Creative Karma

Realize that everything connects to everything else.—Leonardo Da Vinci

From 2005-2009, a TV sitcom, “Earl,” featured a slackard good-for-nothing who discovers he holds a $100,000 lottery ticket. He is overjoyed, jubilant. But just as Earl realizes his good fortune, a car hits him and he wakes in a hospital bed to find his lottery ticket gone. It is karma, he believes, the forces of the world punishing him for the hurt he has done to others. And from then on, Earl dedicates himself to righting the wrongs he has committed in the past.

It really wasn’t that great a series (in my estimation) and I only watched a few episodes. But the idea of some sort of cosmic karma is intriguing. As ye sow, so shall ye reap, the Bible says, suggesting that in the grand scheme of things, we get what’s coming to us. We get what we deserve. I’m not sure I believe that. Bad things happen to the innocents of the world, to those who have done only good. And, as we know, right does not always prevail. We see injustice everywhere.

I  do, however, feel that the good we do comes back to us. We give of ourselves, and in return we receive. Not in a quid pro quo sort of fashion and not in the same measure. But when we contribute to the good of the world, in large part or small, the world becomes a little better. And it eventually makes its way back to us.

How Creative Karma Works

My writer friend, Gina, speaks of the concept of creative karma, that as writers we need to help one another—share news of an upcoming conference, a submission opportunity, or a new way to reach potential readers. We can help in big ways—reading a manuscript and offering constructive, kind feedback. And we can help in smaller ways: providing an encouraging word to someone struggling or blocked creatively.

I am fortunate to live in a community that provides opportunities for writers and artists of all kinds. Several coffeehouses feature Open Mic nights for musicians to share their music, poets and other writers to share what they have written. And what is shared is most usually of the highest quality. It is difficult to be an artist, we know that. And so, at the coffeehouse, we help one another–with a smile, a thumbs up, a one or five dollar bill in the tip jar. Small gestures, perhaps, but to someone experiencing doubt and disappointment, but still trying to make it as an artist, it can mean everything.

Furthermore, when we go out of our way to provide an encouraging word, to say yes to helping each other, we set events in motion. The world shifts a little, becomes a little more kind. “You have been created in order that you might make a difference,” Andy Andrews said. “You have within you the power to change the world.” –Lucy Adkins

For more suggestions for the creative life, go to http://thewritingandcreativelife.com.