The artist is a lover
Musings on creativity, sex and love
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share some notes about the relationship between creativity, love, and sex. (These are just some unfinished thoughts, not a finished piece).
“Perhaps I have loved the artist because creation is the nearest we come to divinity.” – Anaïs Nin
All creation is an affirmation of life. The creative impulse and sexual impulse are expressions of the same energy. Biology has a singular goal: to reproduce. Beneath the desire for sex and romance is the body’s urge to pass on its genes, to extend the lifeforce of creation.
Making art, like sex, is an act of procreation driven by love and desire. The artist doesn’t create for approval or validation. The artist expresses what their heart wants to purge.
It has been said that humans are made in the image of God. What exactly does this mean? At its essence (regardless of your spiritual beliefs) the idea of God represents the creator, which means we too are born to create. We are like baby gods practicing the game of creation. It’s a life force that moves through us.
The act of creation requires a balance of yin and yang, feminine and masculine. Yin is the passive principle, the dark womb, a place where seeds are planted and nurtured. In creativity, yin represents our intuition, emotions, and imagination, the inner world where ideas slowly germinate and come into focus. Yang is the active principle, the penetrating seed, a force that turns imagination into reality. In creativity, yang represents our craft, the act of expression, of sharing and being seen. Making art is a creation ritual that combines the feminine and masculine principles to birth new life.
Art offers us a container in which to pour our love. Even when we are alone or in pain, art can be a dancing partner, a therapist, a shoulder to cry on, or an outlet to hold our rage.
In a world facing an epidemic of apathy, the artist throws themselves into their passions with wild abandon. Accepting the Buddhist notion that suffering is inherent to the human condition, the artist takes on the task of finding meaning in the suffering. Even in the face of sadness, the artist chooses love, healing the world by reminding us how to feel.
The Art of You: The Essential Guidebook for Reclaiming Your Creativity
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2025 retreats
I will be co-facilitating three in-person retreats this year. I would love to see you there!
Artist Quarantine: a retreat for visual artists, April 7-13, Menorca. Learn more.
Bring Your Purpose to the Public: a retreat for creative changemakers (with Bunny Michael), Omega, NY Jun 29 – Jul 4. Learn more.
Plant Medicine & Creativity: an ayahuasca retreat in collaboration with Plant Medicine People, Costa Rica, November 1-9. Learn more.
This is so so beautiful