creativity is the act of making the outside reflect the inside

to shine what’s within forth, to pour it forward, to allow the outer realm to receive it and reflect it back. to put our own personal stamp on the external world. every life must do this in some regard to reach any sense of fulfillment. the secret of fulfillment is this:

it is not ourselves that we are seeking to fill. we are not seeking to fill our inner selves with something in order to feel fulfilled.

instead, the true secret to fulfillment is in filling the outer world with ourselves. the mistake is in thinking we must absorb something to fill what’s within. no — we must pour forth what is already in us outward, filling the outer realm with our light.

this is the satisfaction of a life well-lived.

…

similarly, it is not always love we seek, nor necessarily the experience of receiving it, but a place for us to place our love, a heart for us to shine it into and see its fruits reflected back. the experience of giving, of nurturing, and of doing the loving can often time be more healing than receiving nurturing and love.