As part of the re-launch of my Creativity Workshops and the Cyclical Creativity Course coming in at the Autumn Equinox (mid March) I love sharing my musings and love of creativity.
My Favourite topic is creativity and how we can all tap into a wealth of Creative wisdom.
If you are looking for support, in your creative ventures, you want to overcome any stuck, procrastinating, or keep getting knocked back by your own inner critic. This is for you.
I can’t wait to meet up in our new regular Creativity Workshops to gather all ‘creatives’ artists, writers, designers, or anyone wanting a little more creative flow and ease in their life.
Are you Creative?
This is of course a question I can answer for you. ... the answer is YES!
We are all creative. Our very nature of being alive means we are a product of creation and as we move and breathe we continue to be so.
Whether we are ‘artistic or talented’ or recognise our Relationship with creativity is another question. But I strongly believe that being good at something is not the point of being creative
''Think of it more as having Creativity rather than being Creative.''
As a child, many of us loved to make up songs, dance, paint, draw, and write. These are necessary learning tools for life, to navigate our world, environments how we interact with it. At some point we lost touch with the impulse to create, maybe it was replaced with different interests in academia, or stopped by a belief that you must be good at something to continue or that creativity must end in production and something to show.
Sadly a lot of these beliefs formed during our school day, compared to others or pressure to be a master of something.
Understand what creativity means to you.
Instead of thinking that you ‘are creative’ rather think ‘I have a relationship with creativity’
We all have access to creativity, some people use it and are aware of it more than others, Many people are using creativity but are unaware. Maybe….
you decorate your home,
you are always thinking of new ideas
you are drawn to creative work
you love brainstorming and thinking of solutions,
you garden and grow things,
you doodle,
you love making social media posts,
you sing in the car or in the shower,
you write or journal
play imagination games with your children,
All these things are manifestations of creativity, either moving through you or through others.
Try making a list of all the little creative things we do in your day, or all the things you enjoy watching or consuming, see how we are living creatively without noticing. Bring awareness to these things also can bring a greater sense of joy and contentment.
"You Can't Use Up Creativity, the More You Use the More You Have" Maya Angelou
Look deeper into the creative process.
Understanding our own relationship to creativity, we must also learn our tendencies and experience in the creative process
The creative process is a cycle of events, thought processes of action that everything goes through to unlock its creative potential.
"Start with an intention and idea- Nurture, grow, manifest, celebrate and bloom, potentise, edit, reflect, decay, let go of and come back to the beginning."
Let’s go back to preschool, I think it is the last time most of us had a very good grasp of the creative process. We learnt how to grow seeds, watched caterpillars turn to butterflies, and watched goldfish die! We picked acorns and leaves for the nature table, we talked about seasons, the weather and the celebrations throughout the year.
As a mother to an inquisitive 5-year-old, I enjoy these precious moments again. I love talking about seasons and nature, how leaves change colour and decay, but the tree will grow new ones in spring. We love planting seeds and seeing what grows (and sometimes what doesn’t if we forget to water them)
Nature is the biggest creative process and expression of creativity we can notice outside ourselves.
Notice all the different creative processes & cycles.
Think of the different ways the creative process manifest. Our own bodies, how we age, different cycles in nature, the wheel of the year, a work project, the creation of a painting or the writing of a book?
I love noticing how I physically, emotionally and mentally change around my month, my menstrual cycles and the year.
You could try this if you have a menstrual cycle, or tap into the lunar cycle, taking note of all the phases it goes through. (See Menstrual Cycle Awareness).
With the longer cycle of the year, the seasons gradually change but notice how your tendencies, moods and habits change around the year.
How do you feel in winter or summer? I am more likely to want to be social and outdoors in the summer, while happier with our own company warm and cosy inside in winter.
Take time to see how everything seems to move through phases and never stands still.
Now apply that to our own lives; We can’t always live in a state of productivity and full of ideas, and sometimes we must be able to reflect, critique and let go of a lot of what we do.
So remember you are a creative being, you are a manifestation of creativity, Creativity flows through you and guides you. You have a relationship with creativity.
remember to sign up for our Creativity Workshops in person in Pretoria and Online in the coming months.
Sat 4th Feb 2023 Yoga Steps, Moreleta Park, Pretoria, R300