I think the creative muse within each of us has two types of seasonal cycles.
One falls in step with nature, bringing a new bundle of energy, sensations and weather conditions every three months. The other is more closely related to personal expansion and how your creativity and self expression change throughout your life. In a sense, you progress through “seasons” of challenge, growth, learning and embracing the “current you” while you allow the old one to fall away.
In one way or another, you always have the opportunity to dream, play with, release, expand or give birth to new ideas based on the prompting of your creative muse, especially as nature moves through her seasonal changes. Are you tuning in and listening with all of your senses with an open mind and heart?
Build a Stage Where you Can Play with your Creative Muse
The creative muse is always present, but you have to leave space for it to get your attention and connect. It’s one of the reasons why writers “show up at the page” every single day, no matter what. It gives the creative muse a consistent space and time to show up, too.
However, this practice of creating an open space of inner creative connection is important for anyone because of the way it playfully speaks in rhythms, flows and subtleties, not necessarily with direct, clear messages that make sense right away. The full benefits of playing can’t show up on demand. It’s in the process of engaging with an aspect of yourself regularly outside the confining the rules of the mind that gives you another, more subtle way to engage with the inner creative you and find out what goodies are hiding there.
A simple routine of meditation, walking, lighting a candle or incense or enjoying some hot coffee or tea can be a powerful yet playful stage to help engage your creative muse as you sit and savor the experience with all of your senses. The same can be said for making time each day to engage in an activity or hobby that allows you to see different dimensions of yourself. Someone also recently suggested I try my hand at setting up a few unique online profile pseudonyms to engage in different communities and play with different aspects of my personality. Definitely an interesting and fun tip to build a new stage for my muse!
What Does a Creative Muse Feel Like?
This is as unique an answer as there are people in the world, but the creative muse can show up as a:
- Gut feeling
- Sensation
- Smell
- Memory
- Quote
- Idea
- Emotional reaction
- Clarity around an idea or pattern
…and so much more.
Your unique muse simply wants to be acknowledged, appreciated and loved as part of you, just like you want to receive love and acknowledgement from others in your life.
Part of the fun of connecting with a seasonal creative muse is that it helps you take stock of what’s come to pass, feel gratitude for it and prepare to embrace new sensations as a fresh season settles in. When you have access to something all the time it’s not always as easy to appreciate it. However, as seasons change, you can get inspired by doing your best to be fully present and experience all the tastes, smells, flavors, nuances, and energies of the physical season to reconnect with your creative muse in new ways once again. What a simple, yet powerful way to appreciate the present moment and the seasons of your inner growth at the same time.
How do you take time to connect with your creative muse each day, during a specific physical season or as you transition through the seasons of life?
For a little more reading on how to prompt the creative muse, check out Creativity Kick-Start: Discovering and Building Creative Resources and Write a Thank You Note to your Creative Self. You can also catch up on Season 1 of the Flirting with Enlightenment podcast for more tips on mindfulness before Season 2 kicks off later this week!
Photo credit: Jeremy Marshall – theatre, Anthony– hands in water