The Experience of Being Creative as a Spiritual Practice: A Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Study

What is the spiritual nature of being creative? This study is unique in bringing together personal descriptions from practicing artists, writings from the growing literature on creativity as spiritual practice, as well as the author’s own understanding as a visual artist. Through descriptions from ten practicing painters who consider their work a spiritual practice, the spiritual essence of creativity begins to emerge. This understanding finds roots as the writings of contemporary artists, creativity theorists, and philosophers from several spiritual traditions are explored. This work elucidates not only the experience of being creative as a spiritual practice, but the felt-sense of creative experience and spiritual experience as well.