Every so often, you find yourself covered in paint, surrounded by half-finished ideas, questioning everything while holding a glue gun in one hand and a philosophical crisis in the other.
Why am I like this?
What is this urge to make things?
Is creativity a divine gift or just my brain throwing glitter at the void?
Welcome to the age-old mystery: Where does creativity come from, and why do we humans create?
The answer, dear cosmic goofball, is both complicated and stunningly simple. Let’s dive in—with a paint-splattered flashlight and a few deep thinkers as our guides.
Matthew Fox and the Original Blessing of Art
Let’s start with theologian and spiritual firestarter Matthew Fox, whose book Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet basically throws a confetti cannon into the idea of art as sacred work.
Fox doesn’t see creativity as a luxury or a hobby—it’s a form of spiritual expression, a birthright, and possibly the deepest way we say “thank you” to existence.
In his worldview, creativity springs from our innate Original Blessing, not original sin. (Take that, shame-based religious programming.) Fox writes, “Creativity is the behavior of God. It is the ultimate mystery of being.”
Translation: When you create, you’re not just “making stuff.” You’re participating in the very unfolding of the cosmos. You’re in cahoots with the universe. Possibly high-fiving the Big Bang itself.
But Seriously, Where Does Creativity Come From?
Good question. Let’s explore a few hot theories:
1. The Muse (AKA Your Inner Weirdo Whisperer)
The ancient Greeks believed creativity came from daimonic beings—Muses—that whispered divine ideas in your ear. These weren’t imaginary friends; they were cosmic midwives of inspiration.
Today, we call it “flow state,” “a download,” or “that weird urge to write a poem about a depressed cactus at 3am.” Whatever the name, the experience is the same: something arrives. You listen. You make.
2. The Unconscious Soup Pot
Carl Jung might say that creativity arises from the collective unconscious—a deep, archetypal well where all human experience swirls together like psychic stew. Your art? Just ladlefuls of soup from the pot.
Artists are dreamers, translators, and kitchen witches of the soul. No recipe required.
3. Trauma + Time + Weirdness = Art
Let’s be real: sometimes creativity comes from pain. Or boredom. Or existential dread mixed with too much herbal tea. Humans create because it helps us survive.
As the poet Rainer Maria Rilke once said, “Works of art are of an infinite loneliness and with nothing so little to be reached as with criticism.”
Translation: Sometimes, creativity is just you screaming into the void… but in color.
Why Do We Humans Create? (Besides Needing to Feel Something)
1. To Make Meaning Out of the Mess
Life is chaos. Art is the container.
We create to make sense of our lives, our longings, our heartbreaks, and the fact that raccoons have hands. Creativity is how we metabolize experience. It’s our species’ built-in alchemy kit.
2. Because We’re Wired for Wonder
Even toddlers instinctively create. Give a child a crayon and a wall, and they’ll give you a mural and a bill for repainting.
We are meaning-makers, beauty-seekers, and divine drama queens. To create is to echo the evolutionary impulse of life itself: to grow, express, and innovate.
3. To Remember We’re More Than Capitalist Hamsters
In a world obsessed with productivity, making something uselessly beautiful is a radical act.
When you doodle, dance, write, or make a sock puppet that no one asked for, you’re reminding yourself: I exist for more than inbox zero.
Creativity is resistance. It’s joy. It’s your soul’s way of saying, “I’m still here, Hun.”
Creativity as a Spiritual Practice (Without Needing a Single Mala Bead)
Let’s circle back to Matthew Fox, who sees creativity as a kind of divine collaboration—a daily practice of opening yourself to mystery, listening deeply, and expressing the inexpressible.
Other writers, like Julia Cameron (author of The Artist’s Way), talk about creativity as a spiritual path. Her advice? Show up daily. Write “morning pages.” Let God (or the Great Whatever) work through you.
The thread that connects them all: Creativity isn’t just about making stuff—it’s about becoming who you are.
Still Not Convinced? Here’s a Very Scientific List
Top 5 Reasons Humans Create Stuff (According to Me, and Maybe the Universe)
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To tell stories around the metaphorical (or actual) campfire.
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To flirt with immortality (hello, cave paintings).
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To cope with being deeply weird and tender creatures.
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To experience joy without needing a reason.
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Because we can. And that’s kind of miraculous.
So… What Do We Do With This?
You don’t need to wait until you’re “inspired.” You are already the inspiration.
You don’t need to be a “real artist.” You’re a real human. That’s enough.
You don’t need to make something important. You just need to make.
Get messy. Stay curious. Be reverent and ridiculous at the same time. Because in the end, creating is how we remember:
We are alive. We are divine. And we’re still figuring it all out—one weird little masterpiece at a time.
