Anything Goes : Ancient philosophies believed creativity was channelled, rather than originated by the individual. by Emma Mills Bsc (hons) Psych

Sitcom creativity comes from the mundane but deeper levels of creativity come from the mysterious unknown.

You know Gary, there was a philosopher called.....Montaigne. He was really into the mundane. Have you heard of him? He thought, if more people talked about the mundane, we would probably like ourselves more :) perhaps if he were alive today, he''d make sitcoms. I did a little mundane blog on him last year http://emma-mills.tumblr.com/post/20459500071/montaigne-the-key-to-bette...

Excellent point. But a fart is still just a fart unless there is someone to give it meaning beyond the mundane. I think sitcoms like "Seinfeld", "Sex in the City" and "Entourage" move in that direction while many of the rest are just like the chatter of barking dogs. That being said, the secret of humility is that you can learn something from almost anything from anywhere at any place, even mundane sitcoms, I suppose.

Actually, I believe my talent is channelled rather than being innate to any great degree! Of course, I need to know the basics, and I need to know what goes where and actually do what I do - but (without this turning into a theological diatribe) I am sure that what I do I do by the grace of the Goddess. I have many reasons for thinking this, not just because of my personal faith - which is great. For instance, many of my works - including the picture you see as my profile image, and those in my pictures section, and the tunes in my reels - are not planned productions. Sometimes, yes, I will start out to do something and finish what I set out to do, but many times I start something and just go almost into a dreamlike state and then, suddenly, it's done. Or maybe things will suggest themselves and I implement them and, hey presto, it's genius. But it's not my genius. Genius doesn't happen by serendipity - at least not so often as I experience. It may be innate but if it is, then it must have come from somewhere. So I thank the Goddess - and my art is appreciation for the power I have been given to create it.

I strongly believe it originates within the individual who opens himself to be both a participant and a documentarian of the human experience in all it's richness.

Channeled by our inside. We create inside and channel the new idea to our minds. This called inspiration…

Wow - So many ideas and perspectives guys! Thanks! I've seen the ted talk lyse, what did you think of it? i love the idea of the pet being chased by the inspiration :)

I think that true creativity is a combination of both approaches and occurs when you tap into the greater collective consciousness and grab an idea. This idea is channeled into the filter of your mind/heart/spirit (whatever you want to call it). It then comes out of your filter and the combined result is unique creativity.

It is possible that those who claim genius is innate are guilty of unwarranted self-aggrandisement. As a practitioner of majickal arts, one gets to know that one's ability to practice majick comes from the Universe, rather than oneself. In a way, majick is for everyone - we all live, we all create, we all love, and all this is majick. What is for everyone is given to us, rather than innate; what is innate is that we choose to take advantage, or if you like allow ourselves to be guided towards taking advantage, of what's out there. Inspiration, after all, does not happen overnight, and if we nurture that capacity to be inspired, then that is the seat of true genius. We are, rather than masters of nature, a constituent part of nature - and there is glory in that.

Wow - this is some realy interesting stuff guys! Ilike all the comments so far!

A man much wiser than myself said that genuine emotions are grabbed, not pushed.