creative sparks
During your journey through life you will have many sparks that will ignite your creativity, goals and dreams. A spark sets it off. It is that willingness to undertake something without knowing how it will turn out. When others are “jealous” of your work or creativity, it should be taken as a form of flattery.
Most people rely on someone or something outside of themselves to light their fire.
Your passions, your personal gifts are planted in you by God. It is up to you to cultivate them.
What are the 3 elements of fire?
1) Fuel: If there is nothing to burn, nothing will burn. Your “fuel” is made up of what you are focusing on. What do you read, watch and listen to? Does it empower you or enslave you? Be aware of what you pour into your body and mind.
2) Oxygen: This is the essential bond that creates the environment so that the fire can continue to burn. Your oxygen is the people you surround yourself with. Be aware of who they are and whether they build you up or tear you down. Plum accordingly.
3) Ignition – A beautiful car will stay parked unless there is a spark to start the engine. Your ignition is often fueled by wonder and a willingness to try something new or take an area of your life to another level. How bad do you want something? What are you willing to do for your health, your life, your economy, etc.?
I had my “first spark” at 8 years old. I was at a summer reading camp. During the 15-minute break between classes, I decided there was plenty of time to climb the beautiful 9-foot tree next to the girls’ dorm. I climbed hand over hand pushing every inch with my tennis shoes until I reached the top of the tree resting my right leg on a rusty nail attached to a board.
As I was going down, my right leg was torn and blood flowed down the tree like sap. Nick, a counselor, saw what was happening and ran to the tree and said, “Do you want to lose your leg?
“I shook my head. No!”
He picked me up in his arms, called another counselor to call my parents and meet us at the hospital!
In my mind I see my mom getting in our car, driving the three and a half hours to the hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. As she drives, she says to herself, “I have to get her out of the trees before she kills herself!”
When mom got to the hospital, she already had a plan!
When he arrived, he saw me sitting there with over 25 stitches in my right leg. Mom leaned over me and gave me a fierce hug. She looked into my brown eyes with her beautiful blue eyes and said, “Madeline, if I buy you a violin and give you lessons, will you promise you’ll never climb another tree?”
I looked into my mom’s bright blue eyes and promised her I’d never climb another tree if she brought me a violin and gave me lessons.”
I had wanted to play the violin for many years and this was my opportunity. It all started with the first spark, landing on a rusty nail. That rusty nail saved my life and was the first spark of my journey.
What was your first spark, the catalyst for your journey?
My second spark!
When summer camp was over, Mom came to pick me up with my new little violin and bow out the back window in her case. The next day, Mom took me to see my violin teacher, a handsome, smiling young man, Mr. William Whitson, a violinist and military officer.
He taught me how to hold the violin and bow, where to place my fingers on the string, and how to make a sound on the instrument by pulling the bow across the strings. He did this by modeling how to play for me and then having me try it.
He also taught me to read the notes on the musical page which is parallel to reading a book and he taught me in my first violin lesson to play the theme from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Ode to Joy.
Third Spark:
After my first violin lesson with Mr. Whitson, I asked my mom to take me to the public library to borrow a book on Beethoven and read all about him. That day was the beginning of my enjoyment of reading.
Mr. Whitson’s encouragement was the spark, the second catalyst, the fuel that kept me going during my frustrating moments.
Many years later, at 17, I had the honor of playing at the world famous Carnegie Hall. That journey would never have been possible without the investment my mentor made in me.
What are some examples in your life that changed the trajectory of your life?
What first sparked the creativity of Charles Dickens?
Dickens said, “One person sparked my imagination and gave me the tools to be a writer.” At the age of 3, Charles was so full of energy that he never wanted to go to sleep. His mother had a maid named Mary Weller who worked for 3 meals a day and a warm place to sleep in front of the stove. She didn’t clean the house. Her job was to “find a way to keep Dickens in bed at night. She told the best blood and guts story of horror and horror stories.” She knew 125 stories, but Dickens’s favorite story was “Captain Murderer” and he asked for this story all the time. (Engels, E. (1997). Dickens for Kids. North Carolina: Authors Ink. )
What was your second spark?
At 11 years old, the debtor’s police took Charles’s father to the debtors’ prison in front of Charles. He said, “I will never be poor again.” His mother and his brothers were sent to the Marshalsea Prison and during this time Charles was sent to work at Warren’s Blacking Factory for ten hours a day. He had to wear five pairs of socks while working in the factory, to have some protection against the rats that bit into his socks in the factory. His traumatic experiences, feelings of alienation and betrayal from him are subjects of his books “David Copperfield” and “Great Expectations”. (Claire Tomalin, “Charles Dickens.”)
These two sparks were the catalysts for Charles Dickens’ future of writing books to bring about social change out of poverty, child labor, and workhouses. Dickens changed the world through his writing.
What provoked Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson?
“In 1995 I had $7 in my pocket and I knew two things: I’m broke… and one day I won’t be.” He decided to slowly pursue his definition of success. First in the world of wrestling, then in the movies.
Do you remember that first spark that got you going?
Throughout your journey there will be plenty of sparks to get you moving!
How can you help light a spark in others, a fire within them, to take action and take that first step?
How can you be a spark, a catalyst of change for someone else?
Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Who will you help change?
Sparks are the catalyst for change!
1) Write down your first, second and three “sparks” that changed the direction of your life.
2) Like Charles Dickens, was there a person or place that sparked your creativity to take action for your future?
3) How can you activate a spark in another person’s life to act?