my creative energy is the mother of money

 
 

in recent writings, I’ve been stitching together a new vision for what I believe a creative business is — and could be. a creative business is:


in today’s writings, I’ll explore the ideas of generative creativity, creative generosity vs. scarcity, and why creative energy is the mother-empress of all projects and their outcomes — including money.

generative creativity

I think of generative creativity as: creativity that inspires more creativity. a seed that grows more seeds.

my business is a container for generative creativity — because it is my creative gifts, channeled in service to my values — which can then go on to inspire others, and create more creative energy. I started writing about this last year in exploring building wealth as an artist.

this is the kind of creativity that gives with generosity — creativity which is, itself, a gift — energized with purpose to serve principles, ethos, or ways of being in the world.

generative creativity is like a flame that lights more flames. it has the power of contagion, and the abundance of fertility.

deprogramming scarcity

first, I’ll clarify that I think all creativity, is, by nature, generative.

but the energy with which we channel our creativity (or create our art) is not always the energy of generosity.

and, how could it be, when, as children, we’re told that to become an artist is to choose to be poor? this scarcity mindset is the default programming that we downloaded from society. so, no wonder we feel that we never have enough — money, attention, resources. this is the blueprint we downloaded and installed in our minds.

to feel disempowered as an artist is to become easily caught in a web of “why can’t the world just support me to make my art? why can’t I make money? how can I get people to acknowledge me, validate me, encourage me?” it becomes an existential struggle. (and there is no shame, I grappled with this for much of 2019).

but, you cannot be generous when you need something from the world — and are always in resistance/conflict with it. you must give yourself permission to BE yourself, and to find your own freedom and creative self-worth independent of any external reception. to believe in your creativity enough to make art for no audience. through slow deprogramming, you can begin practicing creative generosity.

creative generosity is power

to be generous means that you have a surplus — an abundance of resources to give and share with others. these resources extend far beyond money — but also to energy, time, talent, ideas, imagination, skill, passion, emotions, integrity, clarity, strength — and so many other qualities.

there is a fine line between being generous (that is, giving from a place of inner abundance) — vs. giving things away for free, out of a unconscious sense of inadequate self-worth, and a hunger for validation.

(ie, have you ever stayed in the home of a “generous” person who needed your constant gratitude, validation, and praise? or been in a relationship with a “self-sacrificing” person who guilts you for wanting to leave, after all they did for you? this is not generosity — but a form of covert manipulation).

true generosity feels like freedom. it’s given with intention and joy — rather than expectations; given because the very act of giving nourishes the giver. therefore, this is the definition of generative creativity.

cultivating abundance as an artist with a business is to channel this energy of generosity into both free and paid offerings. this is the difference between tending to a public garden, as well as creating a private labyrinth. I write about growing a business as a labyrinth here.

generosity is power, because it seeks nothing in return for its existence. by giving your creative and inner wealth, you attract people and resources to you.

I know that this sounds like a nice ideal, but the process of embodying this is hard. choosing art is hard — we’re shamed for it by our cultures and families, pressured into packaging/commoditizing our art or creative labor in order to survive, then cornered into feeling resentful and demonizing money as the capitalist enemy to our creativity.

it took me many years to deconstruct and reframe this:

money is not the enemy of my creativity.

money is the child of my creative energy.

my creative energy is the mother of money


all the money I make is born from my creative energy. the very same creative life force that moves through me; inspires me to paint, write poems, dream up new ideas or projects (whether or not they make money) is that which flows into my business projects and containers; what I call my alchemical work; the work of guiding change. the very same energy that makes art — also makes me money.

money is a by-product of generative creative work that serves, guides, or inspires, created from giving with creative generosity.

my creative energy is the Empress mother of money. she’s the one who imagines and concocts new projects, endeavors, and creative life forms — some of which are businesses; others which are not. those projects are creative beings who live adventures of their own, interact with others, and eventually, give birth to their own offspring — including money.

then, money grows up and supports its mother and grandmother (filial piety), who continue to make more creative projects, which continues to make more money…

in the past, I wrote about my relationship to money as mirroring my power struggles with men, in a “I hate needing you / don’t leave me” — kind of way. I also related to my artist-self as an inner child — sometimes, a wounded one.

now I realize that my creative spirit is being called to mature into the role of mother / empress / ruler — not just live as an artist-child. and, I’ve demoted money. money is not a man; money is a child.

my creative energy is the ruler of the house, not the servant.

my creative energy is the giving mother, not the dependent child.

as the empress-mother, I feel infinitely fertile and abundant.

~
remember that this world will not just hand your freedom to you. you must claim it. light your own torch, and then pass on this flame to others. let your creative power and your money be a vessel for your spirit, beliefs, and values in motion in the world. this is how we create our mutual abundance.

 
 
growing a business, creative practice, guidesKening Zhuartist-entrepreneur, money