:: CREATIVITY ::

CREATIVITY IN THE TRIVIAL AND ORDINARY THINGS OF LIFE

Creativity is a life skill that must be continually cultivated. When we think of creativity, we tend to relate it to artists and inventors. But creativity is about more than art; it's an integral part of life. Life itself is a creation, and everything we do and think is creative. Rather than confining creativity only to the artistic parts of our lives, like our crafts and hobbies, we can be creative in everything we do.

You can be creative in things like your everyday housework, your relationships and also in your office work or business. Creativity is the ability to look at things in new ways. Creativity can make common things special and special things more common! Whatever you do, do it with love and let your life become a great creative expression, a great painting or poetry….


"Cleaning a floor can be a tremendously creative act. Remember, creativity has nothing to do with any particular work. Creativity has something to do with the quality of your consciousness. Whatsoever you do can become creative. Whatsoever you do can become creative if you know what creativity means.

Creativity means enjoying any work as meditation; doing any work with deep love. If you love me and you clean this auditorium, it is creative. If you don't love me then of course it is a chore, it is a duty to be done somehow, it is a burden. Then you would like some other time to be creative. What will you do in that other time? Can you find a better thing to do? Are you thinking that if you paint, you will feel creative?

But painting is just as ordinary as cleaning the floor. You will be throwing colours on a canvas. Here you go on washing the floor, cleaning the floor. What is the difference? Talking to somebody, a friend, and you feel time is being wasted. You would like to write a great book; then you will be creative. But a friend has come: a little gossiping is perfectly beautiful. Be creative.

All the great scriptures are nothing but gossips of people who were creative. What do I go on doing here? Gossiping. They will become gospels some day, but originally they are gossips. But I enjoy doing them. I can go on and on for eternity. You may get tired some day, I am not going to get tired. It is sheer delight. It is possible that one day you may get so tired that you disappear and there is nobody -- and I will be talking. If you really love something, it is creative.

But this happens to everybody. Many people come to me. When they come for the first time they will say, 'Any work, Osho. Any work -- even cleaning!' Exactly they say, 'Even cleaning! -- but your work and we will be happy.' And then after a few days they come to me and they say, 'Cleaning.... We would like to have some great creative work.'

while cleaning, you go on thinking you are painting. This is not cleaning. This is great creativity. And it will be. It is just your mind playing tricks. If you understand, then you bring your creativity to every act that you do.

A man of understanding is continuously creative. Not that he is trying to be creative. The way he sits is a creative act. Watch him sitting. You will find in his movement a certain quality of dance, a certain dignity. Just the other day we were reading the story of the zen master who stood in the hole with great dignity -- dead. Even his death was a creative act. He did it perfectly well; you cannot improve upon it. Even dead he was standing with dignity, with grace?

When you understand, whatsoever you do -- cooking, cleaning.... Life consists of small things; just your ego goes on saying these are small things. You would like some great thing to do -- a great poetry. You would like to become Shakespeare or Kalidas or Milton. It is your ego that is creating the trouble. Drop the ego and everything is creative.

Life consists of small things. They become great if you love. Then everything is tremendously great. If you don't love, then your ego goes on saying, 'This is not worthy of you. Cleaning? this is not worthy of you. Do something great -- become Joan of Arc.' All nonsense. All Joan of Arcs are nonsense.

Cleaning is great. Don't go on an ego-trip. Whenever the ego comes and persuades you towards some great things, immediately become aware and drop the ego, and then by and by you will find the trivia is sacred. Nothing is profane; everything is sacred and holy.

And unless everything becomes holy to you, your life cannot be religious.

A holy man is not what you call a saint. A saint may be just on an ego-trip. And also he will look a saint to you because you think he has done great deeds.

A holy man is an ordinary man who loves ordinary life. Chopping wood, carrying water from the well, cooking -- whatsoever he touches becomes holy. Not that he is doing great things, but whatsoever he does, he does it greatly.,

The greatness is not in the thing done. The greatness is in the consciousness that you bring while you do it.

Try. Touch a pebble with great love; it becomes a kohinoor, a great diamond. Smile, and suddenly you are a king or a queen. Laugh, delight....

Each moment of your life has to be transformed by your meditative love.
When I say be creative, I don't mean that you should all go and become great painters and great poets. I simply mean let your life be a painting, let your life be a poetry."

OSHO
NIRVANA: THE LAST NIGHTMARE"