Why Creativity?

Creativity is much more than a buzzword or an over-used term that has lost its meaning. Fostering and developing creativity and promoting its importance worldwide has the power to transform our society and save our planet. Through engaging in our creativity we connect with our authentic selves, we discover our unique gifts, and we can ultimately find our life purpose. Buckminster Fuller, ahead of his time as he was, said that if every human being contributed his or her unique gift, the world would be in perfect harmony. We believe that through expressing our creative voices, we discover what these unique gifts are.

I recently read something that really helped put this creative work into context. It was an open letter to President Obama from James Arthur Ray, author of Harmonic Wealth and featured speaker in The Secret. [Read the full letter] In that letter Ray says, “True harmony and well-being will occur on our planet when we individually and collectively respect and foster the creativity [my emphasis] and individuality of all human beings.” He goes on to say that what we are experiencing now – the economy, terrorism, etc. – are but the effects of our societal beliefs and past actions. The cause is the “ethno-centric” or “cultural-centric” consciousness we now have and have had in the past. He says that we must shift our consciousness to a “world-centric” view, and that we can only accomplish this shift by changing our way of thinking, feeling, and acting on an individual level. By expressing our creativity and thus our spiritual nature, we as individuals connect with the world at large and the greater consciousness of the universe.

We at Art of the Song have been helping to lay the groundwork for this amazing transformation that is beginning to occur. For the last five years, we have been reaching out to hundreds of thousands of listeners in cities, small towns and rural communities throughout the country. Through music and discussion about songwriting and the creative process, we have subtly and repeatedly delivered the message that we are all creative and that it is not only possible, but imperative that each and all of us express our creative voices.

Art of the Song is much more than a music and interview radio show. We are engaged in very important work, and we must garner the support (financial and otherwise) of individuals, non-profits, corporations, radio stations, and other organizations who believe in – or would be convinced of – the importance of this creative mission. Let us spread the creative word. Let us lead by creative example. Let us grow this grassroots creative movement to transform the world!

If you have any thoughts about this please let us hear from you!

John Dillon – Co-host, Co-producer

Art of the Song

Through Art of the Song we have learned that creativity is a profound agent for community and for change. From South African artist Vusi Mahlasela we learned it is possible to sing a culture of hope into being during the darkest times of apartheid; from Judy Collins that the very act of creating, heals; and from Linda Mason that music created for women in the refugee camps of Darfur meant more to them than physical aid – through creative expression they discovered that we did not simply pity them but that we understood, in our hearts, their plight.

The impact on listeners is real, and they’re sharing their stories with us. A teacher of a bilingual 4th grade class used notes she took during the weekly broadcast to craft a lesson plan for her students preparing for state testing; one interview healed a rift between two estranged friends; and an elderly painter told us she feels connected to a greater creative community while listening to Art of the Song each week.

These experiences have confirmed our understanding that creative expression is an essential ingredient of what it means to be human. Engaging in creativity can make us happy, healthy and can improve our society.

Creative Gifts

“Everyone has the perfect gift to give the world — and if each of us is freed up to give the gift that is uniquely ours to give, the world will be in total harmony.”

– futurist and author, Buckminster Fuller

Creative Thinkers

“The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: designers, inventors, teachers, storytellers—creative and empathic ‘right-brain’ thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn’t.”

- former White House speechwriter and author, Daniel Pink

Creative Economy

“Creativity has emerged as the single most important source of economic growth… the best route to continued prosperity is by investing in creativity in all its forms, across the board.”

– economist and city planner, Richard Florida

Global Solutions

“It is through the development of creativity that we will find solutions to climate change, alternative energy, and the many global issues that face us in the 21st century.”

– green award winning Albuquerque Mayor, Martin Chávez

Search for Meaning

“A transition from ‘material want’ to ‘meaning want’ is in progress on an historically unprecenented scale—involving hundreds of millions of people—and may eventually be recognized as the principal cultural development of our age.”

– journalist, Gregg Easterbrook

Help us Inspire Creativity by Making a Donation!

Art of the Song Creativity Radio is a free service to public radio stations and here on the web. But it isn’t free to create, produce and distribute, and we can use your help!

Support for Art of the Song is provided in part by the great companies and organizations you see on the Sponsors Page, listener contributions and purchases from our Web Store.

We hope you will lend your support and help inspire creative community around the world.

Donations are NOT tax-deductible.

For donations of $100 or more, Art of the Song will contribute 10% to the Public or Community Radio Station of your choice.

Support Art of the Song and Public Radio!

Thank you!
(If you’d like to make a tax-deductible contribution of $500 or more, please contact us and we’ll guide you to our fiscal agent)