Inner Balance in the Quest for Creativity

Attending the Susan Point show, Spindle Whorl at the Vancouver Art Gallery got me thinking about the balance of Masculine and Feminine in the quest for creativity. Point so beautifully blends the two elements in her work. She has such a design eye and has ventured into her art career with a drive for success. Not only does she create monumental public art pieces on a mass scale – commonly a male domain – but she produces prints and is strategic about getting her art into the public eye. The way she tackles her art career is very masculine.

Her art flows and moves, it reaches deep into the subconscious of both her culture and humanity at large

However, in the execution and content of her work, Point is undeniably feminine. Her art flows and moves, it reaches deep into the subconscious of both her culture and humanity at large. Thematically she draws on the very feminine nature of her Coast Salish ancestry: fish, water, spindle whorls and hints at spiritual transformation – both human and animal. Walking through her exhibit is like walking through mist and out the other side, forever different for the experience.

“The Circle Within” by Susan Point includes both masculine and feminine elements

Although men usually have more masculine traits and women usually have more feminine ones, I am not speaking of gender here or of the value of one over the other

Point has managed what few have; to blend masculine and feminine in the quest for a path to bringing her gifts into the world. Here I would like to clarify that when I say masculine and feminine, I am not referring to men and women. Although men usually have more masculine traits and women usually have more feminine ones, I am not speaking of gender here or of the value of one over the other. My discussion of creativity as it relates to masculine and feminine balance is purely in the context of finding an inner balance of the two, regardless of how masculine or feminine you appear or act. Appearance is not a measure of inner balance.

As is evidenced by our eternal search for someone or something to complete our inner void, we were all born with certain characteristics, some more masculine and some more feminine. This fact exists regardless of what sex we were born. Masculinity and Femininity simply exist as two opposing – or potentially complementary – energetic forces.

It is only through embracing what you were born with AS WELL AS stretching into what comes harder for you that you will start living in the world of creativity

Creative flow can be achieved in part through seeking a balance of these two forces. Am I talking about being more like a man if you’re a woman, or being more like a woman if you are a man? Absolutely not! Rejecting, for example, your femininity as a woman will not bring balance. If you were born a woman and have primarily masculine traits, society makes it even harder to embrace who you are. But it is only through embracing what you were born with AS WELL AS stretching into what comes harder for you that you will start living in the world of creativity.

The experience of creativity itself is the gift and the product is the gift to the world

I like to think of creativity as the gift that comes as a result of true commitment to change, years of hard work on yourself and relentlessly returning to your goals and path no matter what challenges life throws your way. Creativity is the measure of how far you have come and how committed you are. Anyone who has been there knows that there is nothing that compares to the creative flow. There is perfect balance, feminine/masculine, calm/flurry, inner/outer … all the seemingly opposing forces unexplainably work together in perfect synchronicity to birth a creation that comes about through you, but doesn’t seem to really be of you. The experience of creativity itself is the gift and the product is the gift to the world.

Shawn Hunt plays with masculine and feminine elements here

Creative flow exists only when you can draw on your own divine source of energy and that means finding ways to balance yourself

So how exactly does balancing masculine and feminine help with creative flow? Think about the kind of space you are in when you are longing for someone or feeling like someone isn’t filling the void you think they should in your life. What does it feel like? Sit with that feeling for a few minutes … or maybe just seconds because it’s not a fun place to be! Then suggest, gently, that you might have the capacity to fill some of that void yourself. Now what does that feel like? Empowering, fulfilling, purposeful … perhaps creative? Creative flow exists only when you can draw on your own divine source of energy and that means finding ways to balance yourself.

The next step is to bring creativity into running a school, a country, or, more importantly, a prison or rehabilitation centre

I write about creativity because I am passionate about change, and I believe that creativity is not the sole domain of artists and musicians. I believe that people in the creative disciplines are here to show us what creativity looks like. The next step is to bring creativity into running a school, a country, or, more importantly, a prison or rehabilitation centre. Change starts in one place only, your own life. And finding balance is the start of that journey.

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If you liked this article, you might also like “The Creative Sweet Spot”

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