" 'Creating' suggests the spiritual center is a wellspring of creativity.
" 'We often forget,' muses Dan Wakefield, 'that every day is a creation—not only for us, but by us.' The writer artfully elaborates in his latest book, 'Creating from the Spirit'
"In this guide to spirituality and creativity, Wakefield offers suggestions for creating our daily experience as well as works of art, using examples from religion, philosophy and literature. And he offers exercises in drawing, writing and tuning in to our five senses for inspiration.
" 'To access your creative powers, you need only be in awe of the mystery of the universe, the life force and its power and be willing to be open to it,' he says.
"Wakefield's most recent book was 'Expect a Miracle: The Extraordinary Things That Happen to Ordinary People.' A novelist, journalist and screenwriter, he gives workshops in "Creating from the Spirit" and "Expecting Miracles."
"In 'Creating From The Spirit,' Wakefield, who once struggled with alcohol, challenges the perception of drugs and alcohol as creative muses and suggests that an individual's spiritual center, rather than the 'dangerous nirvana' of heroin, marijuana and booze, is the true source of a creative life.
" 'The new model of creating from the spirit replaces numbing with enlivening, by replacing drugs and alcohol with clarity,' he says. 'This process enables us to tap into our spiritual resources for inspiration and sustenance,' he adds.
"He draws on the lives and words of creative people, known and not so well known, involved in a wide variety of pursuits, from receptionists and business people to writers, artists and musicians.
"We hear from musician Judy Collins, theologian Elaine Pagels, rabbi and author Harold Kushner and authors Toni Morrison and Studs Terkel, among many others, on how they use creativity in their own work.
"Wakefield extols the benefits of bringing the creative sense to daily life and makes the case that everyone is creative. Kushner tells him, 'I think creativity is spiritual; creativity is a synonym for inspiration.' "
—Rex Ruthkoski,
Pensacola News Journal, January 31, 1997
