“Reaching for the higher states of creativity
can become compulsive if we are not careful
to attend to all areas of our life
with balance and aware attention.”
— Shelley Klammer, Creative Over-Indulgence
Shelley Klammer on Creative Over-Indulgence
The passing of Valentine's Day this weekend has me wondering how many extra tons of chocolate are consumed around the sweet nothings and permissiveness of this loving holiday. I have not craved chocolate over the past year as much as I have this past week. Chocolate, chocolate, everywhere!
Indulging in dark chocolate is a rare treat I allow myself only because there's some rich particular-ness about chocolate that trips my self-control switch and takes me straight to sweet sugar-rush delight. Add some freshly-brewed coffee to that and you won't see me for hours ... until I crash. Then the vicious cycle of caloric regret and I'll-never-eat-that-much again's plays its predictable melody ... or is that the tune of an addict?
I'm okay with occasional indulgences, and it's not always chocolate — sometimes it's a marathon of Twilight Zone episodes or reading a pile of books as a weekend bookworm. Sometimes, as a self-proclaimed creativity enthusiast, it's getting lost in a passionate project at the procrastinative expense of other responsibilities or self-care issues I'm playing hide 'n' seek with. Make a Valentine's Day Card or clean the bathroom? 30 Minutes of cardio or write this blog post? Play in the studio, or...
For every creatively blocked person, I wonder how many others regularly over-indulge in their creative passions as means to escape, a form of addiction, compulsion, or workaholism. Shelley Klammer, a wonderful writer and collage artist who runs www.collageforself-discovery.com, discusses this subject of Creative Over-Indulgence in her latest article at Creativity Portal. Oh, it's a very good read.
I particularly enjoy Shelley's honest self-awareness around these issues and the insights she shares about the price we pay when creative over-indulgences lead to imbalances in our lives. She writes, "The true purpose of a creativity practice is to open us up to all of life, not to isolate away from it." and, "Reaching for the higher states of creativity can become compulsive if we are not careful to attend to all areas of our life with balance and aware attention."
Indulge in the entire article here. •
© 2009 Chris Dunmire www.chrisdunmire.com. All rights reserved. |
