The most creative people are often also the most sensitive.
Creatives not only see the world differently, but we also feel the world differently.
Simply put, creatives feel more.
We experience everything more intensely.
But with these amplified sensitivities, the world can become extremely overwhelming at times.
This is why sensitivity and creativity seem to go hand-in-hand so often.
A creative’s artistic outlet is a way to process the unique way that we experience the world.
Because creatives take so much in from every experience and interaction, we need a way to let out our feelings and this is where art, in whatever form that happens to take, becomes so essential to our lives.
The artist sees the light where there may otherwise be none and, when there is no light to see, they create it.
One of the reasons that the arts are so important for our children is because, in difficult times, the people we turn to and count on to lead us through are not those who who follow instructions the best, but those who come up with creative solutions, who think outside the box, and who can imagine and manifest a future that was previously thought impossible. When faced with uncommon problems, we need uncommon solutions. We need creativity, imagination, and vision.
The arts may not be the answer to all of the world’s problems, but they are a compliment to all other skills. The arts teach us that we have the ability to bring our imaginations to life, to envision something new and beautiful, and to draw it, paint it, compose it, play it, write it, or even cook it. And, the arts teach us how to work within constraints, to use a limited palette, to stay within a specific style, to utilize a certain number of ingredients, and to use those constraints to make something beautiful, moving, and perhaps even life changing.
Studying the arts teaches us not only to look at beauty, but to look for beauty, even in the ugliest of places, circumstances, or experiences. Beyond that, the arts teach us, that when there is no beauty to be found, we have the ability to create it for ourselves and, ultimately, to share it with others. Within every scientific, mathematical, medicinal, or technical innovation or advancement is a little bit, or perhaps a lot, of art and creativity.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.
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If you want certainty, do not choose to live a creative life. If you want certainty, choose instead a life of practicality.
‘Fairy Potato’ by Ana
If we choose a creative life, we do not know what the future will hold. We do not know if things will work out. We do not know if we will earn a living. We do not know if others will find value in our work, if they will be inspired by it, if they will support our efforts, or if they will even notice. The creative path is one of uncertainty.
On the other hand, if we choose a life wherein we deny our creative nature, wherein we choose practicality and stability over uncertainty, the future is guaranteed. We are still not guaranteed to earn a living. We are still not guaranteed to be employed or even employable. We are still not guaranteed to be make a difference, to be be supported, or even noticed. None of those things are ever guaranteed.
If we choose to ignore our creative drive, to mute our inner voice, and to dampen the spark that wants so desperately to become a raging fire, we are guaranteed only one thing. We are guaranteed to not be creative. We will always wonder what could have and should have been, and to regret never having had the courage to give ourselves the opportunity to explore, discover, and express who we truly are and have to offer the world around us.
With creativity comes uncertainty, but uncertainty is the path of possibility.
“In life, so too it is in budo. In budo, so too it is in life.”
-Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Creativity is hope’s shield and sword. Make something. Put it into the world. Share your vision. Share your ideas. Share your art. Inspire others. Inspire hope. Change the world.
“Swords” by Ana
“As in life, so too in budo. As in budo, so too in life.”
-Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Meditations on God 