On the creative surface there are truly amazing things to appreciate. Jaw-dropping scenery. Lovely people who inspire you as much as they challenge you. The sensation of the sun on your face, or the first bite of a delicious, ripe tomato from a summer harvest. These simple pleasures invite you to jump in and experience something with the full range of your five senses and really open up to the moment.
When it comes to taking the same approach with your inner work, it’s not as easy to appreciate the little things. The twinges that have you rethinking past decisions, the spikes of fear that creep up and make you doubt yourself or the few “failed” attempts that deter you from even thinking about a new adventure can all leave you feeling a bit defensive and guarded.
Yet, we don’t appreciate these emotional triggers or see them as gifts when in fact, they serve as clear guideposts that lead you to your most important creative asset – your sense of self.
Light, Dark and the Beauty of Moment to Moment Balance
The creative surface is bright, shiny and can easily distract you with an endless flow of lighter fare that keeps you snacking on possibilities. Listening to and appreciating the need to go deeper can often get lost when there is so much to pull your attention; endless reasons to put off deep soul work for a more “convenient” time.
Yet, creative inspiration lies in the darkness as much as the light, in what you want to embrace as well as what you want to avoid seeing. It’s how you access the desire and courage to share your innermost self in a healthy way, or finally release old thought patterns and heal the wounds you no longer need to leave open. It’s where the balance of your soul’s growth is waiting for you.
Diving deep under the creative surface is a skill in and of itself and needs to be practiced. The more you put it off the scarier it feels – and the more removed you feel from your natural self and center.
We are all a mixture of surface and depths looking for a way to balance to the best of our ability in the moment. When you see the light as better than the dark, you can’t truly appreciate either. Yet, the more you can learn to flow between the two in whatever way you are guided, you begin to unveil a simpler, more fine-tuned version of yourself minus all the surface level drama and distraction.
The creative surface is a lovely, essential part of living a rich life full of beauty and wonder, but it’s balanced out by the “not-so-obvious” treasures waiting underneath it, too. Doing the deep dive is the powerful way to meet your essential creative self and reach new levels of strength, endurance, capability and the endless other gifts unique to you. It’s how you hone the skills to hear yourself through all the noise and distraction of everyday life to create your way.
Can you tell the difference between when you are enjoying the creative surface and when you are using it as a distraction from going deeper into your own challenges so you can heal?
If you are looking for a little more on going within, check out some of my previous posts: Reframe Creative Hiccups to Move Forward with Confidence and Why you Avoid Creative Change and Stay Stuck. If you want support to help shift your creative mindset, connect with me for a on-on-one creative coaching session.
Photo credit, candle: Daniela Hartmann