"The ideal artist is he who knows everything, feels everything, experiences everything, and retains his experience in a spirit of wonder and feeds upon it with creative lust."
American Painter
1882 - 1925
Dempsey and Firpo (1924) |
Do you experience the world in a spirit of wonder? Are you surprised by the things that happen or have you become cynical and negative? A creative leader must be like a young child soaking up life and enjoying every moment of it. Everything that happens to us — good, bad and indifferent — is fuel for our creative lust. I don't believe artists and writers experience the world at a deeper level then other people. It's more they have learned to use that experience to feed their creativity.
Creativity is both sexual and sensuous. When we are painting and writing, we have a deep desire to create, to give birth. We can feel the lust in our loins, the joy in our hearts. How powerful is your desire to create? Can you feel it deep within your body? Does every part of you tingle with excitement? Can you taste the lips of your lover?