Creativity as a Doorway

I have more ideas for art than I have hours in the day. Not every idea becomes a finished piece, but each idea is an invitation, should I choose to open this door to explore something deeper. There’s something undeniably addictive to me about the creative process. Sure, I enjoy the challenge of making something visual but, it's more than that; it’s about slipping into a state of presence so complete that it feels as though something greater is moving through me. In those moments, I am a conduit, and art is my medium.

People often say things like, “You’re so gifted,” or “You’re so talented”—as if creativity is something we’re simply born with. I know it’s meant as a compliment, and I appreciate the sentiment. But within creative communities, it’s a common conversation—how those words sometimes overlook the years of dedication it takes to refine our craft. Creativity isn’t just a spark; it’s a discipline. It's as much training as it is inspiration.

Being a creative person is a bit like being a marathon runner and a bodybuilder.  No one runs 26 miles or lifts 300 pounds on the first day. You build up your creative muscle slowly over time. Except, we don't know where we are running each time we start, or even how much "heavy lifting" may be required to acheive the result we are going for. Drawing, shading, composition, perspective—these are the foundational exercises for me as a visual artist. And every artist hones these over time, in their own way, following their curiosity like a compass. What drives many of us is our obsession, our love, and our want to master bringing the ideas to life. That’s the beauty of art: there are endless ways to create, and no single path.

But then there are moments— where you let go, you build upon technique while allowing yourself to play. You experiment. You deviate. You take risks. And in that divergence, something magical happens. New styles, and sometimes entire art movements are born. You open a door—not just for yourself, but for others.

In one of my recent live painting sessions, someone remarked how refreshing it was to sit in a room full of people quietly creating, free of small talk, yet rich with connection. In the pauses, deep conversations emerged—not forced, but flowing. That openness, sensitivity, that presence in service to an idea, is part of what draws many of us to art in the first place. It’s not just about what we make—it’s about the space we enter when we’re making. 

It's the openness—to practice, to presence, to evolution—that shapes an artist. And when creative people tap into that openness, we don’t just make art. We are able to offer others a glimpse of something they didn’t know they needed to see—a new way of perceiving things.

Creativity isn’t just expression. It’s transformation. It’s a doorway. And every time we step through it, we come back changed. To make art of any kind, is a way to make one's soul grow.

I'll leave you with this quote from a book that I love.

“The man who comes back through the Door... will never be quite the same as the man who went out. He will be wiser but less sure, happier but less self-satisfied, humbler in acknowledging his ignorance yet better equipped to understand the relationship of words to things, of systematic reasoning to the unfathomable mystery which it tries, forever vainly, to comprehend.” — Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception*