"Release the Creative Spark" - 
We live in an age of gadgetry, designed to save us 'time'. Auto washers clean our clothes with ever increasing speed, vacuum cleaners have gone 'turbo', machines can wash our dishes, we can buy pre-prepared meals that will cook in micro minutes, use remote controls to switch on tv's and sound systems that will entertain us in the comfort of our own homes, and cars and trains will transport us to our destination faster than ever. So what do we do with all this time we have apparently saved???
Over the years as a working artist and tutor I have encountered a new mantra - 'I just haven't got the time'.... But how can this be?? Haven't all these gadgets gifted us all far more free time? We all have obligations, but what has become more and more apparent over the years is that many of us do not feel able to allow ourselves time to 'play'. Creative pursuits can all too often be regarded as perhaps a luxury, indulgence, childish, or non-essential.
Even in schools the role of play in all its glorious diversity (art, music, drama, sport, creative writing et al) has all too often been downgraded, oft times it is considered far less important in curriculums. But what message is this giving to our children? And when we as adults do not take time out to express our creative selves, are we not denying ourselves access to a precious gift? Imagine a world without music, without paintings, without poetry, novels, without drama? How dull would it be, It is these very things that make our world magical, special, and it is these things that help colour and brighten our world.
If as adults we do not take time out to express our creative selves, are we not denying ourselves access to a precious gift? There is nothing quite as magical as writing some carefully chosen words to lift a friend's spirits, designing and making a special card, painting a picture with your child or grandchildren. Being creative is to allow oneself to be spontaneous, to find that place within yourself and express aspects of your inner being that perhaps cannot be expressed in words, but can be evoked in the daubs of a paintbrush.
Many artists, crafters, call them what you will, describe a sense of wellbeing that is utterly profound, a space where time has no meaning, and one is lost in the thrall of that connection to the creative essence. Some call this experience 'the sacred void, or the hollow vessel' and it is said that all creative action comes to us as the hollow vessels via the Creator...The people of the Lakota nation say that it is the journey you take when being creative that is most important, the end result, less so. Give young children access to paper and paints and they will daub colour and express themselves with enthusiasm and verve.