The Search for Myself
All the music I write is a search for myself.
— Bruce Hornsby
While writing my first book, I came upon a Buddhist text in which the author confessed, “I have no pretension that I am writing this book for any purpose other than my own awak–ening. ” His candor struck a chord deep within me as I realized that I, too, write primarily for the healing of my own mind and spirit. Since then, I have spoken to countless creative artists who agree that even if no one else ever read their books, saw their paintings, or listened to their music, all of their efforts would be worth the sheer joy of producing the work.
For whom are your creative efforts directed? Do you write, sing, or dance for worldly approval, or are you hearkening to the inner writer, singer, or dancer calling to express and celebrate?
We teach what we need to learn. Sometimes teachers are reluctant to admit that they need to study what they are teaching, but that is the very reason we are in a particular position. In college, I learned a famous re–laxation technique developed by a renowned psychologist. My friend met the man and described him as “one of the most uptight people I have ever met. ” Was he a hypocrite? Not necessarily. If you teach what you have mastered, even while you’re learning more, you are in integrity. The tech–nique this man developed for his own healing helped many people who applied it.
Your right place is the one in which you are receiving the most edifi–cation. The fact that other people receive a benefit is the icing on the cake. Do what is healing to your spirit, and without effort you will offer the world healing in return.
Direct me to the work that will feed my soul,
that I may feed others.
I do what I love, and the world loves
what I do.
No comments:
Post a Comment