2/17/11—Inspiring Self and Others

Today's Draw: Two of Wands from the Cosmic Tribe. What creative force is burning inside of you? And how did it ignite? What is your inspiration for the things you create in your life? How does your creativity move others?

 

Traditionally the Two of Wands speaks of surveying the landscape and taking stock before taking action. But Stevee Postman presents a very different take. I wish I could reprint his entire entry for this card, because it was very evocative ...and insightful. But basically what he was saying is that the two wands are like magnets—at once opposing forces and complementary. And at the point they meet, they cause a creative reaction, producing a third thing, that in this suit is passion, fire, and creativity. This is the point where our bodies (action) and our psyche (inspiration) align...a point of power...a point of creating something new. And it requires a delicate balance to keep us in that place.

I'm privileged with the way I live my life. My career requires me to create daily. I'm self employed, which makes it even more "artsy"...haha. And although I have good days and bad days with that, I've never failed to cross those wands in the right place. Which means I can create without the fire consuming me. I can create and walk away from my creation. The creating fuels my life, but doesn't dictate it. I'm not owned by it. Instead I own it. At least in my current writing career. I know this all sounds braggy, but it's not. I'm not saying that makes me good at what I do, rather it makes it possible for me to do it day after day for 25 years without it killing me or exhausting me unduly.

I think I've always had a need within me to move others. In high school I was in every play and musical. I minored in Theater and also studied voice in college. The drive toward expression through performance was to move an audience. And for my career, that's exactly what I do in the most literal sense of the word. Advertising is all about moving an audience. And as I move forward with my writing, it will also be about moving an audience. I don't know why or where this need to inspire and incite came from, but it reaches every cell of my body.

And that's really what any sort of aesthetic creativity is about...moving others. Having an effect. Advertising is nice because it covers the whole range. Some ads simply want to incite action, yes, but how? Through emotion. Through inspiration. Whatever. Advertising, at one time or another, has provided me with every type of opportunity. I've written poetry, gotten philosophical, used humor, brought others to tears. It's a playground for creation and that's why I imagine I'll always have a love for it. So what's your story?