Art as a Spiritual Practice

By Wes Annac, Editor, Openhearted Rebellion

Some people who make art consider it a spiritual practice.

For them, it’s more than just a fun activity. It’s a way to express who they are while connecting with something profound deep within them. Being creative allows them to venture into their mind and soul, forming a vital connection that many people are sadly missing.

Creativity makes life a lot more colorful. Most artists, musicians, and writers can’t live without the fuel that being creative gives them. Although not all creators consider their work a spiritual practice, they all express something powerful and often beautiful in their art. They love it enough to devote their lives to it.

Many of us wonder what this power really is. Is creativity just a fun mental exercise that some people enjoy more than others, or is there something deeper to it?

If you’re looking for opinions, the answer is different depending on who you ask.

Plenty of atheist creators would say their work is not a way for them to connect with something they have no belief in. Some creators, atheist or not, don’t think about it in any spiritual sense. It’s just a passion they’ve built their life around.

To most spiritual thinkers, however, art is undoubtedly a gateway to the soul. It’s a way to connect with an unseen part of themselves that provides inspiration and wisdom they won’t find anywhere else.

The creative process is akin to a ritual that lets them make connections they can’t ordinarily see. As they work, they can cultivate a meditative state in which their ideas flow freely. This state of flow is what most creators strive for, and many spiritual thinkers believe its power comes not from the mind, but from something within.

Art is essentially the expression of something deep within that you’re passionate about.

With this in mind, it makes sense that spiritual seekers see art as a way to connect with (and express) what’s within them. Perhaps expression helps to deepen our knowledge of self in a way similar to meditation.

Although I can’t speak for most other art forms, I can share the reasons I consider writing to be a spiritual practice.

Writing gives me a way to figure out how I really feel about something and share those feelings.

Sometimes, I don’t know what I’ll write about any given subject before I sit down to do it. The thoughts come to me as I write. Sometimes there are none to be found, but if I keep going, they eventually appear.

It connects me with a part of myself I’m not normally in tune with. We all have opinions on various issues and most of us have no problem expressing them, but in writing about something, I can explore it on a deeper level. I can dig up revelations I had no idea were there.

It essentially gets me to the root of my feelings. For me and many others, it’s the perfect therapeutic tool.

If you write about something that’s been bothering you and take the time to get it all out, then by the end, it would feel as if an enormous weight had been lifted. You could breathe a sigh of relief.

Writing is a form of meditation in itself, and it’s the best way to get to the source of my thoughts and feelings. This helps me work through the confusion that surrounds us all every day. What could be more “spiritual” than that?

Regardless of who does or doesn’t consider creative work a spiritual practice, we can’t deny that there’s something deep, mysterious, and awesome about it. We’re all drawn to art and music. They speak to something in us we don’t fully understand.

Ultimately, I don’t know what it is about these outlets for self-expression that we love so much.

Perhaps the answer has more to do with the soul than we think. While we don’t know for sure, spiritual seekers will continue to use writing, music, painting, and countless other forms of art to expand their minds and bring more beauty into the world.

Featured image by 40038 from Pixabay

About Wes Annac:

I’m a twenty-something writer & blogger with an interest in spirituality, love, awareness, activism, and other crazy stuff. I run Openhearted Rebellion – a blog dedicated to sharing wisdom and encouraging a revolution that begins in the heart.

I also run Canna Words – a blog in which I share some of my research and opinions on cannabis. There, I write about everything from legalization to hemp and the various ways people use the cannabis plant.

I’ve contributed to a few awesome websites that include Waking Times, Wake Up World, Golden Age of Gaia, and The Master Shift. I can be found on Facebook (facebook.com/wesannac, facebook.com/cultureofawareness) and Twitter (twitter.com/Wes_Annac, https://twitter.com/love rebellion)

If you enjoyed this post and want to support my work, consider donating via PayPal to wesremal@yahoo.com.

Recent articles:

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Share freely with attribution to Wes Annac and Openhearted Rebellion

Thanks for reading!