Being creative is in our nature, as human beings. Being creative brings us back to our true nature.
However, getting started in an artistic activity can be overwhelming, I know!
Where do I start?
How do I start?
What do I create?
And how do I create it?
I invite you to let go of all those questions in your mind that may be overwhelming you right now, and let’s remember why you might want to engage in a creative art.
How does art bring health and healing to us?
Engaging in an artistic activity…
1. Brings you into the present moment
When you’re engaged in art, you become focused on your creation and all of the chatter in your mind and in your life fades into the background. You become fully present in the moment.
2. Creates a meditative state of calmness and quiet
As you engage with your artistic creation, you enter into a calmer state within your mind and body. Your breath slows down and your body relaxes. You’ll enter into a more meditative state of being, releasing stress and invigorating your whole being.
3. Helps you to be open to receive
As your mind and body slow down and relax, you become more open to receiving. We often spend a lot of time giving to others. Here’s an opportunity to enjoy this creative time and be open to receiving the divine messages that come to you, the joy of artistic activity, the gratitude for this one life you have and the opportunity to engage in creative ways.
4. Develops your ability to accept, trust and follow your intuition
As you open to receive, you’ll be better able to tap into your intuition as a guide. Listen inwardly. What calls to you as you create? What color, what form, what movement?
What arises may not be what you were thinking at the onset! This is an opportunity to accept what comes. Accept your experience in creating and your final form of creation, in whatever way that comes. Accept that they’re exactly as they should be in that moment. No judgment, no regrets. Accept the process, the result and yourself as creator.
5. Energizes and strengthens you
As the time of your creative activity comes to a close, you’ll feel a sense of fulfillment from engaging in the present moment, being open to receiving and connecting with your intuition. Your whole being will feel fed and nourished – mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. You’ll begin to feel a sense of rejuvenation, a replenishing of your energy and strength to move out into the world once again.
But today, we’ll be accessing our inner power through drawing. Find some blank paper and colored pencils. Or even crayons.Take time to read through the steps below before you begin, so that you have a complete picture of the whole process. Keeping in mind, of course, that the process is more important than the product.Set your materials out in front of you, and don’t be daunted by that blank white page. Take a few deep breaths and sit quietly for a moment and think of a question you have in your life right now. One that maybe connects with your purpose or your relationships or your next steps on your life’s journey. Hold that question inwardly for a few quiet minutes.Pick up the colored pencil that calls to you and bring that color to the paper in the way that seems to be needed in that moment. Maybe it is sharp lines or gentle curves or small strokes in a corner.Pick up another color or 2 or 3, as you continue to think of your question, adding more color to the paper. Maybe your colors start to create forms or a landscape or maybe not. It doesn’t matter. Let the question come to life on the paper through your efforts.
When you feel you’re ready to shift to the next step, look at your creation.
What color or shape or form needs to come into play on the paper to create wholeness?
What’s calling to you to be created for completion?
Here you’re tapping into your intuition, your higher connection, to see what arises as a response to your question. Allow it to come, to arise without judgment, without analysis, without filtering it.
When that creative inspiration arrives, you may feel a vibrant flow of energy that moves through your whole body. You know you’re part of something greater.
Stay engaged, listening and trusting that what arises will be perfect and will be what’s needed today.
By now, you may be choosing different colors to bring balance to what you first created or you may be completing a form that arose or even creating something completely new that comes to you. Again, it does not matter.
Follow the impulses that come to you and trust that’s what is needed to complete this journey on paper.
When you arrive at the place of a satisfying completion, you can sit back and rest for the moment. Let a sense of peace with deep gratitude for this moment of creativity arise.
Look at your creation. Trust that it’s perfect for right now, for today. Listen to the message that speaks through the creation on paper to you today.
Hold that message in your heart, knowing it will blossom forth in the days to come.
Want to awaken your creative, playful side in a journey through the life of my muse, St. Hildegard of Bingen? Check out my upcoming course Master Your Creativity, starting again this November.
