The language of the soul at its finest, is about unfiltered expression of the authentic self. Kids have no inhibitions about this kind of thing, but for adults, it’s scary and risky, and there is deep fear about judgement and getting it wrong.
We agree with education guru and TED Talk champion, Sir Ken Robinson (Do Schools Kill Creativity?, TED 2006) who said that we get educated out of our creativity, because our education system is based on linearity and conformity. The crayons get taken away at about grade 6, and those who aren’t interested in art, can potentially never lay hands on art materials again in their lives.
If all of us were required to take real arts expression throughout our schooling (not the conformist and rulebound kind, as was the experience for most people) as adults we’d all have the ability to translate our unfiltered authentic selves into an art form, be it music, dance, theatre, creative writing, and fine art, to name some. Adults who claim, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body”, very likely have a story about some kind of shaming about something they made or tried somewhere along the way. Someone told them it sucked, and they decided to shut down and never risk their creative expression again.
Like any language, the arts is a language that can be learned. It requires your interest and attention, and the proper conditions for it to flourish. Authentic and unfiltered creative expression is a muscle that can be worked and strengthened. If you haven’t had opportunities and the right conditions to express and develop your creativity, you won’t have full awareness of your creative capabilities, and their limitless potential. How do you get better at anything? With practice, practice, practice.
If you have a soul, you can learn how to express it.
Your only roadblock is your own fear.