Inspiration
John O’Donohue on Creativity and the Divine Imagination
“At the deepest level, creativity is holiness”
Clementine | 8×10 inches | Oil on Canvas Panel | Michael Lynn Adams
Poet philosopher John O’Donohue (1956-2008) is one of my favorite authors on beauty. His concept of beauty goes far deeper than popular culture’s superficial view. For O’Donohue, beauty and its cousin creativity are what engage us with the ultimate reality, which has many names – The Creator, The All, Divine, God, The Universe. Through creative acts, we join the dance that God began.
Here is just a snippet from O’Donohue’s book “Beauty, the Invisible Embrace: Rediscovering the true sources of compassion, serenity, and hope”:
“At the deepest level, creativity is holiness. To create is to further the dream and desire of the creator. When the world was created, it was not a one-off, finished event. Creation is a huge beginning, not a finished end. Made in the image and likeness of the Divine Imagination, human creativity helps to add to creation. The unfinished is an invitation to our imagination. This is what happens in experience: the unfinished reaches towards us in order to come to form and expression…Everything we feel, think, and do, even the smallest thing, expresses and unfolds the dream of God.” ~ John O’Donohue
Two of many wonderful books by John O’Donohue that will be treasured on your bookshelf:
As an Amazon affiliate, I receive a small commission from Amazon from qualified purchases.
Thanks for sharing this inspiring quote. I especially like “Creation is a huge beginning…”
This is beautiful and soulful…thank you for sharing and Happy New Year!
Great quote – thanks for sharing that!
Beauty, the Invisible Embrace by John O’Donohue. And there are so many more treasures in his wonderful book.
What great quotes – Do you have the name of the book?