From William Blake:
He who binds to himself a joy
Doth the winged life destroy.
He who kisses the joy as it flies,
Lives in eternity’s sunrise.
Creativity and wellness message for today: Read the above poem and repeat.
Recently I entered two paintings in a local art show. Mind you, I hadn’t submitted work to an exhibit in two years. Life just got in the way. Concentrating on choosing the right framed watercolors from my studio (a clean corner of the basement), I felt my excitement mounting at the thought of showing my work again. I used to eat, sleep, and breathe art before I got a real life. Yet, every time I step back in the stream of art my pulse quickens. I’m in my element again.
The art opening was glorious, and I was thrilled when one of my watercolors sold. Validation! Joy! Connection! All those feelings mixed together into a cocktail of delight. I was still on a creative high, when one month after the show ended a second watercolor sold. Sometimes it’s the smallest thing that turns into the greatest gift. The first gift of connection between artist and collector was wonderful then to have a second one follow was the tastiest icing on the cake.
Creativity and wellness message for today: Accept the gifts of recognition in honor of your creative expression, let them fill your heart.
At the end of my morning excercise routine I heard a little voice inside me say, “That was easy.” Smiling I realised, it was! Being on a budget currently prohibits my membership at the local Y. I miss swimming, the meditative and repetitive laps, wetness of the water enveloping my whole body, silence when I dive like a whale, hold my breath and swim very deep. What I have instead is “Mama’s Budget Stair Master and Weights.”
I live in a two-story house and being a creative-minded soul I devised a workout of going up and down the stairs and on each floor lifting hand weights as I traverse that level. I set the kitchen timer on the stove, crank up the volume on my library books on CD, and set off. It really is easy. This routine tucks nicely into my available time before work and it is right on budget.
Years ago in art school a professor commented that my rough sketches held more emotion than my finished drawings. He was right. The immediacy of my initial concept conveyed more authenticity then the ones I labored over. I’m reminded of his wise words this morning. My excerise routine came to me in a flash of inspiration. I didn’t edit or belabor it. I didn’t try to make it better.
Creativty and wellness message for today: Easy does it, let your answer to today’s problem be the one that pops up first.
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
~ Mary Oliver
Creativity and wellness message for today: Be open to silence.
Today I stopped midstream, seems like I’ve been doing that a lot recently. The pressing need for an immediate and total halt in order for me to rejuvenate. This morning I sat, I meditated, I centered. Almost immediately clarity came, my breathing deepened and the pressure in my chest went away. Unexpectedly, in the stillness, in the quiet, creative ideas floated into my consciousness about a new book proposal. When my mind and body paused, my spirit awoke.
Creativity and wellness message for today: Dip into the stillness, no matter what. A wellspring of reverence is there for you every day, every moment. Stop, immerse yourself in the quiet. You just may discover that sometimes non-action is the key to action.