Introduction & 5 Reasons Why Art is Important // Journal

Hey Steemit,

I haven't introduced myself yet :)

I'm here to share a life of creating and talking about holistic wellness.

I draw & paint with watercolor pencils and I love reading and learning about Jungian archetypes, personality types and the universal symbols that have re-occurred in some of the most timeless stories that we are drawn to watch, read and inspire us in life, over and over again.

I really love reading books by Joseph Campbell. My favourite book though that I constantly relate back to though, is Women who Run with The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. It's been a great resource for fuelling the creative spirit.

And now, I wanted to start the dialogue of "Why Art is Important."
Here are some favourite quotes as to why it is for me!

1. "Art is important for it commemorates the seasons of the soul, or a special or tragic event in the soul's journey. Art is not just for oneself, not just a marker of one's own understanding. It is also a map for those who follow after us." -
   Clarissa Pinkola Estes

2. “The agony of breaking through personal limitations is the agony of spiritual growth. Art, literature, myth and cult, philosophy, and ascetic disciplines are instruments to help the individual past his limiting horizons into spheres of ever-expanding realization. As he crosses threshold after threshold, conquering dragon after dragon, the stature of the divinity that he summons to his highest wish increases, until it subsumes the cosmos. Finally, the mind breaks the bounding sphere of the cosmos to a realization transcending all experiences of form - all symbolizations, all divinities: a realization of the ineluctable void.” - Joseph Campbell

3. "A really spiritual person will live life as an art, will create a deep harmony between the body and the consciousness. And this is the greatest art there is. His life will be a joy to see. And he will be fragrant, for the sheer reason that there is no split in his being. The very unity makes him organic; the wound of division is healed." - Osho

4. "To me, the true artist is one who lives completely, harmoniously, who does not divide his art from living, whose very life is that expression, whether it be a picture, music, or his behaviour; who has not divorced his expression on a canvas or in music or in stone from his daily conduct, daily living. That demands the highest intelligence, highest harmony. To me the true artist is the man who has that harmony. He may express it on canvas, or he may talk, or he may paint; or he may not express it at all, he may feel it. But all this demands that exquisite poise, that intensity of awareness, and therefore his expression is not divorced from the daily continuity of living." - Khrisnamurti

5. And lastly some words from Julia Cameron ...

   Basic Principles:

Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy: pure creative energy.

There is an underlying, in-dwelling creative force infusing all of life -- including ourselves.

When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator's creativity within us and our lives.

We are, ourselves, creations. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being creative ourselves.

Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.

The refusal to be creative is self-will and is counter to our true nature.

When we open ourselves to exploring our creativity, we open ourselves to God: good orderly direction.

As we open our creative channel to the creator, many gentle but powerful changes are to be expected.

It is safe to open ourselves up to greater and greater creativity.

Our creative dreams and yearnings come from a divine source. As we move toward our dreams, we move toward our divinity.” - Julia Cameron

How beautiful, the unfolding of creativity ...