In a spiffy article in The New York Times, "Creativity Becomes an Academic Discipline," Laura Pappano writes about a new phenomenon."Creative" has been the most used buzzword in LinkedIn profiles two years running; this social media site is used by individuals to build and manage their professional networks. In 2010, an I.B.M. survey of 1500 chief executives found that they viewed creativity as the factor most crucial for success.

That is why creative studies courses are sprouting up on university course lists and as a credential. These offerings emphasize process skills, strategies to reframe challenges and transform information, and material on divergent (generating multiple ideas) and convergent thinking (finding out what works). Creative studies are options for those in business, education, digital media, humanities, arts, science, engineering, public policy, health care, and other fields.

According to philosopher Paul Brunton: "The creative faculty should be cultivated and developed as both a great aid to and an expression of spiritual growth." We agree and that is why Spirituality & Practice has reviews of a wide range of books about how the soul is nourished through painting, drawing, writing, dancing, singing, movies, the crafts, and other media and art forms. Of course, the creative spirit can also abound in cooking, sewing, gardening, tai chi, storytelling, sexuality, service of others, prophetic expression, volunteerism, ritual, and many types of personal transformation. S&P is currently putting together a "Practice Toolkit" which will include more than 250 ways the sacred can be explored through practices that enrich our lives; many of them are creative.

  • One way to begin on the spiritual path of creativity is to take our 40-part e-course "Practicing Spirituality through Creativity." It is available on-demand so you can choose your own start date and frequency for the emails; do it daily or spread it out over 40 weeks. After working with these readings and exercises, we're sure you will come to see what Julia Cameron meant when she wrote: "Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God."
  •  To discover reviews of books and children's literature about creativity and films that reflect it, search our Reviews Database. Some of our favorites:

          Writing to Wake the Soul
          How to Read a Novelist
          Art as Therapy
          Rifka Takes a Bow


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