I spied their lushes yellow in the afternoon sun. Like a bee to nectar, I made my way over to their small brilliant blooms. I started to shoot, carefully framing, pausing and framing again. Wait a minute. Who is this? Ah, a beautiful moth has come by to say “hello.”
He seemed to be reciting to me…
If these black sleeves
Of my priestly robe
Were ample enough,
Oh, how I would envelope
All the people in need!
By Ryokan (1758 – 1831)
Sprout Question: When we create are we a creator or simply a temporary custodian?
The best of Friday and the weekend to you! I will back again on Monday with another week of short posts to keep you inspired, engaged and being with your creativity.
© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.
Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch
Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.
From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
Creative Potager 
Terrill,
I love how you keep it all so simple! Beautiful photograph, wondrous poem, I have never heard of Roykan, hey but I am just a suburban hick !
When I get out of ego and walk with spirit I am the creator as well as the created!
I am Love, Jeff
Jeff, I didn’t know about the Japanese Zen poet Roykan until a few years ago either. Here is the story and poem that introduced me to him…
His reputation for gentleness was sometimes carried to comical extremes. One tale is told that, one day when Ryokan returned to his hut he discovered a robber who had broken in and was in the process of stealing the impoverished monk’s few possessions. In the thief’s haste to leave, he left behind a cushion. Ryokan grabbed the cushion and ran after the thief to give it to him. This event prompted Ryokan to compose one of his best known poems:
The thief left it behind:
the moon
at my window.
More about Roykan can be found at the link I provided in the post. And thank you for your sprout. I am not sure if you meant “we” or “when” so I left your comment as you wrote it for now:)
Terrill – What a lovely photograph and poem – lovely.
Sprout Question: When we create are we a creator or simply a temporary custodian?
It is my perspective that our creativity is the outward expression of our connection to Divine Love. In other words, we are a channel through which creativity flows.
Thank you Laurie and wise words you share.
I think of this question in relation to releasing or being detached from the creativity that is channeled through us. I am not always good at detaching and giving over my creative work to others so they may interpret it and develop a relationship with it of their own. Though I experience it as true… that when the creating is complete, the work stands alone, separate from me – the person whose being the creativity flowed. Maybe that is why I blog? Perhaps that is why Creative Potager has a new post Monday to Friday for most of the year… it is to practice releasing my creativity – allowing it to stand alone, naked before you.
Terrill,
Thank you for a bit of back story on Roykan! Interesting! I will give him a look see!
I meant “when” in my response to sprout Q!
Roykan is very interesting. He fell in love at 70 to a young nun Teishin who was 28. After he died is was she who collected and published his poetry. And I shall correct your first post Jeff to match your intentions.
Terrill,
Your response to Laurie is just brilliant! Love every word and thought that went into it!
Jeff
Thanks Jeff. Your post today “The Hand of the Creator” is a nice addition to today’s Creative Potager post. I also read that you are willing to create calendars of your photography by individual request.
Dear readers, you may want to check out Jeff’s redbubble storefront and have a look. That is a lovely offer he is making.
Great combination of photograhy and poetry. Love the autumn colors.
I like to think that I am creative. But in reality most of what I create is nothing new, but a variation of elements already created by others.
The bottom line is the best of what we ever create pales in comparison to our Divine Creator. It is a lot of fun, none the less, to take the elements of creation and in our own feable way, combine them attractively and interestingly, for the enjoyment of others.
Thanks Sherwin, your comment speaks to what it is that keeps me creating… it is its fun to try to capture and express.
Dear readers, I was reading The Zen of Creativity: Cultivating Your Artistic Life by John Daido Loori again this morning. I was drawn in by two quotes underlined by me on a previous read…
“When originality becomes a goal, it is no longer orginal. The artist is merely trying to be different.”
and
“Originality is born of craftsmanship, skill, and diligent practice, not from trying to stand out in a crowd.”
Then I noticed a third point by Wang Anjie…
“If you aim to dispense with method, learn method. If you aim at facility, work hard. If you aim for simplicity, master complexity.”
These underlined findings is a book previously read somehow resonate with me. In honouring the creativity that flows through us we are committed to a practice of expression. It is about creating with what is before us today and everyday.
I love when you all come and join me… adding your words, experiences and creations to my practice. I love the sharing of ideas, thoughts, beliefs and practices. You are the best at sprouting, inspiring and cherishing our creative efforts.
Great poem…great bug!
Just recently finished a book, “Free Play”, that my son left at our house accidently last spring…providentially, more like. Wonderful book…for all of us who see ourselves as creative? this gives new meaning to the words creative/art/improvisation/inspiration…
The author is Stephen Nachmanovitch. I had to order a copy for myself which will be read every year just as a reminder. It makes me more cognizant of all the ways creativity enters my day…not just when I have my camera in my hand or a pencil or a paintbrush.
When I was a kid in school my favorite time of day was when the teacher said it was ‘free reading time’…now I have ‘free play’ all the time!!!!
I think I might order this book too Shirley.
Dear readers if go to Free Play by Stephen Nachmanovitch, look inside, find and read the prologue about a new flute. It is a perfect addition to today’s conversation. Thank you Shirley.
Terrill,
Here I am again! Thank you so much for the mention of my blog and the calendar offer!
Jeff
My pleasure! It is a pretty sweet offer you have given Jeff and a great incentive to entice us into your photographic storefront.
This is a very interesting question and one that I have been thinking about as well. How to allow the creativity to simply flow through~~and then somehow release it. Release it to the Universe, to the others, to Spirit, to the divine instead of being fascinated (sometimes) about how it will be received.
Some days and some creations are easy to release. Others, for various reasons, are not. I wish to be able to release everything some day as a gift from the divine to the divine. Open hands… Thank you for this ponderance and the yellow of your divine flowers and divine moth.
Oh you are most welcome Kathy and I can totally relate to your musings. Thanks for sharing and good luck being tweetless:)
I love the minimalist way you write, Terrill, and can see Ryokan finding a space here along with the moth saying hello! I don’t remember reading his words, but something about his name is so familiar.
To your question, I would say it has the answer once again in minimalism and I’m chortling because in a way, Jeff you showed that by the ‘we’ in place of ‘when’
we
create
Meenakshi so good to have you drop by. It has been awhile. I’m afraid, my minimalist way of writing has more to do with posting Monday to Friday than my skills a brevity. I promised myself that I would try to post only one photo (three at the max) and less than 200 words and that I would do it in under 45 minutes… including posting the links on twitter and facebook. My aim is to provide you with my best quality post in under 30 minutes… but the world won’t fall apart if it takes me an hour.
I like that “we create”
I love Ryoken’s poem, and the spirit of this post! And this is one of the greatest comment threads I’ve witnessed over here!
I believe we are ‘temporary custodians,’ holding down the forte until our own (or someone else’s) spurt of creativity will add to the literature, so to speak.
It is a great comment thread isn’t it Sam! I really do like the ring of being a “temporary custodian” to the photographs and painting that are create through my hands and heart… and adding to the creative literature of our human experience is like the sound of mist in the trees… pure pleasure.
Creator, custodian, channel, vessel, why not embrace all and delight in their power?
Lovely words and poem, thanks for sharing Terrill, glad to have found this garden!
Marjory
Welcome to Creative Potager Marjory from Sacred Flow – the blog about all things sacred! I am glad you wondered into this garden too:) And your proposition is inviting.
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