The Courage to Create - Rollo May

Maybe it really had to be this way.

I am not a diligent person, I am not someone who is eager to read, I tend to stay quiet and prefer to listen and observe everything happening around me.

I know that my interest in reading is really low, until finally I was pushed to read because I had to write down reading references for my thesis. A situation where I had to force myself to start reading. On the other hand, I felt like something was missing, something that made me feel empty and unmotivated to do anything, especially to make art. Honestly, at that time I felt confused and did not know what to do. Once in a while there was a point where I asked myself, "should I read a book? But which book?"

That afternoon I was late for the writing class at Plesungan led by Bapak Halim HD. My friends had already finished discussing the book Atomic Habits, which they said could give motivation and understanding on how to change your life and habits little by little, done over and over. I always admire friends who are consistent enough to finish a whole book, until they can retell it by heart. I think at that time they had found the book that fit and that they needed, whether they realized it or not. Meanwhile, I was still searching for the "right" book to read, mostly because I needed one for my thesis.

After the discussion session ended, Pak Halim picked up two books and offered them to us to read. Some friends pushed me to read this one, honestly at first I hesitated, especially hesitant about myself. Could I really finish this book in a week? Let's try!

My experience reading the book titled 'Creativity & Courage' by Rollo May brought me back to look at what I have done in my life. Am I someone brave? Or am I a coward? Meaning, I chose not to care and just surrendered to whatever fate would come in the next part of my life. This book taught me that being creative is not only about waiting for inspiration to hit my head, but creativity needs courage to face the encounters happening around us. I often asked myself, 'why can't I be a creative person? Why don't I get inspiration in making art?' This book wanted me to always stay aware of everything I do and everything that happens in life. I think Rollo May wants his readers to realize that no matter how small an activity or event in their life is, it can carry meaning and become inspiration for developing a creative mind.

Creativity does not come by itself, but we need to realize that every encounter, every obstacle, becomes a form of our own courage. Taking a brave stance will always be directly linked to creativity, to creating a strategy or making something happen. This book repeatedly gives all kinds of stories of courage and creativity from several world figures. Those stories often show the side where they faced all kinds of obstacles while searching for answers and solving the problems in front of them. They tried to find concrete data so the problem could be answered. Often that answer did not come from the data they had gathered and read, but the answer came when they were faced with a simple reality. That answer appeared at the level of the unconscious, where in reality they were aware they had been part of an encounter. This made me rethink things, maybe there are many simple things happening in this life, but I never noticed them or thought they were important. I still believed that a great work comes from a big and very meaningful personal experience, so I overlooked events or the word 'simple.'

This book taught me to stay calm and aware while living and facing life. I had full awareness while reading this book, page by page. I felt that this book was really what I needed. Needed at a time when I had no direction in my thinking and my actions. It turned out I was not the only one who found it hard to face challenges, many other people feel the same way I do. Honestly, this is the first time I have been excited to read a book all the way through. Because what is written fits so closely with my life right now. But maybe, I really do need to be forced to read a book within a certain amount of time, so there is a push to finish the responsibility given to me. I am thankful for being given the chance to read 'Creativity & Courage' by Rollo May, and I hope I can be moved to read other books too. And I believe, every book I read will surely leave a mark on my mind and my heart.