Posts tagged creativity

WHAT IS A VISIONQUEST

A VisionQuest is an opportunity for people to open to their greater, creative self. In a VisionQuest they learn about the techniques of the creative process itself. There are few schools on the face of this planet that teach creativity today.

That is because most don’t believe creativity can be taught. Institutions simply opt for an average education while letting the few, who figure it out, succeed hopefully in a sea of otherwise mediocrity. Such systems support the status quo of a middleclass destined for exploitation while maintaining a gap between the haves and those who have nothing.

One might expect that creativity is taught in art colleges and music conservatories but it is not. Instead students are taught what is held in the eyes of their teachers to be artistic or of ‘artistic merit’. The end results are galleries and concerts halls full of the same kind of ‘Art’ or ‘Music’ produced by this mediocracy.

The shame of it is that everyone, each person is a sea of creativity. Creativity is not something inherited by a few, the chosen, and the lucky ones. It is not discovered only through genius. Creativity is a process and learned behavior. Knowing that is the key to unlocking it. When learned, it enhances all aspects of a person’s life. As such creativity is a true source of empowerment in any person’s life.

And that is what we do in a VisionQuest, we learn about creativity. People learn how to become open to their greater, creative self. People do not have to be aspiring or professional writers, photographers, painters or artists to undertake a VisionQuest. A VisionQuest is open to any person or group of people who want to learn how to tap into their creative self.

We do this in a VisionQuest through by use of location and tools such as writing and digital photography. These are common tools in the possession of almost everyone these days. The techniques learned in a VisionQuest can be transferred to one’s everyday world. That is because what is being acquired is the creative process itself.

WHAT HAPPENS IN A VISIONQUEST

In a VisionQuest we chose to go to remote locations in the world that are a bit off the beaten track. We do this in order to get people out of their familiar settings and some of their comfort zones. With sufficient time, not encumbered by familiar settings and the rush of the everyday world, people create a space where the universe and they can interact in an integral way. During these times of reflection, journaling and photographic exploration they discover the unseen links between their internal states and how they are reflected in the events of their external world and image making.

They discover how these invisible links establish themselves in profound and integrative ways. And they also discover the meanings behind these link and the messages that their most inner self, is communicating to them. Last but not least, participants come away with a written document of photographic record to verify their experiences and help them continue with the development of their own creativity or artistic style at home.

Many come away from these pilgrimages with a greater understanding and enhanced sense of their creative self. They come to see, through real life experiences, that creativity is collective potential, water ready to flow, to be engaged and employed. They discover that creativity is a process of becoming, of being, of moments iterated over time. They learn that just like dreams, creative acts weave themselves into the fabric of existence as they are engaged.