical theater workshop a few blocks from my house! The next few years were devoted to the writing and production of The Three-Cornered Hat which premiered professionally in 2002. Be careful (but not too careful) what you pray for with conviction because the universe will line up in response.

Each of the expressive arts offers a doorway to specific ways of living more vibrantly. Metaphoric and tangible wisdoms are available when we return to our natural state as creators. Writers know the language of feeling. Theater artists know the magic of getting outside of ourselves in a role, and subsequently finding ourselves in a new way. Photographers know about the details of life. Painters are masters at living colorfully and within a world full of shadow and light. Dancers are awake to the subtle and bold truths of the body. Singers know about finding our voice, and musicians are close friends with vibration. Quantum physics has shown that we are nothing but vibration and some acknowledgement of the fact is probably useful for conscious living. And if that isn’t enough, there is a mountain of research that shows that music enhances brain function. So, if you need a practical reason to dust off that guitar or sing boldly to your favorite songs, there it is.

Like recovery, the process is simple though not easy to sustain. There are small steps to take on the creative path that include journaling, self-care, and exercises to expand familiarity with the various crafts - but mostly to expand a sense of expressive freedom. In the next few editions of The Creative Corner, we will explore each of the expressive arts as a way to deepen our creativity, reclaim a more vibrant experience of living, and integrate the inherent wisdoms of each form of expression.