At it’s core, the creative process is the ability to take ideas or concepts you are drawn to and combine them into a way to do anything. You can inspire, teach, heal, grow, play, connect with your purpose – the list is as long as the possibilities.
The creative process is also the ability to take disconnected ideas, frustrating situations and challenging relationships and turn them into something that does the exact – same – things.
How you use your gifts changes and expands as you move through stages of searching, inspired connection, action and integration. Then the cycle starts again so you can push through the exterior into a new space and playground and boost your inner creative process.
While going back to a child-like mind before you had “unlearn” the “baggage” you’ve collected as an adult and could simply “be” in the moment seems appealing, you have a different opportunity in front of you now. As an adult you can see and embrace inspiration in all it’s forms. At times the inspiration will be raw and unrefined, requiring you to use your natural gifts to shape it into something that connects to something deep within. Other times it will be fully formed and poignant, serving as THE one thing you need to keep going, to keep pushing through the painful cracks, frustrations and walls to finally get your foot on new ground.
The range of experience is vast, the journey dynamic as you move through your own layers and find a new spark of attraction within yourself every single day. Do you want to see it or stay entrenched in the same old ruts of your worn out creative process?
Open Up to the Spaces that Need the Most Light
Open up and let sunlight dance into your hurt places to illuminate the shadows and heal. Use your heart to see more and feel your way through the dark. Let your eyes come along as a sidekick, not the leader. Seeing isn’t always possible as you navigate through the tunnels, so count on your body and heart to share signals of new creative inspiration and resonance.
It’s easy to make things hard and hard to make things easy. Knowing this and owning it will give you the motivation and fuel your desire to keep chipping away at the cracks as the light beckons you from the other side.
3 Ways to Loosen Up and Let in the Creative Inspiration
If you aren’t sure how to start your path through the cracks, here are a few suggestions:
Use music to soften you up. There’s something about music that brings out the inner rock star, meditator, child – whatever part of you that needs to share a message or let’s you simply relax into the flow of the beat. Pick a regular time in the morning or evening to do this and keep a journal handy to write down anything that comes up – emotions, ideas, blocks etc.
Go out in nature and connect with something that intrigues you. The great thing about nature is that there’s always something to see and it changes with the seasons. Nature is also an easy space to feel love and accepted unconditionally. On my walks I keep an eye out for animals and bird feathers. I love seeing what will catch my attention one day to the next and inspire my writing or creative projects, and I always take a little quiet time to meditate on it when I return home.
Volunteer for a cause you believe in. When you are in the process of creating a life and career that’s fulfilling and resonates with you, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the things you need to “do”. When you take a little time out of your day or week to connect with a cause you believe in you are focused on one thing – being in alignment with a belief or purpose that’s close to your heart. This concentrated energy can inspire you in all areas of your life and open up the opportunity for you to be fueled by the creative energy and stories of other people (or animals), too.
This week “own” your cracks and then apply a little self-care. Sit with them and be thankful for them. Release judgment about why they are there or that they need to be “fixed”. Call on your intuition to navigate through the unpaved roads a little at a time until you see a bit of light poking through, or you are called to change direction. The creative self is never wrong. It’s just calling you to craft different experiences that resonate with the ever-evolving “you”, by following the light in the cracks to what fills your heart and in order to continually boost your creative process.
Like what you’ve read? Check out a few of my other posts: To Fulfill your Purpose, Freely Share the Power of your Creative Light , The Real Story Behind all your Creative Footsteps and Creativity Kick-Start:Change Up your Self-Care Practice. Want a little extra help letting in some creative inspiration? Connect with me for an intuitive reading. Is a podcast more your speed? Check out my podcast Flirting with Enlightenment with my co-host, a spiritual coach.
Photo credit: Jason Hickey (hands), Andris (feet)