Creative Reminders From a Fireworks Display
“When I pray to God I say, ‘It’s your call - when it’s time to go it’s time to go. But as long as you’re going to leave me here then I’m going to cause much ruckus!’”
- Prince
Fireworks are exploding across America this weekend, and every booming burst is a reminder to us creative types, spoken in language we can understand (color, design, sound).
Here’s what the fireworks have to teach us about creativity:
BOOM!
1. Be spectacular. Get a reaction from your crowd.
Whatever you create, why not strive to make something that’ll make your audience gasp “ooh!” and “aaah!”? That’s what Michelangelo did. That’s what Spielberg does. What about you and me?
SHHHHHHH!
2. The quiet moments in between the (creative) explosions are necessary.
After a firework explodes, the sky goes black and things stay quiet for a while. Nothing happens. Suspense builds. New fireworks are being loaded. What will they look like? This ‘nothing’ period is part of the whole experience, isn’t it? We can’t explode creatively non-stop, can we? Nope. Breaks are necessary. Time to reload.
BANG!
3. Keep the crowd guessing.
Each firework explosion is a surprise that delights us. This one is red and bursts in huge streaks. The next one is blue, glitters like diamonds and sssssizzzzzzles. Every explosion is different; a different color, shape, and sound. When you listen to a Prince album, it’s the same thing. What about your creations? Are you surprising us each time with something a little bit different?
BOOM! BANG! BOOM! B-BOOM! BOOM! B-B-BOOOOOMM!
4. The grand finale.
The finale is the most exciting part of the show. It’s when they pull out all the stops and give us everything they’ve got. When we give all we’ve got creatively, there is nothing more thrilling or satisfying, is there?
Any dazzling insights you’d care to share? Leave an explosive comment, and have a great weekend!
THANKS for this one! Happy 4th of July Mark.
-Krystin
This post reminded me about living from our core. If we really lived from our core, being the person we were created to be, wouldn’t it be like the fireowrk exploding and everyone say ohhhhh ahhhhh! We hold back and do’t light our fuse so muchof the time trying tofit into this world. I say lets all light our fuses and explode who were were ment to be!!!!
This was a nice post, thank you. But a question for Laurie about living from our core, what if we truly have no idea who we really are, or rather who we are meant to be? Then we are just waiting for a firework to even be conceived and that may mean for ever.
Hi Mark,
It’s great when what we write is “spectacular”, but it’s often that silence we receive after hitting the “publish” button when we don’t know if our post will boom or bust.
Great analogy!
Krystin - you’re welcome! Hope you had a great 4th!
Laurie & Lisa - I’ll let you two sort that one out!
Barbara - Bravo! You said it. The silence after posting an article is deafening. Some fireworks are launched and…nothin’. Just a little feeble pop. You never know which ones are going to explode.
Lisa,
I was just as you described, not really knowing what I was about, not living from my core. I was busy trying to please, and be what everyone expected me to be. I never really searched my own heart for who I was and just kind of stumbled around life seeking approval. Then I gave that up and really started thinking about what brings out passion in me. I spent about 6 months exploring different things because I am a creative person and I felt more alive when I create. I took pottery, stained glass (which I continue to do), dance (not bad for a 47 year old), creative writing (which I continue to do). I loved all these things but while the creative part of me was being fed, I knew I needed to do more. I quit all of the classes and focused on the bigger picture. I changed my mindset about life. I started out looking for all the wild strawberries in life which are the things we overlook that can bring us joy. That helped me to look for joy in the everyday things and it really built up my passion for life in general. It really fed my desire for wanting more out of life.
Then I decided to go for the big time, life style changes. I was not happy about my job so I quit and am starting my own business. It is a way to be creative and do what I am passionate about which is teaching and creating. Teaching in this venue gives me the freedom that my admin job didn’t. There is none of the redtape and the “yuck” that I had to deal with. WIth my old job, I was constantly being forced to fit into a mold and it wasn’t me at all. Now I can be me. So I am going for it! I am so pumped about it. It will be wonderful and can’t wait for the school year to start! My business is linked to my name if you want to check it out.
The next thing I worked on was my marriage. After being married 24 years and going through a horrible experience with a teenage son with mood swings, and just baggage from early on in our marriage, the hub and I had reduced our relationship to basically room mates. I was very lonily and didn’t like to think that might temped me to make some bad decisions so I went to couseling to work on that. I realized I had to let him take care of himself and me take care of me. I had to step put there and give more intimacy if I wanted to get it. I also had to let him deal with me wanting to live life to the full and he was welcome to join me if he wanted but if not, I was still going to live out load. Since then, the hub and I are in the best place ever. We are closer than ever and he is really supporting my business venture. Our intimate time together is much more meaningful and fulfilling not to mention our everday exchanges. I am giddy over him again.
My other area is to do the things I have always wanted to do but always thought that was for other people. In a couple of years I will be turning fifty. To celebrate that milestone (which I don’t look that old at all :O)) I am going to sky dive. When my hub heard of this plan he said he wasn’t going to let me do that by myself so he will be joining me. I can’t wait. I just bought a canoe and can’t wait to get it wet (I just got it). I am planning to go to the Grand Canyon and white water raft for our 25 anniversary. I love to camp. I went camping with the hub and it was wonderful. A tent has lots of potential he he he. I also had a YA YA weekend with my best friend and we went camping. It was great. We hiked, and did crafts, read books, and talked. We even did a corny thing and bought matching night shirts for our adventure.
I have also made deliberate steps in developing my spiritual life. I am a Christian. I have made a very determined effort to become more intimate with God. This has brought my life so much more joy, passion, and peace. I believe that there is so much more to relationships, both with our spouses and with God, than what we realize. I want to explore all that can be.
I think the best thing you can do is allow yourself to explore your heart. Your heart will hold the key. What brings your heart joy and passion is the central point to focus on. It is there where you will find who you are created to be. Embrace it. DOn’t discount it. I thought I was just going to ride the wave of this life knowing there would be better things on the other side. When my counselor heard this, he told me “Like hell you are!”. That is when I allowed myself to think that all those things I would like to do only if…could really happen. It’s when I tuned in to my heart and payed attention to what brought me the most passion, joy, and fulfillment. I was honest about my strengths but knew that my weaknesses were only weakness until I worked on them to strengthen them up. It’s when I looked for the wild strawberries in life and tasted them. They are really good. Please look for some and take a bite! You’ll never be sorry. Look into your heart. There you will find your passion. Life can be so wonderful if you change your mindset and allow your dreams to develop and then make them happen. Don’t live on the outside. Allow yourself to experience the good that life is. It’s a wonderful adventure. GO FOR IT! :O)
@ Mark- Just a little feeble pop? I feel like more than a feeble pop! he he he ;O)