“Our last conversation ended with yelling We both said things we didn’t mean I heard there’s a woman in Palestine who makes flower pots out of used grenades From this I learned, an explosion not how the story has to end “

– Rudy Francisco (From his Poetry book Helium)

Truly, the story does not end with an explosion. Rather I would say it starts with an explosion. Look at the big bang, what was the big bang? It was a nothingness expressing itself with such a vehement explosion that it gave birth to an entire universe. Our expression is the most exalted syntax of our existence. We as Mahatman should always endeavour to share our authentic selves with others through a sense of generosity and service. Somebody can be a dancer, somebody can be an actor, and somebody like me can be a philosopher. But we all have a story to tell. Every medium through which life flows into us and out of us, be it work or creative art or performing art is a medium of unleashing our creative self. Initially Self-expression may seem precarious. It takes courage to overcome our inhibitions, to drop our guards and make ourselves vulnerable to the world. But it is also a great healing process. The more you let yourself flow and be seen and be heard and be known through various means available to you, the more you will heal yourself. We have to reveal ourselves with passion and sincerity. That is how we heal.  Telling our story, that is what we are here for. We share our story through art and music and literature and movies and sports and work. Everyone has a story to tell. So why not give our 100% to this movement of perspectives which take shape and form and depth in accordance with our passions and vocations. When a person is self-expressing, he or she is in a flow.

The urge to express ourselves is a prehistoric one, it is an atavistic one. In the Dordogne region of south western France, there is a cave – The Lascaux, famous for its Palaeolithic cave paintings, because of their exceptional quality, seize, sophistication and antiquity. These paintings are estimated to be up to 20,000 Years old. From Palaeolithic paintings to cutting edge creativity tools, we have come a long way. According to Erving Goffman, a Canadian- American Psychologist, social psychologist, writer and one of the most influential sociologists of the last century, life is a dramatically enacted thing. People like actors try to create a favourable impression of themselves through their choice of script, setting, wardrobe, skills and props. There are front stage areas for our public personas and back stage areas for our private lives, and there is an audience for the performance. In Mahatman we also believe that we have to impress, we have to make that personal statement and a conscious effort to impress others. Do not well all like a person who is properly groomed, daintily attired and clean in his habits and demeanour?  So we should spend time grooming ourselves and endeavour to present the best version of ourselves. We should not let go off any opportunity of self-expression that life presents us with. Even catching up with friends in the evening is an opportunity for self-expression. We should ensure that we are meticulous about our grooming in every sphere of life. Grooming is the first step of self-expression. It should become a habit, a reflex. The famous Psychoanalyst Erich Fromm says that “the only way we can find the sense of wholeness we seek is through the discovery of our individuality. We can achieve this through the following of our own ideas and passions and through our creative purpose”. Furthermore, he says that creativity of expression needs the courage to let go of certainties” Creativity is the most potent tool of self-expression. And it is not just applicable to the Artistic pursuits. Creativity applies to all walks of life including all scientific, pragmatic and economic endeavours. The world famous expert on creativity and lateral thinking Edward De Bono says “Contrary to popular belief, Creativity is not an inherent talent; it is a skill that can be learned. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities, which improves teamwork, productivity and where appropriate profits.” We have to express ourselves authentically and creatively, it is a way of sharing a value adding part of us, generously with the society. Why should we hold back?

We have to learn to shift our gestalt, create a shift in our paradigms, and alter our levels of consciousness. This can be done through various techniques such as Yoga, meditation, mindfulness, positive self-communication, and breathing techniques. Albert Einstein once said “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it” This rings so true! I would like to reiterate that we not only have to think out of the box, that is not sufficient; we need to create a new box altogether. We have to use self-expression as a means to self-actualize. We are all unique in our makeup, our mindset and our way of looking at the world. This also means each one of us has something to offer to the world, either of an artistic or literary merit. There is a movie called “Accepted” in which Bartleby Gaines, the protagonist of the movie, who after receiving rejection letters from all colleges, starts his own college as a rebuttal to the system and partly to keep up appearances and please his father. The best thing I liked about this movie was that the college he starts gives power to the students to create a mix of electives of their choice, irrespective of how highly unconventional or unorthodox they may seem at face value. Thus a person has the option to choose Swimming, Meditation and “How to Pick up girls” as electives at the same time. There is also an elective called “Psychokinesis” because one student wants to study it.

I say to you, grab your own unique set of electives from the gamut of life, and do not compare yourself with others. Just be proud of your own distinctness. Take painstaking efforts to groom yourselves, your self-expression, and the world will trace a path to your door, no matter in which forsaken corner of the world you exist.

“There is a vitality, a life force, energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.”
― Martha Graham

The manifestation of what Graham variously describes as vitality, energy and life force and in a way that is unique for each of us is what we understand by Self Expression. Let me define it in simpler words for you – Self Expression is the sharing of your authentic self with others. Self-Expression helps you to connect with others out of a sense of generosity and service. Above all, it is about becoming creatively alive and living life to the fullest.

One of the most powerful ways you can express yourself is by telling your story. Narrating events from your past and present which describe your relationships, achievements, failures, significant moments of loss and gain in your life are all remarkable ways of expressing the rich, variegated, unique personality that you are.

There is in fact a well-established school of thought in psychology which believes that telling a story is essential to our identity. Known as the Narrative theory of personality, this approach was propounded by psychologists Michael White and David Epston who said that your life story and the interpretation of the narrative influence your thinking, feeling and feeling. When people have positive life stories, they are psychologically well adjusted. But problem-saturated life stories can lead to unhappiness, worry, anxiety and such negative states. The way ahead lies in re-interpreting, re-framing negative life stories to construct a positive narrative and looking for “unique moments” or opportunities to bring about beneficial changes.

Telling your story is a great way to overcome a plethora of negative emotions like fear, shame, guilt, insecurity and anxiety. An important part of psychotherapy across various therapeutic approaches is the sharing of past and present experiences by the client as well as associated thoughts and feelings. For example Freudian psychology believes that negative experiences and emotions suppressed over long periods of time can lead to mental issues and even clinical symptoms. This is why in Freudian psychoanalysis, the therapist encourages the client to tell his/her story and then this forms the basis of interventions like free association and interpretation of dreams. In Humanist approaches on the other hand, the therapist listens actively to the unstructured, free flowing story of the client but avoids interpretation. In fact according to Carl Rogers no other intervention is required other than that the therapist ensure a “growth-promoting climate” for clients as they tells their story so that he they can actualize their human potential. I have already discussed how Narrative theory of personality is based on the telling of one’s stories and this is also the space for therapeutic interventions. White and Epston suggested using unique outcomes and externalization to change the client’s story from being problem saturated and maladaptive to becoming healthier and more adaptive.

While all these are professional ways of helping a person feel better through telling of his or her story, you can experience its benefits on your own level too. Sharing of unhappy experiences is often accompanied by a sense of catharsis which is a feeling of letting everything out and then feeling cleansed from within. In all these ways telling your story can act as an effective tool for healing of the mind and the heart.

Even when you have no such momentous experiences to share, telling your story can make all the difference between states of low and high energy. Suppose you have an important decision to make and find yourself buffeted by doubts, hesitation and anxiety. You are not sure what string of consequences your decision will unfold and therefore you find yourself paralysed by fear and indecision. In such cases framing your decision into a narrative of your journey towards Self Actualization will help you acquire perspective and motivate you to arrive at a firm decision – thus taking you from a low energy to a high energy state.

Despite such value lying in telling your story, many people avoid doing so as a result of self-doubts and trust issues. They ask themselves, why should anyone be interested in listening to my stories? What if I am imposing on others at best and making a fool of myself at worst? What if others use my stories to get insult me or manipulate me in future? It is only natural to wonder about such questions when you are confronted with the choice to share important events of your past. After all, in telling our stories, we make ourselves vulnerable, we lay out parts of our selves before others to be examined, accepted or rejected. All this can make you think and re-think your choice of telling your story.

But like William Faulkner says, “If a story is within you, it has to come out”. Telling your story is not just a way of healing yourself but a powerful way to reclaim interpretations and understandings of past events. In this way you express who you are – by recounting all that has gone into the making of the person you are today, you actually celebrate your own selfhood. And what better way to do it that to make this process a gift to others. Don’t you think that the wealth of experiences, success stories and lessons from defeats that you carry within yourself ought to be shared by others? So telling your story is not at all an act of vanity or self-aggrandisement – indeed it is one of the many forms of giving to others, out of a feeling of generosity and sense of service.

Self-expression helps you feel alive at the most creative peak of your being. Whether you have the gift for words, images, music, rhythm, food, numbers, materials, design, structure, movement, organization or whatever creative work, you absolutely must express it in action. If you are a poet, create unforgettable images in words, if you are photographer, capture them on film. If you enjoy playing with tastes, create irresistible cuisine and while those of you are crazy about numbers go all about to invent computer codes and quantum theorems. It is only the lucky ones who are able to making a living off their creative passion, but even if that is not possible now, even if you have a different day job, set aside enough time and space for your chosen avenue of Self Expression.

Indeed Mahatman says that take your Self Expression several notches higher and creative something new. So if you are a classical dancer, use its grammar and syntax to compose something of your own. If you are passionate about sports which can be played only by certain rules, think up new training regimen to enhance fitness or the players’ skills. All these are ways of expressing your deepest creative spirit and they are sure to make you feel super incredible about yourself – which is one of the chief attributes of the Mahatman self.

One of the chief benefits of creative self-expression is the state of flow – this is understood as the mental state of being fully present and completely immersed in the creative task at hand. This is when you are so engrossed in an enjoyable and satisfying pursuit that the minutes and even hours melt by without you knowing. Dr. Heather Berlin, a cognitive neuroscientist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York has studied the neuroscience of imagination, creativity and improvisation. In a broadcast on Public Radio International on 17 March 2016, she explained what exactly goes on in your brain when you’re being creative. the state of flow involves an increase in the internal generation of ideas along with a decrease in a part of your brain that has to do with your inner critic — your filter system that has to do with making sure that you conform to social norms. 

This removing of the filter is akin to letting the subconscious emerge and if this is so, then the flow can be understood as a state where the conscious and subconscious parts of our psyche are both active and lend their forces towards creative functioning. In this way, self-expression is the truest sense can also lead to an integration of the conscious and subconscious aspects which is one of the ideals of Mahatman – not mere balance but complete integration of diverse states and experiences so that you feel organically whole and fulfilled.

Let us deep dive into the concept of Work and how can we best express ourselves through work. Creativity and Self-Expression are not the monopoly of the artists. Even routine tasks can be done with mindfulness and aesthetics. The Japanese, who are also known for their longevity, have a strong aesthetic sense about their work. They beautify, embellish, decorate and adorn everything they work on. A sandwich in Japan is not just a Sandwich; it is a work of art. It is cut into an artistic shape. Even rubbish is beautifully packed in Japan. George Mikes once described how rubbish is beautifully packed in Japan. “Rubbish was not strewn haphazardly; all the boxes were piled into a graceful if somewhat whimsical pyramid, while the loose rubbish was placed on the top as an artistic and picturesque decoration. Creativity is not the turf of only scientists, technologists and artists. A person in any profession can be creative. Creativity depends on several factors such as knowledge, experience, flexibility, self-confidence, intuition, and the capacity for prolonged and concentrated effort. One thing that we must all remember- Creativity grows in the soil of grinding work.

Edison worked five days and five nights incessantly sparing only four to five hours for sleep, when he was working on his Phonograph. Brunel, a daring Victorian Engineer, supervised the work of the “Great Eastern” a ship designed to be six times bigger than any ship afloat at that time. He was paralysed and was also suffering from a kidney problem but that did not deter him from being involved in his life’s magnum opus. Creative people also develop their own style of working. Schiller hid rotten applies beneath his desk while he wrote poetry. The smell of rotten apples inspired him to flow. Descartes the great philosopher did all his serious thinking in the bed. Some friends called on him at 11 o’clock in the morning, he was still in bed. They asked him what he was still doing lying in bed, to which he replied “Thinking”. John Von Neumann, one of the greatest mathematical minds of the century used to sleep very late at night and used to get up very late in the morning as well. When a scientist friend telephoned him to tell him that his solutions to one of the problems were right, to which he said “you woke me up early in the morning to tell me I am right? Next time please wait till you have to tell me that I am wrong”

India celebrates “Engineers day” on September 15^th in the honour of Sri Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, who lived for more than a hundred years and dedicated a major portion of his life in the service of the nation. Visvesvaraya had a penchant for perfection. All work was sacrosanct to him. He said “ Even if your job is to sweep the street, make sure it is the best swept street in the world” He was one of the most immaculately dressed persons and even at the wee end of a busy day, there was not a speck of dirt or dust over his clothes.

Allen Ginsberg, one of the foremost poets of the Beatniks generation says “Follow your inner moonlight, don’t hide the madness” We should not hide the madness. Our madness should express itself, assert itself selfishly, it should steal the thunder. Do not just go through the motions in a limpid manner; unleash yourself with the urgency of a heart placed on the rim of Mount Vesuvius. Go all the way to come up with creative solutions. Look at things in different ways. For example the half of eight is four, but it can also be three, it can also be a zero, it can be an “S” or it can also be a (flattened) eight, depending on how you look at it. Do not get remain hinged in rigidity, orthodoxy, or complacency. Challenge your thinking, jolt your gestalt, be crazy and smitten with your work- treat it as a craft, as an art, no matter how mundane or dredged it appears to be. You must plant the miracle in the mundane. That will come from your creative effort.

There are various ways in which you can break the mould and coax and persuade your creativity to flow. J K Rowling was almost broke, when she started writing the series that would eventually make her a billionaire and would serve to be a watershed in children’s literature- Harry Potter. She started writing from Cafes before royalties made her rich enough to afford a private suite in an expensive Edinburgh Hotel. This room is now an important tourist attraction and it is yours for the night, if you have pockets deep enough to pay the premium tariff on that room. You can take long afternoon walks to break the spell of drudgery. Walking after all is a philosophical pursuit. You can be an early bird if your creativity peaks in the morning hours; you can accomplish productive and qualitative work in those early hours. You could reward yourself with intermittent naps throughout the day like David Foster Wallace did while writing his books. If solitude drives your mojo, then you might want to rent a room somewhere (or a cubicle in a co-working space) and flourish. Maya Angelou used to check into a room at some motel and allow the solitude to pique her creativity. And though the next one is a slightly unconventional example, Tomas Wolfe found his groove while writing in the buff; I would urge you to not refrain yourself from resorting to such extremes! Whatever rocks your boat!

Here is an example of why it is so important to be creative at our workplace. Once the owner of a soap factory was faced with a situation. There were complaints from the distributors that in the lots being sent to them, they were receiving a few empty boxes. The process of packing the soap into the boxes was a manual one and there was room for error, no matter how diligent the employees were. The owner called a meeting of the board and they brainstormed over this problem for a long time. Someone suggested that they should have an X-ray machine with a person to operate it and one more to check every screening. Another person suggested a laser machine that worked on an advanced algorithm that would identify the empty boxes. Both the options were costly, including the cost of additional labour. Then one person came up with a simple solution. He asked that they put an industrial fan in front of the assembly line; the fan would simply blow away the empty boxes. And this cost-effective solution worked wonders for the company. The number of empty packages being sent out soon came down to zero. Thus creativity not only saved the face of the company, but it also saved the costs.

“workshop of potential literature, it is a congregation of writers and mathematicians who seek to create works using constrained writing techniques. One of the writers Georges Perec wrote an entire book without using the letter “E”. Italo Calvino, another member wrote a book “If on a winter’s night, a traveller” in second person, which makes the reader a part of the book plot. Singular Pleasures by Harry Mathews describes 61 different scenes, each told in a different style (generally poetic, elaborate, or circumlocutory) in which 61 different people (all of different ages, nationalities, and walks of life) masturbate. There are so many ways in which you can be creative. Creativity is not an inborn talent. It is a skill that can be groomed and developed through practice and hard work. Your expression should just spring out of your action, be it art or work. It should make an impact on the audience, however big or small the audience maybe. Pablo Picasso the great cubist painter once said “If I paint a wild horse, you might not see the horse, but surely you will see the wildness” That is what we want to do. We want to show our wildness, our madness to the world. We want to be creative in all our endeavours- artistic or pragmatic. If you are a writer, your pen should be the most powerful scabbard, if you are a dancer, you should shake the grounds, if you are a philosopher you should create a magnum opus of trenchant insightful wisdom strewn with remarkable original thought. Your work should be a dense cluster of epiphanies. And if you are a sweeper, then your street should look like the most beautiful painting one can walkthrough.

One of the most joyful ways of expressing your authentic self is through your personal style – the dress, colours, fabric, design, makeup, accessories et al you choose to wear. All this becomes increasingly significant when you consider how society repeatedly imposes varying degrees of conformity on how you should appear in public. So while some schools have uniforms for students, workplaces and professional contexts such as the courts and corporate spaces have their own dress code. Sometimes uniform may play a crucial – say for police officers and medics – for professionals to be able to do their work efficiently. But on the whole, conformity in appearance often seeps into regimentation and replication in personality so that creativity and innovation take a backseat. Instead, celebrate the kind of person you are by wearing what expresses your inner being the best. Even if you are in your 60s and you feel energized like a 20-year-old, by all means, dress in colours and designs that are more associated with young people.

Indeed personal style is not just about fashion – it becomes the tool for making a strong political statement as well. The great Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi arrived in London for the Round Table Conference in his loincloth and shawl. He was jeered by many including. But that did not stop him from making a powerful point with and extracting important concessions from the British government about India’s demand for independence from colonial rule. In many parts of the world, what you wear can mark your political commitment and can even mean the difference between life and death. So if you are lucky to live in societies which respect freedom of choice, consider deeply what you wear and be proud of what and who it expresses.

Like the telling of your story, all forms of genuine Self Expression are ways you reach out and connect to the world around you. And mark my words – this is important not because you want attention in a narcissistic way but the very act of influencing others is service. When you create an impact on others by your Self Expression, you are actually conveying and even teaching others some very useful lessons on how to unfurl your innermost powers and skills, on how you can overcome self-doubts and accomplish your goals. When you understand Self Expression this way, you realize that it is a great form of service to others and to your community. That immediately takes away the element of vanity and all the hesitations that can arise from it, leaving you free and motivated to express your personality to the world.

Mahatman believes you need to go further than merely influencing and impacting others with your Self Expression and positively make an effort to impress. After all this is a philosophy of continuous personal development and appearing well groomed is a highly effective way of making your best impression. To begin with, learn the essentials of personal grooming and then go on to pick up style tips which will help you enhance your best features. When people meet you, they should feel pleased and motivated by your appearance and want to spend more time with you. Is there any sense in willingly choosing a slackened appearance which is sure to put people off? Instead dress and groom yourself to impress. Do not think of all this as being vain and self-obsessed – rather  consider the amount of effort and resources that go into self-grooming and realize that this is actually a service that you are doing to others out of your own generosity.

This is a great place to underline what Self Expression is not – it is not a narcissistic obsession with your own appearance. The distinguishing question is whether you are using your personal style to connect with others? If you dress to shackle yourself to your mirror, you are sadly frittering away all the promise that style holds; on the other hand if you are using your personal style to impact and connect with people, to reveal your authentic self to them, you have understood the Mahatman way to great Self Expression.

Finally, Self-Expression works wonders on the level of collective intelligence. It is because painters and writers and scientists want to express their own thoughts and the world around them in their own distinct ways that they kick-start movements in art, literature, science, and other forms of creative forms. While abstract art expresses the artist’s inner life of dreams, symbols and meanings, African-American women’s writing would not have developed its unique power had writers like Toni Morrison not expressed their struggles against race and patriarchy through their novels and stories. Self-Expression can thus impact the world on macro levels, giving birth to new archetypes and historical changes.

So when you express yourself through stories, tattoos, dress, music or your work, you are not just exercising a choice – whether or not to let the world recognize your authentic self. According to Mahatman, you are doing a service to your fellow-humans by reaching out and connecting to others – and all this is crucial to awaken the greatness within.

Summary

Big-bang of self-expression:

• Telling your story is a fundamental aspect of Self-Expression

• We should share our authentic selves with others and connect with them out of a sense of generosity and service.
• Revealing yourself helps in bringing about a creative flow state and healing yourself
• Work is the greatest form of self-expression
• Work is a craft and we are the craftsmen
• Stories are the best way to connect with people
• Make a personal statement-impress others. Everyone loves a well-groomed person.
• We should make a conscious effort to present the best version of ourselves through our grooming, our art and our work.

Reference:

https://www.wnyc.org/story/neuroscience-creative-flow/