SPIRITUALITY FINDING YOUR CREATIVE SPIRITUALITY

FINDING YOUR CREATIVE SPIRITUALITY

by Mandy Eve-Barnett

Have you ever been so engrossed in a creative activity that time is inconsequential? I have and the more I do, the more I enjoy that interwoven harmony of creativity and spiritualty. When I write I become calm, centred, focused and relaxed. In essence my spirituality guides my creativity allowing me to create a physical form of my imagination.

The link between my creativity and spirituality has always interwoven. Although, when I was younger I did not understand this connection. It is only as I have grown older, that I have discovered the calm focus I experience when creating, is akin to meditation. Young Artist

From early on, I was seen as ‘artsy’ making things from whatever materials were around me. It could be sticks and stones, leaves and flower petals, paper or card. I created collages with natural or man-made materials stuck together, stacked in 3-D form or mounted on cardboard. The act of creating something from nothing made me content.

As an emerging teenager escaping younger siblings, I went to a place of peace and quiet, which allowed moments of reflection and curiosity. That place was a nearby walled graveyard. It may seem odd that I chose such a place, but the peaceful setting among the grave stones sitting on a moss covered mound underneath a weeping willow, refreshed my soul. I would read a book or just sit with my thoughts, enjoying the stillness of the place and the birdsong around me. There were many beautifully carved and ornamental gravestones. I would read the newer inscriptions and after a time began to clean the older stones revealing the names, dates and inscriptions. This may not seem strictly creative but I thought of it as a caring ritual for those long passed. The process of carving out the moss, lichen and dirt accumulated over decades elicited a spiritual synthesis. Although, at the time I did not understand that was what was happening.

At school, I was encouraged to explore my creativity with art in its multitude of forms by an excellent teacher. No matter how outlandish my idea, she would find a way to make it happen. From breaking clocks and watches for a moving cog operated wall hanging to obtaining the large cork notice board from the school corridor for a large geometric design painted in black and white squares with paper-mache entrails at its center. Miss Randall made my creativity important. Having such a mentor meant I could create whatever my mind devised. I would never want art class to end and went to the art room every lunch time, where I felt euphoric. This was my creativity and spirituality fusing together.

my creativity and spirituality has always interwoven

Once I left school and went into the workplace and subsequently bore children, my creativity took a back seat. I dappled in knitting complicated patterns and sewing simple tops for a while but something was missing - that euphoric feeling was gone. I could not get lost in a project for hours on end, there were demands on my time and gradually creative pastimes ceased. I felt incomplete, although I was busy raising my children, working and maintaining a business and a home. The puzzle piece was elusive, I just didn’t feel right, there was an emptiness I could not fill.

Emigration to Canada gave me a resolve to once again find a creative outlet. I grabbed leaflets for a variety of creative artistic courses, anything offered in my locality. I decided to try each one and find my creativity again. The first meeting I attended was for a writing group and, although until that time I had never explored writing in any depth, apart from a few short stories for my children, I decided to give it a try. After reading a short story and receiving a great reaction I was hooked. The spark was regained. The writing group members embraced and encouraged me and continue to do so. Through writing, I have once again found my creative spiritual harmony and feel alive – whole. Creativity is such a vital part of me. Through creating characters, worlds, and stories I am re-energized. It’s my ‘a-ha’ moment, my connection with my artistic soul - my happy place.

Mandy Eve-Barnett is a multi-genre author writing children’s, YA and adult books. With nine books published since 2011 and another five awaiting the editing process, she indulges her Muse in creative as well as freelance writing. Mandy speaks on a diverse number of writing related topics and is active in her local and provincial writing community. Learn more about Mandy at www.mandyevebarnett.com