intoxicating creativity

I heard a speech by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of ‘Eat Pray Love’, on ted talk. She produced an interesting insight on creativity and an artist’s life. ‘Creativity’, what is it? Is it something that a person posses in him, or is there a secret messenger from the divine that directs the artist into producing the out-worldly creations?

The old Romans and Greek believed that a creative person is not creative by himself but has a demon or a supernatural body called genius that spoke to the artist and guided him. When you believe in this theory and held a superior entity responsible for all your creations, it seems it is easier for an artist to remain sober and face the anticipation and anguish.

The haunting realization of forever struggling to be the best and producing celebratory pieces of art pushes a person into instability. But because the Romans and Greeks believed that the artist is a mere source for the almighty to reach the world; they neither worshiped him for brilliant creations nor accused for the lame ones, but simply tried to comprehend the art. This basically took the artist off the constant pressure to deliver.

But in our atheist and individualistic society since the renaissance; that’s approximately 500 years ago, life of an Artist is synonymous with pain, anguish and a sense of incompleteness and thus an ‘artistic’ incline towards substance abuse.  Most often it is the other way round; people do substance abuse to pose as a ‘creative personality’.

Nevertheless my question remains, ‘what is creativity?’

Is it really some kind of a message from the divine or your own ingeniousness? Or maybe it is neither of that but just a simple ability to observe and reciprocate to your surroundings and a talent to express it. I believe everyone is creative, but not everyone is observant or diligent enough to realize it or even to put it out there for the world to see it through their perception.

So yes, I believe that creativity is nothing else but your perception, a perception that is unique or funny or a solution. And as far as the dark, intoxicated life of an artist is considered it is nothing else but your perception of yourself being responsible to a world, that in my perception is better off, with or without you, art is not something you earn money or fame with; or even impress people with, but an addiction that can only be "eradicated" by doing it more.

So creativity is a not just a perception but also an addiction to express that perception.