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In the 2004 movie “Collateral,” starring Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise, Annie, a federal prosecutor, loses a bet with Max over the best route to her destination. Annie, still in the cab, perceives she can trust Max, the cab driver, and starts confiding in him. Max says, "You didn't answer my question. Do you like what you do?" Annie, tentatively, replies, "Yeah." Max senses her apprehension and says, "But not today." Annie explains, "No. I do. It's like I can't wait. I love standing in that courtroom." But, she is still haunted by thoughts like, "I'm gonna lose. My case sucks, my exhibits aren't in order, I'm not prepared enough, people are going to figure out that I don't know what I'm doing and that I've been running a charade all these years. I represent the Department of Justice and my opening statement is going to fall flat at the most important point and the jury's going to laugh at me. And, then I cry. I don't throw up—a lot of people throw up—I have a strong stomach. And, then I pull myself together, rewrite my opening statement, work the exhibits, and that's what I do for the rest of the night—that's my routine. In the morning it starts, and I'm fine."
I can relate to Annie. I often, in fact usually, do not feel comfortable or confident with my Sunday Message until early Sunday AM. One thing I do, to finishing getting ready, is to go into deep relaxation early Sunday. I find that the inner Spirit seems to weave all together, while I just watch myself preaching, as though I am in the audience. I get up and get ready to leave the house. Often, I do not write anything down, the message is so much a part of me. I give it as an extemporaneous oral event. By about 11:30 AM, I cannot wait to stand up and preach. I find the challenge and mystery of being up before others, holding their attention, and utilizing emotion, alterations in voice, movement of body, presence of spirit, responding to nonverbal cues, … to be what I think many musicians must feel when they are performing. The sermon, well, it is my painting, my opus, my show, so to speak; it is a manifestation of the Divine Dance, the music of Creation coursing through everything. No, this feeling does not happy every Sunday, though, thankfully, most Sundays. Some Sundays I walk away knowing something was missing. But, I do not linger over such thoughts or feelings. Nor do I blame myself or the others present. There is a mystery about creating that is Divine, and we can never manage that mystery.
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To create requires more than intent or passion, it requires discipline. Inspiration births discipline, discipline leads into action. Creativity does not just happen. When it seems just to happen, the just happening is connected in some way to readiness for it to happen. Creativity flows from prior preparation. Being creative entails a daily, often demanding, commitment to a way of life, being a particular kind of person, and engaging all life, not just some of it, in a certain way. To do good art, one has to become the art. To create inspirational art, one must become an inspirational person. Why? For art comes from the spirit, it is a fruition, not a production.
To enjoy spiritual Calling as divine art, one has to commit to the Calling with ultimate devotion, for the Calling is the claim of God on the life of that person. Not to honor the Calling is to dishonor the Creator of the Calling. And, no one who respects God, you, or Calling will desire you to be untrue to your Calling. Love never asks for faithlessness, always for fidelity to essence and Vocation.
We can face self-doubts about the gifts we are given. We might question our potential, often, when we feel an urge to create. We may feel that we cannot meet the demands of creativity. Or, we may fear that others will see, through what we create, too much of who we really are, so we avoid the vulnerability that art demands of us. Likewise, we may hesitate, at times, to claim our gifts, for no one has ever commended our efforts. Or, maybe we once tried and seemed to fail. That is okay, you would not want to hear my earliest sermons, either. And, frankly, I do not consider myself any great poet, but if only you could read those first poems I “tried” to write!
So, what is the secret of creativity? There is no secret. But, I give some ideas. First, become. You must become the art you want to flow through you. In some sense no one creates art; rather, the inspiration flows through you and it forms in a work. Second, action. Claim what your soul wants you to do, work at preparing your heart and mind for it and, then, trust the inner Spirit to bring it together just when you need help. You cannot control this process, you can only surrender to it. Third, enjoy. Enjoy the process, regardless of the apparent outcome. Do not so focus on producing that you fail to realize the process itself is the greatest pleasure. Fourth, reflect. If you do these things, when you lie upon your bed at night, you can delight at what you brought forth that day, or what passed through you from inspiration into formation.
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