What good is creativity at a time like this?
As an author and creative writing professor, I have asked myself this question more times than I care to admit. Creativity can feel frivolous in difficult times, as if you’re pausing to water the garden when your entire house is on fire. You might think to yourself: How could I possibly work on that at a time like this? But what you fail to see is that by watering that garden, you could save the house, because the spray from the hose could travel inside and reach the flames, or because—as it turns out—saving the garden is the key to saving the house.
Which is to say: Creativity has the power to transform, to heal; to put out the fire.
There is power and strength in creativity that comes from using your voice, your wisdom, and your courage to speak truth. In the classroom, I encourage my students to use writing as both an outlet for expressing truth and a megaphone for amplifying that truth. When we engage the world through art, through storytelling, and through creativity, we have the power to change the world, even if for just one person.
So, how do you water the garden?
Creativity comes from a deeply personal place of truth, freedom, and expression. The aim of the artist when they show up to the page (or the canvas/stage/sketchbook, etc.) is to find and convey their voice through art. When we create, we are not trying to fix anything or solve all the world’s problems. Creativity is simply a means to access the truth. To learn and share how we feel. To tell what is, and to dream of what could be.
Here’s an exercise for you to try. Find a peaceful spot, somewhere that makes your breath slow down and releases the tension in your shoulders. Sit in that spot, close your eyes. Inhale. Exhale. Let your mind run as wild as it wants. Then, when you’re ready, begin writing. Or drawing, or painting, or dancing. Wherever your creativity takes you. The only requirement is that you don’t stop. Write without stopping, without filtering yourself, without going back to read what you wrote or fix any typos. Let the words and art and expression spill out of you until the faucet is dry. This is watering the garden.
When we pause to water the garden, even in difficult times, it is our chance to keep growing. It is our joy. Our creativity is our hope. And maybe it won’t stop the fire, but perhaps it will. And don’t we owe it to ourselves and our community to at least try?
The Department of English is the center for reading and writing at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï. Working alongside best-selling authors, ground-breaking scholars, and award-winning teachers, you’ll analyze and interpret through different lenses like race, gender, sexuality, and more. You'll go beyond the page, learning from experience through community-based coursework, internships, and independent research.
