Let me set the scene. This week has been taxing
and traumatic. We had a family member in the hospital,
our kitchen counters, sinks, and faucets were
replaced after months of decisions and confusion,
and we had freezing cold temps and a snow storm,
on top of a full week of clients and marketing.
Thus, my morning routine has been disrupted and
it has taken me all week to settle down into my
creative time. It is Saturday night and I am surrounded
by lit candles, Seal playing on CD, and papers
and mini-paintings in piles. I drew the Fertility
Rune this AM. January is a potent month for new
beginnings. Starting something new is one of my
favorite experiences, but it is also fraught with
psychic dangers.
In fact, I just found out that my project called
Idea Hothouse must shift because someone else
is using that title. The word Greenhouse doesn't
really work either as it gets too tangled up with
gardening websites. Yikes. My Aries impatience
kicks into gear and I catch myself resisting the
flow. It's easy to "forget" how the creative process
winds like a river with its own formation and
pace, regardless of our wishes otherwise. Creative
unfoldng is a luxurious and rich process that
takes us to magical places of discovery and invention.
But it cannot be rushed-the process itself must
be revered and nudged along so it can follow it's
own natural plan.
Many of you wrote to me about your New Year's
Resolutions relating to your creative expression
or some form of life change. So, you too, are
beginning projects and processes. Starting a project
has predictable pitfalls. To help keep you fertile
and faithful, beware of the following, so that
you don't quit or get stuck:
1) Feeling lost
If you don't push off from the dock of security,
you will never enter the new worlds you want to
explore. Being lost and grappling for a roadmap
or a familiar harbor is essential on the creative
journey. Accept it and hang onto your raft while
it hits the rapids and whirlpools and gives you
a wild ride. Relax and trust your inner wisdom,
as you play curious voyager.
2) Being frustrated with wrong turns, delays,
and failures
Every step and every clue along the way is progress,
even if we end up feeling that we did not accomplish
anything that day. Carefully considering each
creative impulse is the passage to the truth.
Often, we must review and cover lots of topics
and possibilities to achieve clarity. Throwing
out many ideas actually gets us closer to the
best idea.
3) Fearing that your idea is not original enough
This is your internal saboteur taunting you
to stop now and discount your creative longings.
We are all creative conduits with unique perspectives,
capable of innovation. Tune into your own personal
life story, feelings, challenges, and insights,
and you will find your distinguishing slant on
the material or medium. Express yourself fully.
4) Doing it solo
What are the best supports for your creative
process? Do you need to call in your spiritual
advisors, do a visualization, make a collage,
go out and buy the best paints or paper, or talk
to people about your project? In order to stay
focused and persevere during times when our ideas
are tested or illusive, we need to honor our own
creative style and leverage its idiosynchrocies.
Use props or rituals or retreats, whatever it
takes to help you to commune with your fascinations.
5) Forcing results prematurely
Creativity takes time. I just watched a video
by a painter I admire, Jeanne Carbonetti, and
she reminds us that 90% of all paintings are rejects,
but that we need to paint them in order to get
to the 10% that are wonderful. (Check out The
Tao of Watercolor video at http://www.Crowhillgallery.com)
Creativity is a dance between you and your medium
and it has it's own rhythms and time-table. The
secret is to stay with your project daily, even
for 5 minutes, and not to get intimidated by the
dead-ends and experiments that don't work at first.
6) Forgetting the joy of it
Creativity is life-affirming and your gift to
yourself and others. How marvelous that you have
creative power to make or invent something new
and meaningful to you. Your talents and your passions
are among your top possessions. Cherish them and
nurture them to the fullest. Feed your creative
spirit with new learnings and listen carefully
to what it truly needs to blossom. Be ever grateful
for your potential!
