The following was taken from an electronic newsletter published by Dr. Firestien, on April, 2002.
Welcome to Insights From The Road, the e-newsletter of creativity from "The Gold Standard of Creativity Training," Roger L. Firestien, Ph.D. Enjoy!
Creativity and Crisis
This summer I experienced a personal crisis. Unfortunately, these things happen to all of us. Relationships end. People close to us pass away. Tragedies occur.
For a time, I felt absolutely numb. I had trouble sleeping and woke up depressed, not excited about the day like I usually am. Yes, I continued to work and go through the motions of everyday existence. But I felt nothing was going on in my life. I wasn't writing. I wasn't developing new material. I was just surviving.
I told a good friend I felt I was just marking time. She said that during the difficult times in her life she too thought nothing was going on, at least on the surface. Subconsciously, however, things were occurring. After she "healed" she experienced a tremendous outpouring of creative productivity. I listened, continued to grieve and hoped what she said was true. It was.
It took almost seven months to really feel back to normal again. Then an incredible thing occurred. All this creative "stuff" that had been brewing inside of me came to the surface. I began to write again. My work got better. My relationships with the people closest to me, my family and daughter, got better. I looked forward to getting up in the morning again. The creativity had come back, my creative spirit had survived!
Last year, on September 11 our country experienced a national tragedy. We all grieved. Some of us lost sleep. We went through the motions of life hoping this terrible nightmare would end. Eventually we began to heal, and our creative spirit reawakened. In some cases, we actually became more creative.
For example, in the December 12, 2001 issue of USA Today, the cover story "Call For Safer Skies Inspires Innovation: Firms Get Creative To Improve Airline Safety" featured this creative re-birth:
"Safety in the skies and airports could lead to a business gold rush next year as companies scramble to land billions of dollars in federal contracts that will be doled out to meet the mandates of the new aviation-security law. One company sells duck-hunting bullets that shatter on impact and won't pierce an airplane's hull if sky marshals must open fire in a passenger cabin. Another uses state-of- the-art Internet technology to watch the cockpit. Yet another stuffs heavy-duty foam into jet-fighter fuel tanks to keep the aircraft from exploding during battle."
So what is the lesson here? The lesson is trust the process. Tragedies happen to all of us. During the recovery period it appears nothing is going on. But things are going on at a much deeper level. If we decide to move on and refuse to allow grief or depression to paralyze us, we can expect a time of great creative productivity after the healing process.
Right now, we can build on the healing that has occurred over the last several months. Let's expect that outpouring of creativity and make it a turning point in our culture and lives. Now, go get creative out there!
Sincerely,
Roger
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