Viewing an extraordinary exhibition at the National Museum of Art entitled When Art Danced with Music, I was reminded again of the transformative power of creativity. It is not necessary to stage a ballet or paint a masterpiece to engage in the life enhancing process of creation. Whether it is knitting a sock or planting flowers in your yard, baking a loaf of bread or listening to a piece of music that moves your soul, creativity is about change and involvement. Something internal moves, energy flows, thoughts expand and the life force grows. And when the life force grows, our whole being expands and often our life begins to move in a new and positive direction.
How easy it is to become immersed in the mundane routine, to lose energy in what we consider daily necessity. Whether it is a mind numbing commute to work or repetitive thought patterns that loop endlessly through our heads, mechanical routine can drain and depresses our spirit unless balanced by the joyful energy of creativity. "I'm too busy, I don't have time to be creative" is a frequent complaint I hear from harried and frustrated overachievers. Or "I don't have the energy or talent" from depressed clients, or "I'm not good enough" from those suffering from anxiety. We all have our conversations for no change. If you don't yet know what yours are, begin to listen to yourself and flag the repetitive language that limits your energy : "they don't understand me, it doesn't matter what I do, I can't do that, I don't know how, I'm too old to learn, the cards are stacked against me".... Recognition without judgement allows you to inhibit those thoughts and redirect to choices that open you to possibility. Smile at those old thoughts for perhaps they once served you, tap them away with the energy dance of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or a TAT (Tappas Acupressure Technique), or simply bring more awareness to your choices. Changing a thought or a feeling is a very creative act.
If you find it challenging to reengage in the creative gulf stream of energy, start small. Art dances in life everywhere; take the time to notice. Be still for one minute in the morning and listen to birdsong before you start your day. Stop for a moment and look up at the clouds on your way to work or school or walking to the mailbox. Draw a picture or take a photograph. Play with your food, rearrange your furniture. Start a journal and write for five minutes a day. Examine the petals of a flower, the whorls of a seashell. Smile at someone for no reason, do a little dance while you wait for your tea water to boil. Be aware of your body as a vehicle of grace and fluid motion as you reach for the bowl on the shelf. Begin to think of yourself as a valuable part of the creative flow that exists everywhere and make the time to be aware of your participation .... explore your connection to the whole with eyes wide open and allow yourself to be inspired.
"The highest purpose of art is to inspire." Bob Dylan
How easy it is to become immersed in the mundane routine, to lose energy in what we consider daily necessity. Whether it is a mind numbing commute to work or repetitive thought patterns that loop endlessly through our heads, mechanical routine can drain and depresses our spirit unless balanced by the joyful energy of creativity. "I'm too busy, I don't have time to be creative" is a frequent complaint I hear from harried and frustrated overachievers. Or "I don't have the energy or talent" from depressed clients, or "I'm not good enough" from those suffering from anxiety. We all have our conversations for no change. If you don't yet know what yours are, begin to listen to yourself and flag the repetitive language that limits your energy : "they don't understand me, it doesn't matter what I do, I can't do that, I don't know how, I'm too old to learn, the cards are stacked against me".... Recognition without judgement allows you to inhibit those thoughts and redirect to choices that open you to possibility. Smile at those old thoughts for perhaps they once served you, tap them away with the energy dance of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or a TAT (Tappas Acupressure Technique), or simply bring more awareness to your choices. Changing a thought or a feeling is a very creative act.
If you find it challenging to reengage in the creative gulf stream of energy, start small. Art dances in life everywhere; take the time to notice. Be still for one minute in the morning and listen to birdsong before you start your day. Stop for a moment and look up at the clouds on your way to work or school or walking to the mailbox. Draw a picture or take a photograph. Play with your food, rearrange your furniture. Start a journal and write for five minutes a day. Examine the petals of a flower, the whorls of a seashell. Smile at someone for no reason, do a little dance while you wait for your tea water to boil. Be aware of your body as a vehicle of grace and fluid motion as you reach for the bowl on the shelf. Begin to think of yourself as a valuable part of the creative flow that exists everywhere and make the time to be aware of your participation .... explore your connection to the whole with eyes wide open and allow yourself to be inspired.
"The highest purpose of art is to inspire." Bob Dylan
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