“Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise.”
The Artist's Way (1992)
Context: All too often too often we try to push, pull, outline and control our ideas instead of letting them grow organically. The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.
Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise. <!-- p. 195
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Julia Cameron45
American writer 1948Related quotes
Rajneesh (1931–1990) Godman and leader of the Rajneesh movement
Never Born, Never Died (2002)
Context: Tao mystics never talk about God, reincarnation, heaven, hell. No, they don't talk about these things. These are all creations of human mind: explanations for something which can never be explained, explanations for the mystery. In fact, all explanations are against God because explanation de-mystifies existence. Existence is a mystery, and one should accept it as a mystery and not pretend to have any explanation. No, explanation is not needed — only exclamation, a wondering heart, awakened, surprised, feeling the mystery of life each moment. Then, and only then, you know what truth is. And truth liberates.
“Your heart's desire is to be told some mystery. The mystery is that there is no mystery.”
Cormac McCarthy (1933) American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
Source: Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West
“Our creative habits are as mysterious to each other as our domestic habits.”
Dennis O'Driscoll (1954–2012) Irish poet, critic
Poetry Quotes
“Most creativity is a transition from one context into another where things are more surprising.”
Alan Kay (1940) computer scientist
ACM Queue A Conversation with Alan Kay Vol. 2, No. 9 - Dec/Jan 2004-2005 http://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=1039523 <br class="br">2000s, A Conversation with Alan Kay, 2004–05 <br class="br">Context: Most creativity is a transition from one context into another where things are more surprising. There’s an element of surprise, and especially in science, there is often laughter that goes along with the “Aha.” Art also has this element. Our job is to remind us that there are more contexts than the one that we’re in — the one that we think is reality.
Alan Kay (1940) computer scientist
Art also has this element. Our job is to remind us that there are more contexts than the one that we're in — the one that we think is reality. <br class="br"> ACM Queue A Conversation with Alan Kay Vol. 2, No. 9 - Dec/Jan 2004-2005 http://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=1039523 <br class="br">2000s, A Conversation with Alan Kay, 2004–05
“Your heart is like the ocean, mysterious and dark.”
Bob Dylan (1941) American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and artist
John Dewey (1859–1952) American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer
Time and Individuality (1940)
“No one could suspect the intricate mysteries of her heart.”
Kim Edwards book The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Source: The Memory Keeper's Daughter
David Orrell (1962) Canadian mathematician
Source: The Other Side Of The Coin (2008), Chapter 6, At Rest Versus In Motion, p. 194