Despite the Madness, Are you Filling Your (Creativity) Cup of Life?

Your Creative Spirit can be Inspired by the "Boldacious" Before Us…..

I am in my late 60’s now and like so many, I can see the end of my life ahead. It is a conscious thought, not one buried or ignored as I did during much earlier decades. The last third of my life is before me (if I am that fortunate) and I find myself exploring the question: Am I filling my cup? Whether I have before now is not up for debate, because I am powerless to change the past. I can only see it as an evolution to NOW. This present moment, and the next and the next.

Despite the crazy madness of the outer reality right now, I do have the right and the freedom to manage my inner reality and all the structures in which it exists. How I see my life and how I live it, remains up to me, despite the possible constraints and pressures in the outside environment.

Choosing to be a lawyer took me away from the path not taken – of becoming a fashion designer. During my childhood and teens, I consumed fashion magazines wherever I could and sketched my ideas and even made my own clothes well into law school. But my lack of confidence in my dream kept me walking a so-called “safer” path. Finding alternate means of expressing creativity has always been challenging, but I’ve never given up my innate desire to express my creativity - even if it involved drafting an airtight business contract which engaged imaginative creative writing skills.

Now, I live each day with some form of creativity because it makes me come alive, including writing and designing these communications for you. Arranging flowers. Decorating. Solving a problem. Coming up with any way of doing something differently. Even journaling is a creative act.

Creativity means doing something “your way" which means it cannot be authored by anyone else. Creativity is owning any expression you care to manifest. Creativity means “turning yourself inside out.” It can be audacious or it can be quiet and even hidden. But it’s all yours.

Filling the Cup with Creativity

Lately I have been fascinated, and even awed, by people who create tremendous creative output and value into the world – with passion and unrelenting passion. So many have had an inner fire or engine that could not help itself create, produce, co-create and share their gifts like an unending spout of fresh water. Some were coaxed and developed and inspired by great role models, teachers and mentors. Some were driven by a deep inner voice that helped them really know there were no limits unless you limit yourself. They can live a long life, and when the final flame is snuffed, they have burned down the candle to the bottom. Others have so much energy, and when misused or misdirected, they snuff out their own flame well before it should, and die early. Remembering Whitney Houston. Others meet tragic endings at their peak. Remembering Bessie Coleman, the first African American professional aviatrix and aerial daredevil whose flight during an aerial show rehearsal prematurely ended her life in 1926. Then, there are those who keep going until they literally drop. Remembering the inimitable Josephine Baker — a grand heroine in her life— movie star, dancer, pilot and French resistance spy, who died at age 68 of a cerebral hemorrhage amidst a pile of laudatory newspaper reviews following her grand, celebrity-studded Paris comeback.

Artists and Creatives also often represent the epitome of this. They usually have an inner fire to push boundaries and endlessly create. There are many well known examples of this, including the recently departed Quincy Jones.

“Q”

I love the story of Quincy Jones because he was the embodiment of a life lived to its fullest - creatively, fearlessly, and with an unrelenting curiosity that made him a force in music and beyond. From jazz trumpeter to groundbreaking producer, composer, arranger, and cultural visionary, “Q” didn’t just follow opportunity—he created it. He shaped the soundtracks of generations, producing Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, crafting timeless film scores, and pioneering new possibilities for Black artists in an industry rife with barriers. Yet, his genius wasn’t just in what he did, but in how he did it—with generosity, collaboration, and an expansive vision that refused to be confined to a single genre, role, or expectation.

Jones’ life was a testament to saying yes to one’s gifts and sharing them without hesitation. He brought jazz to Hollywood, hip-hop to the Grammys, and global sounds to American ears. He nurtured new talent, championed social change, and remained restless in his pursuit of something greater, always ahead of the curve. He reminds us that living large isn’t about one singular moment of brilliance, but a lifetime of showing up, pushing boundaries, and leaving the world richer than you found it. Quincy Jones didn’t just make music—he made history. I read his illuminating (last) book about his musical journey and the lessons of his life (“Twelve Notes, “On Life and Creativity”) and in that book he guides and mentors us on how to fill our cup to the brim. In the chapter entitled “Note A. Recycle Pain into Purpose” he coaches us:

“With the inevitability of hardship in this often broken world, it’s important to understand what fills your voids and also where you are projecting yours. The moment you slip into a victim mentality, not only are you faced with having to deal with external problems, but you’ve also given yourself a whole new set of internal problems that will only stunt your growth as both a human and a creative being. You don’t have to let the anguish that has permeated the pockets of your life take over.”

He also shares:

"Creativity allows us to leave parts of our experiences and our heart with those on the receiving end. And whether it’s now, or long after we’ve left this planet, I believe there’s a reason for it all."

Jack Whitten — Artist Extraordinare

Very recently, I was made aware of an amazing abstract artist – Jack Whitten. I feel embarrassed not to have known about him. He was also African American and grew up in the Jim Crow South. MOMA is now featuring a huge exhibit of his work. I am so awed and dizzy by the beauty, power and imagination of his art over more than six decades of his life. His art also commemorated so many important, poignant moments of our history, including the racist bombing death of four Black girls in a Birmingham, Alabama Baptist church in 1963 and 9-11. Whitten revolutionized abstract painting by making art of the paint itself – making sculpted and shaped pieces of the paint itself. His art evolved as well and now we can see it all in one place. He painted until he died. His studio still stands and still reverberates his audacious ideas.

“9-11-01” Jack Whitten

So, what is my real point?

Be Inspired…..

Despite how mad and crazy this world is, we must remember that we are each here to fully and unabashedly be our unique and beautiful selves – to pour the pure essence of ourselves into the world. Life IS short. Expressing creativity and boldness of self-expression are some elements of it. (I’ll offer more in future essays.) This means that we externalize our inner gifts and talents to beautify, connect and enhance our world around us. That is because we can. That is because we are best suited to offer WHO and WHAT we are. It means that we push back the boundaries and criticisms others lay at our feet, even those with sneers. We are not meant to live in any one else’s shoes but our own. Our candle wicks will eventually burn out…in the meantime, we need to shine!

I’m now committed to a fantastic, art-making program to ignite my soul to show its colors for the next few months.

I’m so excited!

Journal Question: “How will I fill my Creativity Cup today?