Creativity

I watched the movie Rockstar a few days back. The film is ostensibly about a talented singer who is told that he needs to experience pain in order to become a truly successful musician of the likes of Jim Morrison. But the movie is also a typical Hollywood musical with the exotic locales of Kashmir and Prague to spice up the lukewarm chemistry between the boy (Janardhan aka Jordan) and the girl Heer, the muse (aka cause of the pain). While Ranbir Kapoor has done a wonderful job of portraying the main character, the movie does not delve into the psyche of the musician to show his internal evolution from simple boy-next-door to the physically violent artist whose name appears on billboards.

The life of a creative person is supposed to be full of internal and external strife that provides the grist for the creative energy that begs to be let out. A mystery to the majority of us who seem to lead obviously peaceful (aka boring) lives. I have always wondered about the origin of creativity - is it something that is simmering and boiling within these left-brain type people or is it divine intervention that leads to an outpouring of something extraordinary? The best explanation I have found on this subject is in a TED talk by writer Elizabeth Gilbert, best-selling author of the memoir "Eat Pray Love" (link provided below).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA

Why do creative people have this ability to connect with large number of fellow humans but fail at the basic mechanics of living a full life? Many creative people meet violent and untimely death, sometimes at their own hands. Is a "normal" life mutually exclusive from a "creative" life? Are poets, writers, dancers, musicians or artists doomed by their own genius? I don't think so. In recent times we have lost M.F. Husain, Dev Anand, Jagjit Singh and other well-known creative people who lived reasonably long lives, with M.F. Husain leading the pack. Even today we have sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, a living legend who has contributed greatly to the awareness of Indian music on the international scene.

I don't believe creativity short circuits a long life. There is divine intervention in the creation of things of beauty and there is personal struggle. Both are to be experienced. Both are to be borne. Being aware of that drop of divine blessing in the murky waters of ones creative endeavors brings a lightness to the act of creation and releases the artist from the burdens of meeting expectations of their adoring audiences. This perhaps is the hardest lesson to learn. Some leave too soon, before the wisdom of age can dawn while others shine with this knowledge long enough to leave a rich legacy.