Sixth Street Melodrama and Theater

A lot of my creative energy has been spent at our local theater that past 10 years or so.

I was in my first summer melodrama in the summer of 2004, I believe.  After that first summer, I was hooked.

Since that first experience on the Sixth Street stage, I have had the opportunity to do a variety of creative endeavors.

I have performed in at least five summer Melodramas.

I have written two melodramas.

I have directed numerous musical revues.

I have performed in some well known musicals, including "Godspell" and "I Do! I Do!".

I have done some plays.

I have been a member of the board of directors.

But this summer is different.

This summer, we had some other people step up to direct the two summer melodramas at the theater, so Paul and I stepped back, and let others take over.

I still do publicity.  I have been in charge of getting the  program ready for the summer.

But this summer my creative energies are going elsewhere.  More of my time is going to be spent organizing my creative space at my home, taking time to do some personal creative pursuits, including writing, photography, acting in a film, and making pottery.

I am allowing myself to have an Artist Date once a week.  What is an Artist Date, you ask?  Here is the definition, from Julia Cameron's book, "The Artist's Way".

The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore
something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly
“artistic” — think mischief more than mastery. Artist Dates fire up the
imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art is about the
play of ideas, they feed our creative work by replenishing our inner well
of images and inspiration. When choosing an Artist Date, it is good to ask
yourself, “what sounds fun?” — and then allow yourself to try it.

 

 

I am scheduling creative walks to help loosen up my mind as I walk.  I have three short walks, and one long walk scheduled each week.  Through these walks I hope to explore the beauty that surrounds me in the beautiful Silver Valley, including rivers, streams, wetlands, bike trails, hiking trails, lakes and ponds.

 

I am having weekly coffee dates with a friend to focus on creativity and focusing on our creative dreams.

 

This weekend I am retreating with another friend to my sister's house to help my friend create a blog, a step on her way to get her book published.

 

Later this summer I am taking a sojourn to a Labyrinth in Montana.

 

I shared with a group of friends recently that I was feeling restless.  I love this quote that may help explain why I am feeling what I am feeling:

 

“Life is a spiritual dance and that our unseen partner has steps to teach us if we will allow ourselves to be led. The next time you are restless, remind yourself it is the universe asking 'Shall we dance?”
― Julia Cameron

 

Part of my belief system is believing in a God who is the Creator, and who has given us the ability to create wonderful and beautiful things.  And I hope to tap into more of that this summer, and I begin my 51st year on this earth.  To me, one of the beautiful things about having a relationship with God is being a co-creator with the one who created the heavens and the earth.

 

One of my favorite authors, Madeleine L'Engle, wrote a book titled "Walking on Water".  Here are some of her views on creativity from this book:

 

“But unless we are creators we are not fully alive. What do I mean by creators? Not only artists, whose acts of creation are the obvious ones of working with paint of clay or words. Creativity is a way of living life, no matter our vocation or how we earn our living. Creativity is not limited to the arts, or having some kind of important career.”
― Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water

 

“In a very real sense not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do his work, to bear his glory. If we are qualified, we tend to think that we have done the job ourselves. If we are forced to accept our evident lack of qualification, then there's no danger that we will confuse God's work with our own, or God's glory with our own.”
― Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art

 

“We live by revelation, as Christians, as artists, which means we must be careful never to get set into rigid molds. The minute we begin to think we know all the answers, we forget the questions, and we become smug like the Pharisee who listed all his considerable virtues, and thanked God that he was not like other men.

Unamuno might be describing the artist as well as the Christian as he writes, "Those who believe they believe in God, but without passion in the heart, without anguish of mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, and even at times without despair, believe only in the idea of God, and not in God himself.”
― Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art

 

I want my to bear God's glory in  my creativity.  I want to live by revelation.  I want to give over to the creativity, and not let ME get in the way.

 

My prayer is to live the creative life God created me to live.