Online Recovery Programme Session 35

Whatever it is for you that allows you to access that space that helps you to be in flow and come up with a solution, procedure, song, poem, book, dance, or majestic masterpiece, it can really kick-start the healing process.

When we are inspired to create something, our bodies and minds are directly affected in a positive way.

Think about school - whether you loved it or hated it. The curriculum was based on a holistic approach to the week. There was room for writing poetry, singing in the choir or even just being part of the daily assembly.

Physical exercise in the form of games and sports were encouraged and art classes gave us an outlet to use paint and produce drawings or crafts. The academic or logical subjects were balanced out and integrated with those creative outlets.

When we give up doing creative things, we begin to block our own creative flow. The ability to express our emotions and thoughts becomes blocked. Before we lived in this automated world, everyone had to be creative as things were handmade, people baked, grew things, sewed, knitted, made furniture. Every conceivable thing had to be imagined, designed and done by hand.

Today we just order it online or buy it from a shop -much has been lost for the sake of convenience.

Becoming Creative

Play can be used in many ways to not only stimulate creativity but as a way to transform negative emotions. We are hardwired as adults to engage in play, and it is crucial to our vitality to spend time in play each day.

Elaine says:

"As a trainer I use play to change the energy in a room of people. Running ice breakers and learning games that involve drawing, running and dressing up changes a roomful of jaded adults into laughing, energised children.

It is astounding how creative they become once they allow themselves to be.

If it can change the energy of delegates on a course what can it do for you energetically?"

It wasn’t important because it couldn't earn me an income. It’s like at school, you have permission – it is built into the day and part of what you do. Yet unless you go to art or design college and follow it as a career, it gets left behind us at school. 

That’s why morning pages are so important. The act of expressing your emotions and the process of writing down all your thoughts and feelings is a form of creative expression.

The process not the outcome

When I tried to get back to being creative again, I was coming at it from a more driven perspective. Just like for the rest of my life, I felt I needed a process, some structure to follow with my own flexibility and freedom to express myself with my own rules.

But I worried about how I did it, and if it was right? I worried constantly, asking myself if I had the time to do it and wondering if should I be doing something else and the nagging doubts would be - 'maybe this isn’t really that important and what will people think of it?'

Eventually, I stopped obsessing and went on a journey of discovery. I got lost in the act of creating and felt like time didn’t matter. I could forget about work or my health, and felt able to let go and enjoy the act of painting. 

"The vibrancy and energy of wellness allows you to meet challenges and difficulties and be resilient.

It just makes sense, when you’re feeling physically well and vibrantly alive; it positively affects your whole state of mind and ability to be effective.

When you look after your ability to be vibrant, you are engaged in one important aspect of the process of creativity within yourself."

- Anon

And this works the other way too: when you block your creativity it affects your energy and vitality.

If these energy centres are working at optimum levels, your creativity will flow beautifully, and you will discover a hidden treasure trove of talent and inner potential.

However if they are blocked, so will your creativity be blocked and therefore your health will be affected. So one can affect the other.

Second or Sacral Chakra

This energy centre is also known as the sacral chakra, and is located in the navel region.  It is associated with sexuality, reproduction, and creativity.  We seek to express ourselves through our second chakra, whether it is writing a book, preparing a presentation, painting a picture, or growing new life. 

All creative ideas and new life go through the same process: they begin as an abstract idea, take root, sprout, grow, evolve and change, and eventually are born into the world.

The colour of this chakra is orange which represents passion, activity, warmth, and positive feelings.   When you create something, it is an extension of yourself, and when you show it to the world, it is scary because you risk rejection and ridicule.

Often, artists are visionaries, and can see things that others cannot; they have ideas that are ahead of their time.  Sometimes others who are not on the same wavelength will criticize or even reject your ideas and creations.

Criticism is part of the creative process, and most creative types have experienced their share of destructive as well as constructive criticism.  A healthy second chakra will give you the courage to follow your creative dreams, and express your visions, regardless of others' opinions.

(Fifth) Throat Chakra

The fifth chakra, located in the throat region is all about communication, expression, and discovering your unique voice.  We seek to discover our unique voice and communicate our ideas to the world through the fifth chakra. 

Are you afraid of speaking up for yourself and voicing your opinions?  Do you tend to talk too much?  Are you trying to discover your true self?  Do you experience writers' or artistic block? 

All these are issues related to the fifth chakra. The colour of this chakra is blue which represents purity, serenity, and healing.

Often, artists are caught up in comparing themselves with other creative types and become paralyzed by fear and jealousy.  Illogical and unproductive thoughts dominate our thinking. 

We may ask ourselves questions such as:  'How did she get represented by a gallery?'  'Why don’t I have the guts to enter a piece in a show?'  'He’s not that good anyway!  I could do better than that!'  'Why do I always sabotage myself and my creative dreams?'

Sounds familiar?  A healthy fifth chakra will help you discover your unique voice, and assist you in fully expressing your creativity and manifesting the life of your dreams.

5 Tips to Ignite Your Creativity:

1. Start meditating!  Find a meditation technique that works for you.   It has improved my outlook in general, and has helped me and many others to overcome a major creative block. My creativity is now overflowing and I have the courage and inspiration to create and share my vision with the world!
2. Stop comparing yourself with others.  This is a waste of time and a fruitless exercise. We are all unique individuals and are miracles of existence.  Find your unique voice and forget about what everyone else is doing.  Express your unique individuality!  Who cares if others don’t get it right away?  Just enjoy the creative process, and do what you need to fulfil yourself!
3. Feel the fear and do it anyway!  Stop procrastinating and start painting, writing, photographing, dancing, or whatever it is that gives you joy!  When you are joyful, and creative, you will be vibrating at a higher frequency, and will attract more good things into your life.
4. Get inspired by someone, find someone to follow, watch, listen to and allow the inspiration to keep you in your creative flow. Find someone with a great energy that you connect with and maybe collaborate on something together.
5. Immerse yourself with the colours of the second and fifth chakra.  For example, paint with orange or blue (or both!).   Wear these colours (they are probably your “colours” anyway and most likely look good on you).  Carry crystals with these colours, such as Lapis Lazuli (blue) and Carnelian (orange).

It is important to keep all our chakras energized and in a healthy state in order to function optimally. 

If you want to be more creative, then focus on the second and fifth chakras.  They are both closely connected, and as one chakra becomes clearer and healthier, it will in turn affect the other chakra.

Discover your unique voice and vision, express your unbounded creativity, share this with others, and help heal and create a beautiful world!

A mind map is a graphical and creative way to represent ideas and concepts. It is a visual thinking tool that helps to structure information, helping you to better analyse, comprehend, recall and generate new ideas.

Just as in every great idea, its power lies in its simplicity.

In a mind map, as opposed to traditional note taking or a linear text, information is structured in a way that resembles much more closely how your brain actually works.

Since it is an activity that is both analytical and artistic, it engages your brain in a much, much richer way, helping in all its cognitive functions. And, best of all, it's fun!

When your brain feels overwhelmed, and you find it hard to focus, this process can be a great tool to help. The concept of mind maps comes from a deeper understanding of how the brain works with information.

Unlike a traditional computer, your brain does not process or organize information in linear sequences. Instead it naturally operates with networks of associations between various ideas.

If you present information as a visual network, rather than a linear list, you will greatly enhance your mind powers to digest that information. You will also stimulate synergy of both the left and right sides of your brain.

Benefits and Uses

Basically, mind mapping avoids dull, linear thinking, jogging your creativity and making tasks fun again.

But what can we use mind maps for?

• Note taking
• Jogging your creativity
• Brainstorming (individually or in groups)
• Problem solving
• Planning
• Researching and collecting information from different sources
• Presenting information
• Gaining insight on complex subjects
• Studying and memorization

It is hard to do justice to the number of uses mind maps can have – the truth is that they can help clarify your thinking in pretty much anything, in many different contexts: personal, family, educational or business.

Planning you day or planning your life, summarizing a book, launching a project, planning and creating presentations, writing blog posts - well, you get the idea – anything, really.

So check out the Mind Mapping Exercise for your creativity plan this week! You will also have the easy to follow process from Claudia to get the artistic juices flowing.

"It is better to create than to be learned, creating is the true essence of life"

- Barthold Georg Niebhur

Looking forward to hearing about your creative journey and how it really helps you with your recovery.