Becoming “Reborn”

I believe that everyone is inherently creative.

In many religious texts, Man is created in God’s image. God is the ultimate creator, so it would make sense that we would be mini-creators.

I find it fascinating that each member of the human race is a born artist – or, as Steven Pressfield would call it, a Craftsman or -woman.

The Craftsman who has made the choice to be committed, whether she knows it or not, is embarking on a journey of self-transformation. That means that she is engaged in a process at the end of which she will not be the same person – literally.

I like to think of my own journey in these terms. Remember a few weeks back when I talked about the Renaissance, and how that word actually means “Rebirth”? Well, that’s effectively what all artists are doing. We’re re-birthing ourselves.

Birth is usually a pretty painful, messy process. And rebirth is no easier. But knowing this, we can view our trials and challenges in a more optimistic light – as serving us rather than hindering us.

Here’s something I’ve found from my own experience:

In the midst of a difficult change, I’ve often found that things get harder from all angles. It never rains, but it pours. I get hit from all sides, like a defensive quarterback who’s surrounded by members of the opposing team. Here is where I have a choice. I can get reactive, and engage in old, often destructive habits – sleeping in, staying up late, eating cake. OR, I can change. I can grow. I can make the right choice.

In these telling moments, it is our response that determines the course of our transformation, our rebirth. These difficulties are actually little tests. Will we crumble – or will we transform? That’s how I like to look at it, anyway. This, to me, is the true meaning of living as a little version of God. It’s not just what we create, but how we respond.

How we live our lives.

Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Well, I’d like to say, in the same spirit, “The creative life is the only life worth living.”

It’s through being creative – not only through our crafts, but in the way that we respond to adversity – that we transform, that we become reborn.