Is Creativity a Waste of Time?

If you’re new here, welcome! I’m Barbara Ellen McMahon, author of the novella, Mrs. Rochester. It’s a sequel to Jane Eyre. This time, it’s Jane who’s locked in the attic and there’s a new governess. It’s available on Kobo, where it’s been getting rave reviews. If you enjoy my writing here, chances are you’ll love Mrs. Rochester.

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I saw a quote by Meister Eckhart that said, “The soul among all creatures is generative, like God is.” And, while I don’t fully agree with it — I think that the other creatures on this earth are far more complex than we’ve been giving them credit for — I was taken by that word, generative. It works in ways that creative doesn’t. Because creative has come to mean something very specific. It’s not just making something or trying something like a creative practice. It’s also now bound up with being productive, with having something to show for the time you’ve put in, to prove it wasn’t time wasted, extra points if it’s pretty. Which, ugh! Why do we keep doing this to ourselves? I blame capitalism, of course.

But generative, while it might still be bound up in productivity, — hell, even rest has gotten bound up in productivity — is less about “the arts” and having to be good at something and more about the things you do to build a life. So, cooking is generative and so is going for a run. Sitting down to a meal with the people you love is a generative act. In my worldview, they’re creative acts, but in my world, creativity is a mostly happy, unpressured thing. I know it’s not that way for everybody. They feel pressured to be good at whatever they do, to have something to show for their creative time, or that time has been wasted.

I do fall into this trap on a regular basis. I’m not immune to the pressure, even if I can see it clearly. I found out that daily journaling has proven health benefits and now I’m expecting it to heal me. As in, make the RA go away and keep the cancer from coming back.

But that’s not really how it works. I can say yay for the health benefits, and I really do feel better since I started this daily practice. But I can work through the challenges of life as a sick woman through my creativity, as I think up work-arounds for the things I used to take for granted. My creative practices add so much joy to my life, which makes me feel better. If it doesn’t make me all better, that doesn’t mean I’m doing creativity wrong. The creativity, the generative acts mean I’m getting my life right. They don’t need to be anything but what they are.

I’m learning this, bit by bit. I make my art to make my art and write my poetry to write my poetry. Sometimes, I show it off and sometimes I keep it to myself, but I always love the time I spend doing it. It doesn’t bring me closer to God (sorry Meister Eckhart, I’m not sure God exists), but it does bring me closer to me.

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Don’t forget, my book, Mrs. Rochester, is available on Kobo. Your purchase helps to support an independent author.