Power and Creativity
Creativity gives you power. In a world that is hostile to you as this one is, creativity gives you a weapon to survive.
Power in personal creativity can mean a number of things. Knowledge and skill are essential to become creative. One needs a zone of liberation where creative work can be done without interference from others. Time is needed to work through a process, deadlines cannot be set, randomness must reign. Emotional power is needed to defend the ego against the hostility and criticism of people. An understanding of the ups and downs of the creative process is important. Good friends and supporters can through their kind words and insights boost your faith and energy. All of these things are forms of power.
“Power” is also an important theme in the evolution of an individual. Many of us feel weak, inferior and exposed in our journey to who we really are. Others take advantage of us, and systems shuttle us here and there. To defend ourselves against the identity thieves of the world we need raw power in all of its forms – the power of speech and writing to express and defend our views, the power of courage and will, the power of calmness and stillness to think clearly and act decisively, the power of information and ideas, the power to say “No”, even the power of organization with likeminded people and so on. Power is what all of us on our confusing personal journeys need, without it we could not protect ourselves from a hostile world. The infant in Nature is protected by its kin, but the infant in present Human culture is not protected by its kind, and must gain its own power as quickly as possible or it will become a manipulated victim that will never know who she or he really is.
Power is no different in social terms. Movements and causes need the power of communication to inform and influence large numbers of citizens. Popular democracy is clearly a key form of power. Directness is a fundamental type of power that keeps you in touch with people and reality. Social diversity creates power because it brings all social groups into play and builds cooperation. Power is also economic and financial for no great change can come without developing a new business system.
Power is also trust, trust between activists and trust between activists and followers. Power is connection built through familiarity, intimacy, long term relationship. Power is identity, the self knowledge of what a movement is and where it is going. Power is theory and vision.
Power is organization. Power is skill, method and strategy. Power is the ability to reassess, change and correct. Power is flexibility.
And finally power is creativity. And one needs Creative Hegemony to wield this power of innovation.
Power is all of these things, it is a whole with many parts, an organism that is complex.
Ultimately, what is power? It is simply the ability to achieve your goals. If you cannot achieve your goals, then you have no power. And many elements are required to give you this ability.
In the personal world, the individual needs power to protect herself or himself from the world.
In the realm of social movements, the focus is changing the world itself.
In the personal sphere we help ourselves, in the social sphere we use power to help others.
Cage Innoye