Creativity is like Meditation

 

Creativity is a meditative state because it puts you ‘in the flow.’  In a flow state, an hour seems like mere minutes.   I have combined my passions for art, creativity, and personal growth into a series of courses that free your creativity and allow you to expand your awareness.  When I tell people what I do, some respond with limiting beliefs, such as:

‘I don’t have an artistic bone in my body.’

‘I tried meditation, but I can’t seem to quiet my mind.’

But, I know that there is an artist — and a meditator in each of us. 

When I hear those self-limiting beliefs expressed, I see a real opportunity for personal growth.  I have seen transformational insights occur in our classes countless times.   It’s always thrilling when people begin to make discoveries about themselves and unlock their inner potential.  They begin to discover that being creative opens a flow state like meditation.

In my classes, you begin to connect with your intuition.  In meditation and when you are creating, self-limiting beliefs start to fall away. The natural expression of joy, love, and creativity begins to blossom and grow in your life.

Self-limiting beliefs dissolve.

Sometimes self-limiting beliefs about not being creative or not being able to meditate have spilled over into life itself.  You can hear it in the negative self-talk that people express.

Underlying the notion that they are not creative is a silent belief that they don’t deserve love, happiness, joy, or fulfillment.  In my courses, you transform inner self-limiting voices into a belief in unlimited possibilities.

Creativity is like meditation.

You learn a beautiful lovingkindness practice, body scan/relaxation, and mindfulness meditations in class.  You also practice guided mantra meditation using some soul-filling Sanskrit mantras.  These mantras almost seem magical in opening you up to affirm new ways of looking at yourself.  You learn Sanskrit but also the enlightening meaning behind the mantras.

These become powerful affirmations.  Repeating them is a kind of meditation that stays with you during the creative process.  I always have access to my inner creativity, find joy in creative living, and draw from the wellspring of my creativity.

Creating your art journal is a metaphor for building the life you want.

You can create not only what is in your journal, but you can also create your life.   A creative response can always be cultivated to respond to whatever challenge life throws at you.

I have been deeply inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert’s book; Big Magic.  In the book, she explains that the level of your joy is connected to how deeply you live your truth.

Allow yourself to only have the greatest expectation of the joy and creativity you can have in your life.  She explains it doesn’t mean you have to write a symphony or create a masterpiece.

 

 

‘Maybe what you are creating won’t hang in the Louvre, but your work is a powerful symbol that you can live a creative life.’    – Elizabeth Gilbert

Creative living means connecting with the thing most inherently valuable within you.

Art journaling is a fun, easy way to achieve a flow state.

Have you ever been fully immersed in a project with a feeling of energized focus?  That is a flow state, a very productive and creative state of mind that can make you feel happier and more relaxed, a type of meditative experience.

You feel challenged enough to be provoked into full engagement yet free enough to sync into complete union with what’s happening.    When creating, I can lose myself in the project and think an hour was just a few minutes.

When you enter a flow state, your ego withdraws, and all else falls away: there’s just you and the activity you’re focusing on. 

In class, we notice that sudden, vibrant energy seems present, and we feel at peace, connected, and happy. Those types of feelings are indicators of being ‘in the flow.’  This is because we are experiencing the bliss of entering a meditative or mindful state of being.  When we find that moment of positive focus, our bodies relax, and the feeling of flow washes over us.

Any creative endeavor can put you in a flow state.  For example, cooking or baking.   I love turning to a fresh journal page and letting the paint and images flow.  The feel of paper, playing around with color, text, and images, centers my mind and acts as a cathartic release.

In an art journal, all you create is safely contained in a private space.

Your journal is a private space where you explore colors, shapes, lines, and words.

One of my favorite things about teaching my courses is seeing the evolution of each person’s journal. All of the soul artists in our tribe have a unique style. Some choose to make their journals more free-form and expressive; others like to create more of a ‘finished’ art product on each page.   

My journal pages often contain a lot of text and bold colors.  But I always have the choice to create one with muted colors and more symbology than words.

One of the things we focus on in class is turning off our internal critic or judge.

Let yourself play and appreciate the process of creating.

We all have latent creative potential.  It is there in everyone, ready to be released;  the unlimited creativity of existence.

There is unlimited creativity within each of us, waiting to be released.

Deepak Chopra teaches that creativity is a birthright of being human and a natural quality of human life. In the same way, every cell in your body creatively adapts to maintain balance, we can harness that skill of meeting each moment with freshness and creativity.

When you create in class, you tune in.  And, you ask, ‘what is my intuition saying? What is the next step I am drawn to take?’

You can choose to add a layer of paint or a layer of texture.  Glue in a pattern from papers or images you have collected.   Add a mandala or a Zentangle (you learn how in class) to add interest and dimension. Doodle, add meaningful words or sayings, add interesting marks or use a stencil or markers. Whatever choice you make is perfect.  

These methods and creative paths are fun to experiment with and perfect because your art journal is YOURS and can evolve as you do.

Your art journal is YOURS.

I love seeing the multitude of ideas that are expressed and the many ways the soul artists add interest to their pages, such as using Washi tape, doodling, collaging with paper napkins, wrapping paper or newspaper, including tears from magazines, ribbon, twine, pressed flowers or leaves, adding poetry, vintage stamps, buttons, photo pins, glitter, stamps, old calendar pages or saved cards and letters.

There’s no wrong way to journal. 

When you create, settle into a meditative state of mind, listen to your gut, and be surprised by what is created from staying in the moment.

Something you thought was a mistake might be a happy accident, the foundation for taking your page in an exciting new direction. As my great-nieces say, mess it up, dress it up!

Creating or designing something, like meditation, helps you break free of the constant chatter of the mind. Putting marks on paper can help you tap into a deeper, quieter part of yourself.

As we enter into a state of flow and present-moment awareness, we understand how creativity is like meditation.

Creative activity can uplift you.   When you create, you can glimpse that place beyond space and time and realize that you are more than your thoughts, mind, and body.

Your soul can be stirred by looking at a sunrise, a work of art, or listening to music. Creating something can take you to the same place.

If this has sparked your interest, read on to find out about The Soul Artist Experience.

You will learn a powerful spiritual, creative practice designed to help you connect to your intuition.  Detaching from judgment, you tune into your inner guidance.   You enjoy the process of creation. 

 

 

What is created in your art journal is not the most meaningful part.  Learning to hone into your inner guidance system is the real lesson, and you will see that begin to impact your life away from your creative space.

You will treasure your art journal.

Elizabeth Gilbert says a creative life is an amplified life. A happier life, an expanded life.  And she reminds us;

‘One true thing that everyone knows about creativity and loves about it; is that being creative doesn’t feel like work.’

 – Elizabeth Gilbert

She says that with the creative flow comes lightness and joy. Your higher creative self is right there within you all the time, hoping you will take a few minutes and play.

Creativity is inherent in everyone’s consciousness.  It gives everyone access to unlimited love, joy, appreciation, grace, and fulfillment; in limitless amounts within your consciousness. 

In 2023, The Soul Artist Experience is offered on The Wellness Universe. Learn more.

Enroll now in The Soul Artist Experience.

Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to share it.  Special thanks to Soul Artists Teresa Henke, Debbie Mitchell, Kathy Kellum, Tricia Strahler, Cheryl Thompson, and Sandy West for the art images.

Discover more about my journey through my book on Amazon: Vision Quest; A Journey to Happiness by Jane Ramsey.

Watch this video to see what experienced Soul Artists say about the program.

Afraid to make art?  Watch this.

Master-level soul artists give advice to new soul artists.

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