Creativity + Emotion: A Love Story
How emotion fuels creativity (Exclusive chapter from The Art of You)
“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.” – Paul Cézanne
Hello friends,
I’m excited to share an exclusive full chapter from The Art of You published in Heal Magazine. An aspect of creative yin, emotions are often the underlying energy that fuels creativity. Before we can make something, we must have an idea. And before we can have an idea, we must have a feeling. Feeling comes before thought. Therefore, listening to and processing our emotions are essential parts of the creative process.
Following is an excerpt from the chapter “Creativity + Emotion: A Love Story”
All emotions are valid.
Art exists within every facet of society. Happy people make art. So do sad people. Human creativity can be used to express a wide range of emotions and ideas, from the sacred to the profane and everything in between. Art can shock and provoke. It can inspire awe and wonder. It can fuel anger that sparks social change. It can make us cry tears of sadness and joy.
The paintings of Vincent van Gogh express an intense pathos and moody melancholy. The literature of Franz Kafka elicits a sense of dark introspection and paranoia. The music of The Beatles inspires feelings of love and universal connection. The speeches of Malcolm X express sacred rage toward social injustice. The writing of Sylvia Plath portrays a good-natured woman struggling with isolation and depression. All types of art—just like all emotions—are valid because they are honest reflections of the creator’s personal experience.
When we feel sad, there is comfort in listening to sad music because it reminds us that we are not alone. It’s okay to feel how we feel. In fact, it is essential to our well-being to allow ourselves to feel our feelings without resistance or bypassing. Feeling emotions is how we process them. When we fail to feel or process our emotions, they fester beneath the surface and emerge in unexpected forms such as hate or resentment, or they will decay into sickness. We must feel in order to heal.
– James McCrae, The Art of You
Read the full article in Heal Magazine
Buy The Art of You: The Essential Guidebook for Reclaiming Your Creativity
Also, Heal Magazine is gifting my audience a free issue from their mobile app. Click here to access the issue.
New podcast episode: The Art of You book launch with Cory Allen.
A couple weeks ago we celebrated the launch of The Art of You with an event here in Austin, where I was interviewed by author Cory Allen. My talk on creativity and conversation with Cory are now available on my podcast. Listen here.
Oh yesss! Emotions direct my art, I’m still learning to trust this, but when I do, I wonder how I ever didn’t!