2016
Typical conversations about or exposure to art, artists, and artistry are often focused on the OUTER elements: the output, the finished piece, the product, the performance, the PR, and the pay-off. Other times, it's more on technique, equipment, materials, or concepts -- which are also externals.
Somehow, the essential underlying issue / question / topic of CREATIVITY itself is usually left out.
This habitual omission perpetuates its own ignorance, and contributes to so much anxiety, ambivalence, misinformation, grief, and alienation around the topic of creative process, art, artists -- leaving many children, teens, and adults fully discouraged from even trying to participate at all.
Nurturing, growing, developing, and applying natural creativity is not prioritized in public education -- to put it mildly -- and "Creativity" is generally not offered up as a subject of study and discourse.
Why not?
One of my missions in life is to get more people thinking, learning, and speaking about creativity... and speaking the language OF creativity.
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We're all born creative, but then -- for most of us -- that creativity is "educated," socialized, shunned, and shamed into exile by the dominant people and institutions in charge of our development and lifestyle.
This is a cultural crime and a social justice issue with many serious consequences upon our individual and collective health, happiness, and sanity.
Inner Studio encourages a mindful exploration of the very nature of creativity itself. This is an inside job, requiring INNER attention, contemplative focus, guidance, support, resources, and community.
Another reason I chose INNER for my studio name because I view creativity as a key, activating ingredient for actual transformative success in our inner work.
To me, “inner work” refers to any conscious practices rooted in facing any dysfunctional, cruel, oppressive, or abusive aspects of our culture, society, history, and upbringing that currently operate inside of us and how we live our lives.
Examples of "inner work" include, but aren’t limited to: Recovery from addiction; healing from abuse or illness; trauma therapy; prayer; meditation; addressing one’s own internalized white supremacy, misogyny, homophobia, and other biases; exploring one’s intersections with privilege and oppression.
Without creativity at its spiritual center, inner work can fall short of its potential depth, impact, magic, grace, joy, meaning, and longevity.
WHAT IS CREATIVITY anyway?
Why does it matter so much?
I have so much to say about this! That's why I'm writing a book about my ideas, observations, experiences, and suggestions regarding creativity and anti-creativity culture.
-DANA