“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

Creativity, and artistic creativity most of all, is spontaneous. It does not have to be forced or protected. Those that have it will use it naturally. It possesses its own drive, as that flower does. (As Seth, Jane pointed to the Christmas amaryllis that sat on the coffee table between us.) It can be encouraged, watched and tended, but it grows as a natural part of the personality. The drive is built into it, like the seed in a plant. The two go together.

There is no one with a great talent who does not use it, for the drive is comparable to the talent, and the whole personality knows about it as the flower knows about blossoms. The writer cannot grow at the expense of the person, for the writer springs out of the person, and not the other way around. The person is a writer. There can be no writer without a person. An artist is free to use his ability as far as his person is free. The writer cannot survive without the survival of the person. The writer’s or the artist’s intuitions, sensibilities, inspirations come through his person, through his experiences and temperament. There are no divisions. There is one self.

To the extent that a person grows wholly, his abilities grow. This does not mean that the person cannot make conscious decisions as to areas in which he will concentrate his energy. It does mean that he cannot sacrifice himself to one portion of himself, or he will lose even that portion.

Ruburt felt it was wrong to do anything but write. He felt this also in his relationship with you—that he could serve you best by writing and cutting out all other activities. When he had his last series of excellent improvements, he paid attention to the sessions I gave him on his ideas of work. He cannot smother the person and cultivate the flower of his talent. What he had achieved as a writer and as a psychic has been achieved despite his methods—not because of them.

A work schedule is necessary for your peace of mind, Joseph—you work well that way, and use the freedom it gives you. Keep the household rules then, but within them Ruburt is to have freedom on his part while not intruding on your time. He is to write then three hours a day—more if he wants to—and is to exercise his freedom as a person the rest of the time.

He must see that the writer’s freedom and ability is dependent upon his being a free person. Now those with strong talents are more aware than others of the power of energy. They have chosen to be so aware. Those involved deeply in any art are consciously or unconsciously working in a most intimate manner with the challenges of another kind of creativity. Through their art they see their beliefs and feelings translated into form. On that level they are studying the ways in which beliefs and feelings are translated into living reality. They are ready to deal with the joy and responsibility that others may not as yet understand, so it is easy enough to make errors. The creative abilities have a power that can be confusing, overprotected, or on the other hand run from. Ruburt was trying to do double duty—protecting his abilities and your own. If he remembers his instinctive feeling for nature he will know that he belongs outside as well as inside.