Creativity and Discipline

One of my favorite Wild Man stories is about Merlin and his sister, Ganieda, in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini. Ganieda wants Merlin to live with her in the city, but Merlin has chosen a life in the wild with his beloved animals and trees. After pondering the difficulties of obtaining food in the winter, he agrees to return to Ganieda if she builds a special house for him—a castle with seventy doors and windows, from which he could see the fires burn, and observe the stars and the planets. He would need seventy secretaries to record his prophecies and knowledge. So, Merlin lives in the wild during the summer, and during the winter, he spends time with his sister at the castle she built for him. She comes and goes as she pleases. In later stories, Nimue or Vivienne imprisons Merlin in a cave, or crystal, or tree. Nimue and Vivienne could move freely about, while Merlin remain trapped. The original story has a much more healing, and less devious, story line. [...]

What we need to do is find the balance between our Natural, Wild Nature, and the Disciplined Work required to bring form to creative knowledge, so others may learn from it. Both the Creative and the Disciplined are equally important. We must experience our wild, creative side, then return to the community with wisdom from the creativity.

This story also reminds us that we literally have to get out in Nature. We need to walk among wild creatures and sky and mountains, and splash in icy springs. We can return to society refreshed and ready for the work at hand.

— Reprint from Shelly's book, Healing the Fisher King —

It is not enough to be brilliant. It is not enough to dream. It is not enough to design.

It is also not enough to work without inspiration. It is not enough to work with no play. It is not enough to keep your nose to the grindstone without hope.

There are many dremers out there — the people who are going to write the book, build the boat, knit the sweater — someday. And on the other side are the people who work hard, but don't take the time to innovate — who don't take the time to imagine how things could be. It is time for you to look at yourself and see if you lean towards either extreme.

If you are the creative type who doesn't seem to get things done, ask yourself "Why?" Is it that you have a streak of laziness in you? Is it that you feel you whouldn't waste your time on frivolous ideas? I is that you don't have the skills needed to bring your ideas to life? Think of a creative progject you have dreamed about but never started or completed. Now is the time to make a commitment to learn what you need to learn and make the effort to actually do it. You are returning to that castle with the seventy doors and windows, brightly lit, ready to share your knowledge.

For the workaholics out there — it is time for a little daydreaming. If your work has become stale, remember the times that it was fresh and challenging. What made it that way in the first place? Find ways to innovate and expand your work. Take a vacation, even if it is just a weekend, to get away from the grindstone. Try something new. Try something daring. Be that Wild Man.

— Shelly —