Creativity is a Divine Experience

Reflecting on St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists, Part 1

In 2018, I read St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists for the first time, and it rocked my world.

I read it during a week when God spoke loudly to me through many signs that writing was indeed something I was made to do (see this post for more on that). The fact that this letter was published in 1999 was also significant to me because that was the year I decided I wanted to be a writer.

This letter still inspires me. St. John Paul II said some beautiful things about art that I would like to share with you today in hopes that it inspires you, too.

It opens with these words:

None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colours and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you.

. . . .

Through his “artistic creativity” man appears more than ever “in the image of God”, and he accomplishes this task above all in shaping the wondrous “material” of his own humanity and then exercising creative dominion over the universe which surrounds him. With loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power.¹

This quote ignites in me the love of God and of art, specifically creating stories. It stirs up wonder about creativity and how I get to participate in it.

I mean, how awesome is it that we get to share in God’s creative power, even as a tiny echo of what God can do?

The fact that we can dream up characters, situations, and whole worlds that don’t exist and then they become real in our imaginations and in other people’s imaginations is crazy amazing.

Creativity brings so much joy. Obviously we’re not always happy with what we create and are often frustrated, but those times when we create something and we see something good in it? Divine. And that makes me feel close to God.

Dear artists, you well know that there are many impulses which, either from within or from without, can inspire your talent. Every genuine inspiration, however, contains some tremor of that “breath” with which the Creator Spirit suffused the work of creation from the very beginning. Overseeing the mysterious laws governing the universe, the divine breath of the Creator Spirit reaches out to human genius and stirs its creative power. He touches it with a kind of inner illumination which brings together the sense of the good and the beautiful, and he awakens energies of mind and heart which enable it to conceive an idea and give it form in a work of art.²

I love this description of creative inspiration. I do feel connected to God when inspired creatively, and I believe that all my inspiration comes from God in some way.

When we create, we are reflecting God as Creator, and God delights in our writing, our art. As writers and artists, we are connected to God through our creative work.

Again, it’s so awesome that God inspires us this way! The image of God reaching out and stirring our creative power, breathing into us and illuminating our imagination… beautiful.

We don’t always experience writing this way, but it’s uplifting to think about this spiritual side of it on occasion. Remembering the times when writing feels fun and meaningful gives me motivation to keep coming back to my scheduled writing times when I don’t feel like writing.

I have more thoughts about this letter to share with you next week, but for now I leave you with these closing words of the letter:

On the threshold of the Third Millennium, my hope for all of you who are artists is that you will have an especially intense experience of creative inspiration.

. . . .

Artists of the world, may your many different paths all lead to that infinite Ocean of beauty where wonder becomes awe, exhilaration, unspeakable joy.³

What do you think about these quotes? Have you ever thought of or experienced creativity like this? Let me know in the comments!

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Thank you for reading! If you’re new here, I’m Katelin Cummins, a Catholic writer, book coach, gamer, and fantasy fan. If you would like to know more about what I write, check out this post. If you want help planning, writing, or revising your novel or nonfiction book, check out my services on my website.

Events

The Catholic Writers Conference Live is coming up!

April 29 - May 1, 2025 in Naperville, IL

I will be running a Meals with Mentors table about planning your next book and I am also coordinating pitch sessions. I hope to see you there!

1. Pope Saint John Paul II, Letter to Artists (April 4, 1999), 1.

2. Ibid., 15.

3. Ibid., 16.