In the movie Cast Away, Chuck Noland (played by Tom Hanks) was planed-wrecked in an island all alone, as the plane he was on crashed in the sea! In the movie what struck me till today, was the way that Chuck coped with his loneliness for four years in this remote island. The loneliness he felt was so painful that Chuck makes a Wilson volleyball (aptly named “Wilson”) his closest friend. “Wilson” becomes Chuck only “friend” and was with him till he was rescued. This might seem as something quite normal for someone who was probably going insane due to the solitude he felt, but what’s interesting was the creative process that took place. You see in a way, Chuck created something, and that process of creating helped him cope with the loneliness! 

We are either creative or we give ourselves over to some kind or brutality. This also could mean that it’s either we become artists of some kind or we become demons. It’s not only in the process of creating a person out of the volleyball that this is relevant; rather the whole dialogue that took place with that object, was a creation, like poetry. Well, it definitely was not Shakespeare, but it was still some sort of art, that helped this Chuck stay in touch with his humanity i.e. his soul. Creativity, both in what it spawns within the artist, can be a vital source of keeping one’s sanity.

But is this true? Are artists and creative persons less violent than others? Generally speaking, yes. Whatever their faults, rarely are artists war-makers. Why? Because violence despoils the very aesthetic order which artists value so much, and more importantly, because creating beauty of any sort helps mellow the spirit inside of the person who is creating it. If Chuck had not created a friend out of the volleyball, he would have probably grown bitter and violent in some way.

Simply put, we all have to try our best to be creative in any way that we can possibly find.  But, whom do we judge to be creative? Only those who have many albums to their names, composed a symphony, perhaps a concerto, or had their achievements publicly noted. But 99 per cent of creativity hasn’t anything to do with that. Creativity is not ultimately about public recognition or outstanding achievement. It’s about self-expression, about nurturing something into life, and about the satisfaction this brings with it.

Creativity can be as simple (and as wonderful) as making a cake, growing flowers, writing poems for the one you love, being a teacher, making a kite, sewing, raising children, taking photos, and of course, playing the classical guitar. You only have to love doing it.

William Stafford, the American poet suggests that we should all write a poem every morning. How is this possible, someone once asked him, when we don’t feel creative? His reply, “Lower your standards!”  No doubt, high standards are in a way necessary in helping us improve, but sometimes the journey can be more beautiful than the destination. We might never reach the standards that we or our critics set for ourselves, but doing the best we can, within our capabilities, will never be in vain.

So even if you’re an amateur, making music in the privacy of your room, or a professional playing for a large audience; it’s important that we keep creating. We need it, our soul needs it and the world needs it. I certainly need it!