Creativity is a Doorway
Will you discover what's on the other side?
Recently, I’ve begun going to group therapy of the 12 Step variety–or as one might call it, “The Rooms.”
(Side note: I feel like “The Rooms” has a sort of omenous liminal space vibe to it. Like, is it The Rooms, or The Backrooms? I suppose time will tell.)
Anyway. In said group, there’s some phrasing in the literature that stuck with me:
Our actual parent is a higher power who some of us call God.
Now, I’ve personally had conflicted feelings about the notion of a higher power in much of my adult life. (Catholic school will do that.)
But as I’ve done “the work,” sat in “The Rooms,” drank “The Coffee,” and continued to get in touch with my true self, I’ve gradually found my way back to the idea. I’ve just had find my own winding path back to spirituality.
Quite simply, my higher power is Creativity.
For me, creativity may have started as a way to cope with struggles in childhood. But it would ultimately become much more: an identity, a passion, a love story, a calling, a spiritual practice, and—yes—a “higher power.”
Creativity is a doorway. A doorway to something bigger than you.
You can choose to open that door. You can choose to listen to what’s on the other side.
But the rest? The rest is beyond your control.
Because once that door is open, and your pen starts moving—or your paint brush, your potter’s wheel, your guitar strings, or whatever your “instrument” is—once it all starts to do its thing, it’s a sign that you’ve entered into something else.
You’re now part of a process, some mysterious other thing that’s now taking place in its own time, by its own rules, in a way that’s outside of your control.
You can call it what you want: your intuition, your true self, fate, the universe, or, yes, even a conversation with God, or whatever diety or presence opens the door for you.
It all takes you to the same place: discovering the beautiful thing that only you can make happen. Because while the process is happening in its own way, it can’t happen without you. It will begin to unfold itself—but not without your dilligence, patience, and time.
Sadly, many people don’t open the door. Or they open it once, shut it, and never go back.
This is because they’re afraid.
They’re afraid that whatever that doorway leads to is not what they originally imagined. They’re afraid of letting go—of their ego, and of their need to control. They’re afraid of failure. They’re afraid of disappointment. They’re afraid of the unknown.
This happens to all of us.
Fear is normal.
In fact, it’s part of the process. Creativity is hard.
And sometimes we might not be in a good space to create—or it might not be the right time. That’s okay, too.
But rest assured: once you tackle the fear, there is something undoubtedly powerful and beautiful waiting behind that door. And it’s something only you can tap into.
It’s all waiting for you.
All you have to do is open the door.
