You asked me how to get out of the finite dimensions when I feel like it. I certainly don’t use logic when I do it. Logic’s the first thing you have to get rid of.
J.D. Salinger
A creative experiment I tried many years ago was an exercise in the singular nature of duality. Yes, that sounds like something your college professor would tell you to write a 30 page paper about, but it was a way for me to further explore the wonderfulness of how all things are connected. It was nothing too complicated – just one photo and one haiku per day. The only “rule” was that both had to be created on the same day, and I couldn’t use past poems or images.
This was a great way to explore themes in nature, push my ability to make each day its own experience, and engage consistent creative practices. I posted the images and words on Instagram, and pretty soon others were doing the same. It was lovely to see all these folks walking in their creative selves, and it brought me a good feeling to have been an inspiration to others…until a more well known person started using my words – not my images or poems – to gather more followers.
You see, there’s nothing new in this world. As much as we might like to think we are the original maker of something, that is just not how it works. For every idea you have, 400 people have had it as well – and out of these folks, 100 of them have actually made it happen. Out of those few, a smaller amount decided to put some kind of legal layers into the mix, preventing others from taking their “idea.”
Admittedly, that action made me feel a little bit aggravated. I had worked hard to come up with this creative process, and by golly my claim on it was known by many, with lots of advice to put all of my work into a book of some kind. Didn’t these 400 people know how hard it had been to get this off the ground? Didn’t the few that took it to a more professional place understand that this was my SOUL that was being shared? Like, come on, I was clearly the originator of such a wonderful thing.
Except that I wasn’t, and I never will be. Why? Because there’s nothing new under the Sun.
However, there are new ways to transform ideas. Along with that when we move our idea from thought to action, we are the crucible of individuality that provides a dash of alchemical process. Or, with less philosophy jargon, we pull from a common place, forging our own essence into something miraculous.
There have been many more situations like the one above, and I’m absolutely positive there will be more. Humans have this interesting way of walking around in the thought of model/rival. We see that someone else is doing something that makes them happy, so we want to mimic it. That doesn’t make those folks any less authentic, and it doesn’t take away from what you are doing. We are all just trying to walk each other home.
My ancestral Scandinavian self is planning to engage fully in the art of Hygge this year. I’ve tried to implement this several times over the years, but life just kind of did what it does best. You know…the whole if you want to make the Universe laugh, tell it your plans kind of experience. Also, there’s this thing that happens when I make proclamations about this, or that, thing, which is like a magnet for the Holy Trickster. It’s the Universe’s way of saying, “Hold my ambrosia.”
In this time of quiet reflection, and catching up on all the books in my “to read” pile, I’m taking some classes in topics that are of personal interest like Norse Mythology, how to use Google docs more proficiently, and world religions. Along with those I’m taking courses that will give me a larger basket of skills to use with my clients – everything from inclusiveness in healthcare to religions of antiquity. While I would love to take these in a college setting, with others who love to learn everything there is to learn about everything, the resources to do that aren’t available for me at this time. While that may seem like a setback to some, I see it as an opportunity to do a little DIY degree program work. There are a few remaining goals in my life that need some grace and ease to make them more solid, so I welcome the slow time of Winter to give them space to grow.
And, you know, I’m not the first person to do this…but I am the only me that will transform what I learn into my own path.
Today I invite you to look at something in your life, that took a lot of work on your part, only to be “borrowed” by another. Did you stop doing that thing after you realized someone was “copying” you? Were you inspired on a deeper level to keep going? How did you feel when you first realized that someone out in the wide world was doing the exact same thing as you? Sit with those thoughts a moment – maybe write them down in a journal – then look at them a different way. Ponder how that person is not you, and doesn’t have the same transformation skills you do. Let go of the thought about imitation being a form of flattery, and keep your love of what you do close to your heart. People can try to be like you…but they will never, not ever, be you.
Sending support your way – know that I see you out there shining brightly as the Sun. It’s okay to feel not so okay sometimes, but if those feeling become overwhelming, reach out to someone that can help.
Much love,
KEU
Kim Upton 