On Nov. 17, art professor emeritus Richard Beale spoke to students and faculty on “Spirituality and Similar Functions of the Creative Process” as part of the InterFaith Center’s Spiritual Journeys Series.
According to Beale’s lecture, spirituality and the creative process have much in common. In Beale’s model, each process begins with a found discomfort or an inner struggle. After a period of hard work and suffering, there is a moment of enlightenment where everything comes together. Once the artwork or spiritual revelation has been completed, it can be shared with others.
Beale illustrated this process using the example of his own life and artistic work. Beale’s interest in art and writing began under the tutelage of a mentor at Ohio University, where he earned a master of fine arts degree. That teacher, whose main religious focus was Buddhism, inspired Beale to write haiku poems. Beale said he regularly attended and participated in church services during this time.
“I was baptized at 27 years old and really enjoyed it,” Beale said. “It was like someone putting their arms around you, comfortable. But after 20 years [of religious life] I was only going for my wife. I realized the conventional religious situation wasn’t really me.”
To fill that void, Beale began a regime of personal meditation and prayer. He also kept a small notebook in which he would write down any “unscripted spontaneous thoughts.” These creative outbursts prompted Beale to collect his thoughts on religion together in one place.
In 1994 Beale published a small book of poetry titled Silence and the Gift. Though the pieces were originally conceived as daily prayers, Beale said he believed that the prayers could be perceived as art. “Writing is simply a way of meditating on paper,” he said.
After publishing his first book, Beale continued his artistic endeavors with One World, another selection of poems coupled with intricate artwork. Waiting with Irene, Beale’s third and most recent book, is a prose-based series of memoirs about Beale’s late wife and his religious reflections.
“What we do with our consciousness – prayers, literary work, etc. – is creating our own consciousness,” Beale said. “How do we get to be grown up? Life is full of creativity. We must pass it on.”
Beale taught art at Geneseo from 1963 to 1984. In addition to writing, Beale creates art through watercolors, etchings, needlepoint, collages and jewelry.
The Spiritual Journeys Series is sponsored by the InterFaith Center and is designed to allow faculty the opportunity to publicly reflect upon their spiritual life and how it has affected their teaching.