The practice of being mindful is a lot like the experience of getting your first piggy bank as a kid.
No matter what shape, color or type of “bank” you used, it served as a simple symbol of your resources, connecting the concept of being mindful to a tangible physical form.
Sliding the change through the slot, making it a habit, day dreaming about just how much was hiding behind the walls, picking up extra change you found to deliver it safely to your growing loot; all small acts of mindfulness.
As you continued this simple practice, creative ideas were seeded and grown in step with your desire to save or purchase something specific, or to simply store the money in a safe place. Soon the act of filling the bank became so ingrained it was a natural flow in your life, simple and effortless.
Connecting to the creative parts of yourself can be just like filling a piggy bank – simple, consistent acts of practice that become a way of being.
Practice Keeps Creativity Alive in the Heart
When you think of creativity as something you have to do, it can feel far away from you, like something you need to chase and pull back into yourself. Opening up the well of ideas and inspiration that are already inside you is what really requires practice. Busting through old layers of lies you’ve told yourself, breaking out of the “shoulds” and all the self-imposed expectations that leave you feeling less than, and all the life experiences that you’ve decided were clearly indicating your creative gifts had no meaning or use.
The most powerful creative practice starts in the same way as getting into the rhythm of filling up a piggy bank. One coin (idea) at a time.
Starting a habit as simple as deciding to write one sentence you fall in love with every day can change your entire view of your abilities and self-expression. That step, in turn, transforms how you talk to yourself and everyone else in your life.
You can have the same transformational impact with any mindful daily act; a paint stroke, a walk, expressions of gratitude, a heart-felt connection with another person, cooking – you just have to choose what you want to play with as part of a more mindful creative practice.
The connection that begins to strengthen and take shape with regular dedication and commitment is what takes a mindful effort into an art form.
What is your mindful daily creative practice? Or are you stuck on how to take a more mindful step towards your creative expression? I would like to hear more…