Living the creative life

The last couple of months have flown by for me. Between traveling for work, preparing for shows, and taking a very eye opening workshop presented by Thomas Mann, I've been in a physical and mental whirlwind.
One of the themes that keeps coming up (for lots of other folks too, if the blog-o-sphere is any indication) is 'telling your story' through your work and the importance of authenticity. I started thinking about what makes something authentic and how authentic does it have to be for people to connect with it- because we also all enjoy a good tale- fantasy and science fiction would not be such popular genres if that wasn't true.

I decided that living the creative life was a keystone to my authenticity. Walking the walk, if you will. A creative life is *not* the status quo- in fact, it's likely the farthest place from it right now. It's changing, mind you, but we're only really seeing the shift in affluent sectors where the disposable income to make choices about where your sustaining necessities are sourced exists. The most visible of this shift right now is in the growing presence of organic and sustainable products on the store shelves. But living the creative life goes beyond that- it's not just about *buying* things that are better for you, the environment, etc. It's about creating them as well.

Creative life isn't just for artists- look at the word creative- its root- create... It's about making, growing, producing, fabricating, bringing into being. Promoting, fostering- sowing the seeds for... it's about the choices we make that allow our lives, the lives of our families and the lives of those around us to be touched by this amazing creative energy. It's cooking a meal -even if it's not from scratch-just assembling convenient components- rather than grabbing drive thru. It's planting a garden and enjoying the crop, however big or small, from your labors- from your act of creation. knitting a scarf, putting a button back on a much loved shirt. it's in everything we do, every thing we say.

I have fully realized that living the creative life isn't just about making art- it's so much bigger than that. It's about your life being made up of so many conscious and positive choices- about creating and fostering growth. From the food you eat, to the clothes you wear to the art you hang on the wall. And when i look at my life, i see that i am already well on the path to an authentic, creative life that i can be proud of- that i can draw upon and that i can shine a light from to help others find their path.