This weekend, many people in the Christian world are celebrating Easter. Even though I’ve been a Buddhist for nearly thirty years there is something about the Easter story, particularly the solemnity of Good Friday, that really touches me.

For me I think Good Friday is about acknowledging the muddy pond of human existence, the good the bad and the ugly. The bad and the ugly are very prevalent. We can see this collectively in the human race and we feel it within ourselves. The latter is harder to acknowledge and even tougher to accept.

But in spite of all of this gloom Easter teaches us that great light and potential are also possible. Renewal and hope are borne from the darkness.

So what does this have to do with your creativity?

One of the things I have noticed since starting this blog is that a lot of people have trouble putting their art out into the world because they think they are not good enough. They are afraid of standing in their own light. They are afraid of the glow of their own greatness.

I don’t necessarily mean the greatness of the art itself. Depending where you are with your skills what you produce might not be technically advanced (and I include myself here!) The greatness I am talking about is about you – your greatness as a human being and your willingness to show yourself and express your truth through a creative medium.

Does the Easter story not teach us that despite the daily flaws of humanity there is always the possibility that we can show our greater selves?  We can step into the infinite possibilities of our life and change the course of humankind.

When you take creative action you are doing this. Every time you create you are making yourself into a better person. You are employing learning and discipline and you dig deep within yourself to pull something out that you might have thought was impossible.

And what you produce very often touches the hearts of other people and makes a difference to their lives too.

Is it time to believe that our greatness already exists?

In Buddhism we believe that everybody has the supreme life state of Buddhahood. This means that you have all the wisdom, courage and compassion already in your life that you need to create value in a way that is unique to you.

This state already exists. You don’t have to go somewhere else to get it, you don’t have to spend years or lifetimes learning to be a Buddha. You already have this life state.

You simply have to reveal it, reveal what is already there.

You have this amazing shining diamond-like state within you. You just have to clear away the crap and disbelief that is obscuring it.

Therefore as an artist you already have everything you need. You are in a perfect condition just as you are. The trials and tribulations that you go through, the doubt, the fear, the self-hatred – these are merely vehicles in the fight to show the world your greater self.

How can you get comfortable with your greatness?

The main thing to realise when accepting the existence of your greater self is that this doesn’t mean that you have to be perfect. Your flaws and your mistakes are part of your excellence. They are part of who you are.

Standing in the glow of your greatness doesn’t have to mean being in the spotlight and have everybody notice you. It just means that you accept your imperfections and calmly get on with your art and do it anyway.

Please shine your light in the world. It really needs more light at the moment. It needs loving, capable people. It needs forgiveness.  Let’s start with recognising the greatness within ourselves and creating from this place. What an amazing contribution this would make.

Next steps

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