Creativity is all about relationship. When we create something new, we create a stronger relationship with our selves and our inner voice. We’re also connecting with whatever is inspiring us at the moment–the subject we’re studying, the tree we’re painting, and so on. But there is another relationship as well–when we create, we’re related with Something BEYOND ourselves. We’re plunging ourselves into something unknown, something that is not realized yet.
In Symbol and Metaphor in Human Experience, Martin Foss writes,
“In the process of life, [creative] expression means always communication with a Thou which is never fully realized but remains an inexhaustible power…”
Artists often say that when they create something, they aren’t actually doing the creating. They’re expressing something else–Something greater than themselves.
When we create, we’re in relationship with Something that is never fully realized.