Let There Be Light

Essay: The Reason You Exist

Author’s Note - This is a rare piece for me in that it contains scripture. The idea for this piece came because I once used the phrase “we worship creation” in passing. Meaning, we, the artists of the world, put the act of creation above all else (or nearly all else). That phrase upset somebody who has their own conception of “god” that I think they thought that I should share, and I sat down to clarify what I meant by that phrase and the following piece simply flowed out of me.

What I came to realize is this: It’s not so much that I worship “creation” as that I’ve come to realize that (the act of) creation is worship. And a new, and decidedly non-orthodox meaning to several scriptures instantly entered my mind. So I just got out of the way and let the Source, the Tao, Inspiration, God, Creation, Consciousness or whatever-you-call-it type the following piece.

Ironically, when I first published it in one of our artist newsletters, I expected a bit of pushback from the Christian community, as this interpretation definitely not the way most churches would teach these scriptures. But, after I sent it, the response turned out to be just the opposite. It was non-Christians who seemed to hate it. In fact, I earned my first hater who kindly wrote me to ask “What the fuck is this shit?” (I politely unsubscribed him). And I was accused of trying to use my professional position to convert people to Christianity (lol, um, no, did they even read the piece).

So let me be clear: This is shared not as an apologetic or denigration of any particular religion or creed. I am making no attempt to convince you of anything.

I am simply sharing why, for me anyway, the act of creating art…..creating something from nothing is a special act that brings one into harmony with the mysterious universe. At least it does for me. And an alternative, or perhaps deeper, meaning to many scriptures that I was raised with suddenly presented itself in the context of the creative act. So, unless seeing a scripture in any context whatsoever triggers you, please enjoy the following piece. I don’t expect you to agree with it, although many have written to me to let me know they do, for as we artists know, all art is ultimately made for oneself.

- Clintavo

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“Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.…”

And from the void, from darkness, from nothing, the first inspired work of art, Creation itself was brought into existence, and from that original spark of an idea, which appeared from nowhere, something new was created, and the Creator saw that it was good, and he separated it, He set it apart.  And by setting it apart, He made it Holy.  

And at the end of the first day, the first act of the universe had been an act of creating art.

And then, He created more works of art - the sky, the earth, plants and animals.

But, Art, Inspiration, Goodness and Holiness should be shared.

 “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness….So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

And He shared the Artwork of Creation was shared with them, male and female.

And humans multiplied all across the earth, relishing in the Art of Creation, being inspired by it and, like all art, this ultimate piece of Art sent energy to the humans who made their own creations as gifts back to Creation, to Him. And the Messiah came and spoke of this:

“But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” - Jesus

God is Spirit.  He himself is formless.  He has no physical body.  He is nowhere and he is everywhere.  He is nothing and He is everything. 

Scientists can’t prove the existence of God because God IS existence.

So, how can we be formed “in his likeness?”

It’s not a physical likeness, but a spiritual one.

It means the Creator made us in his spiritual likeness: We are Creators. 

We mimic his Holy act of Creation with holy acts of creation of our own, which are ultimately, His acts of creation channeled through us.

And, being spiritual beings ourselves (even if we’ve forgotten what we are), when we open ourselves to the Universe, to Creation, to God “in Spirit and in Truth”, and create in that inspired way (rather than forcing creation from our own ego), we worship Him.  And then we mimic his act of sharing, His creation with others.

God made Space - and we mimic Him by decorating it with Art.

God made Time - and we mimic Him by decorating it with Music.

God made Motion - and we mimic Him by decorating it with Dance.

God made Knowledge - and we mimic Him by decorating it with Writing.

Most of us feel an insatiable Hunger to Create something.  Of course we do, it’s the reason we were made!  Some of us try to ignore that void, that Hunger. Some of us temporarily fill it with drugs, sex, gambling, thrill-seeking, power, money, fame or status.

But only God can fill that void inside you, and to do so, we mimic his first act of Creation out of a formless void by creating something out of the internal formless void that we feel.

Art is the ultimate physical expression of the insatiable human hunger to create, and it allows humans to send inspiration and energy to one another across space and time.

God Created the Universe, then us, and now, we are blessed to participate in ongoing Creation by continuing God's (art) work of Creation by creating and contributing it as our tiny gift back to Existence.

Every artwork you complete is a miracle of creation.  The entire universe slowly but inexorably creeps toward chaos, but you push back that entropy by first creating an artwork in the virtual reality of your mind and then you created it again by transforming raw elements in the real world into a physical manifestation of that artwork.  That is the power of human creativity.  And it is the only thing in the universe with that power.

The process of art begins with opening yourself to the creative energy, the vibration, the God and allowing something “in spirit and truth”, beyond rational thinking to strike you with inspiration. To allow something new to enter your heart.

You will know the instant it happens.  You will have an idea that is beyond your other ideas.  You will connect multiple un-related things and realize they are related in a unique way.  You will feel joy, or love for seemingly no reason. You will have a problem, and a solution will appear that is so simple, elegant, and beautiful that it can only be called, “inspired.”

Inspired - that’s such an interesting word isn’t it?

It’s from the Latin inspirare which means, “breathe or blow into” from in- ‘into’ + spirare ‘breathe’. The word was originally used in the context of a divine or supernatural being, in the sense ‘impart a truth or idea to someone’ (they will worship Him in spirit and and in truth).

That reminds me of something:

“the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.”

Breathed….into….living being.

Being Inspired is to Live.

Being Inspired is to Live as a True Human.

Being Inspired is to Live as a True Human, a Creator. An Artist.

Open yourself to this indescribable beauty, to find the peace that is beyond all understanding, to live, and you’ll know when that inspired eternal moment happens, it will appear in your mind, and you will make it, and, if you judge it to be good, you will share it.

For that is why you are here.

To Create.

Let There Be Light.

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