Creativity
The creative impulse is part of being human, a gift from the Holy Spirit, and a way of finding a deep connection with our Creator. We acknowledge that the searching heart can express itself in many forms. Spirit-led creative activity is a path into the Light, not a distraction from or an obstruction to a centered life. Creativity can be a form of worship and witness, a ministry and a calling, a way of speaking out of the silence. Like other spiritual disciplines, creative expression carries the potential for spiritual transformation.
Friends exercise our creative gifts as spiritual disciplines that require time, focus, patience, trust, love, and openness to the Spirit. We are encouraged to develop and exercise them with awe and gratitude under the leading of that Spirit.
We acknowledge and cherish the creativity found in our meetings.
- How do we exercise our creativity in humility and gratitude to the Creator who makes our work possible? Do we recognize creation as a sacred act and creative ability as a gift from God?
- How do we use our creative gifts to bring beauty, healing, and joy into others’ lives and to reflect the glory of creation?
- Within our meeting communities, how do we recognize and encourage each other in the exercise of creative gifts?
In a culture that glorifies individual achievements, how do we hold our own creations lightly?
Faith and Practice, NPYM, Religious Society of Friends. P. 56.