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Notes
for first part of session on ‘Arts, the Institute Process and the
Transformation of the Baha’i Community’
Creativity
- Open To All
We
are all creative. Creativity is a natural, irrepressible impulse.
Through responding to this impulse we fulfil a need within us to express
ourselves, to communicate with our inner spirit and with the external
world. As Baha’is we are encouraged to make manifest this creative
impulse, to reveal our gems of inestimable value to better serve the
process of spiritual and material transformation in the world of humanity.
At
the core of creativity is transformation on a multitude of planes.
To be a cause for transformation we need to be freely active, full of
faith and nurture Baha’u’llah’s vision for this age.
I
recently came across this quotation from Black Elk, the Native American
Chief:
“A
vision without a task is a dream.
A
task without a vision is drudgery.
But
a task with a vision can change the world”
Creativity
is a mysterious combination of vision and task, perhaps. With faith,
a sense of adventure and purpose tied up with the ribbon of active
learning we have a gift to change the world.
In
the January 17th 2003 letter, the Universal House of Justice wrote that
‘Learning in action is becoming the outstanding feature of the emerging
mode of operation’ and that an ‘outward looking orientation is one of
the finest fruits of the grass-roots learning taking place’. Learning
and creativity are soul-mates and like the learning that happens at
grass-roots, so creativity is finding its expression in many Baha’i
communities. The fruits of a fully expressive and creative Baha’i
community are showing. I was touched to hear about two new believers
enrolling in the Faith in Portishead as the result of being part of a Book
1study circle. The poem written by one of these ladies before she
had declared was read aloud by Viv Craig at the Tutor’s conference.
It spoke volumes about how through the combined power of the Word of God,
the loving embrace of Baha’is and lots of creative opportunities, an
outward looking, grass-roots orientation can be a portal to Entry by
Troops.
With
an outward looking, inclusive and active attitude the Baha’i community
becomes a natural force of attraction for seekers, who are marked by their
own active and independent investigation of Truth. These seekers,
become (as demonstrated in Portishead) through their involvement with
study circles, devotionals and creative gatherings new believers who
‘view their role in the community as that of active participants in a
dynamic process of growth’ (Universal House of Justice, 17/1/03)
It
was this dynamism that attracted me to the Faith three years ago,
particularly the energy and fearless advocacy of universal peace and unity
demonstrated by Junior Youth I met in Greece whilst working with Phoenix
Baha’i Youth Theatre. (We have so much to learn from the vitality and
imagination of Junior Youth)
People
do not become Baha’is to belong to a staid or rigid congregation, they
are searching for a community which is progressive and alive. The
arts are natural exemplars of a progressive, evolving and responsive
culture. The integrated exploration of and use of diverse art forms
will certainly be a catalyst for growth of the Cause. I have added
‘exploration’ before ‘use’ because unless we ourselves re-learn to
play, explore and discover we will only ever view art as a product.
It is the creative process, which educates, touches and transforms us as
much as the artistic outcome.
In
the context of a study circle it is all about the creative process -
engaging with an idea, responding to a beautiful or challenging quotation,
consulting with others, laughing about our perceived inadequacies at doing
something ‘arty’, then giving form to the initial spark of
inspiration, pushing beyond the functional task into imaginary realms to
create something outside of ourselves, but somehow expressing our inner
most voice. It is this process, which draws us closer to knowing
ourselves better, to come to know others in a new light and above all
lifts us up higher to draw nearer to God.
The
study circle is a natural channel through which we can express our
artistic talents and sentiments (ref ITC, 5/11/01) In an atmosphere of
encouragement and love where fear of failure has no place and a spirit of
adventure pervades, everyone has the capacity to be creative.
We
all have this creative capacity, for Creation is manifold, limitless and
open to all. In the Hidden Words, Baha’u’llah continually reinforces
our capacity to reflect and manifest His attributes:
“My
light is manifest to thee, it cannot be obscured”
(From
the Arabic Hidden Words, no. 20)
His
light cannot be obscured. By exploration of our higher selves and by
exercising our God given creative impulses we have the Divine Bounty of
radiating His light and manifesting His love in the world.
Through
Baha’u’llah’s sacrifices, His exemplary life and teachings ‘ a
fresh capacity was infused into all created things’. These
achievements in the worlds of arts, sciences and invention ‘are but
manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His
all pervasive and resplendent spirit.’
(Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p 85)
Quietly
we may be thinking ‘I am no scientist, no great inventor, certainly no
talented artist’. That self conscious voice of doubt chats away at
the back of our brains and provides an ‘excellent’ excuse to hide our
light and decline to ‘make a fool of ourselves’. If by being
foolish we take a few risks, have a go, throw caution to the wind, laugh
and begin to create something, then being a fool is a wise thing to be.
And in the context of a study circle our hidden gems cannot remain
obscured, we have to let them twinkle. If we continue to resist our
God given urge to be creative we are working against the ‘animating
force’, the quickening power’, the ‘animating energies’ of
Baha’u’llah’s Divine Plan.
Don’t
worry about getting it wrong (or right for that matter) such definitions
don’t apply here, don’t worry if people won’t know what your picture
means, don’t worry if YOU don’t know what it means. On being
asked to explain her dance, Isadora Duncan said: “If I could tell you
what it meant there would have been no point in dancing!”
Being
creative is God given and therefore mysterious. We cannot always know what
we do or be able to explain it explicitly using words, but more often than
not, once we settle into an artistic activity we begin to feel a sense of
freedom that is liberating. (if we feel frustrated that is only
because that critical, self-censoring voice in our brain in chatting too
loudly – ask it nicely to go away and get back to your collage!)
In
his book, ‘Playing and Exploring’, educationalist Robin Hodgkin, wrote
about this sensation of freedom in terms of freedom from something and
freedom for or towards something new:
“A
person who is involved in the process of discovery is likely to feel a
sense of freedom, even though many rules and frustrations may press hard
upon him. A creative act feels free ... because it results in a move
’upwards’ into a more highly ordered state from a simpler one.
For example: when we utter a spontaneous sentence we move ‘up’ from
words into language... Freedom, then is experienced both from constraints
and for a higher level.” (p. 65)
We
all yearn for that higher level of understanding, that clarity that comes
from closeness to the Well-Spring of Truth, that sense of freedom to be
our true selves. I work as a theatre practitioner, but I have always
been shy of singing, I could never stand the sound of my own voice, until
I started singing in study circles. I had enjoyed art as a child,
but never excelled and therefore let it slide, in the past couple of years
I have made more pictures, collages and tissue paper creations than I did
in my whole education at school. I have also discovered that as a
visual and kinesthetic learner I really need the artistic or imaginative
activities to help me memorize concepts and quotations. This helps
me share the Faith more confidently with my friends and colleagues who
have questions.
Creativity
however it is expressed is a means by which we can open our hearts to each
other and gain the confidence to be open to all, in all we do.
‘No
sooner is this resplendent word uttered, than its animating energies,
stirring within all created things, give birth to the means and
instruments whereby such arts can be produced and perfected’.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 142)
Jessica
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Coventry UK Tutor’s
Conference – February 5th 2005