Pages

April 1, 2010

Can You Come Out and Play?

Do you ever get so strung out, so distracted, so tense, that creativity comes hard? You can feel it in the body. Your torso curls in on itself and you feel like you have to lift your shoulderblades up just to keep moving forward. Your legs may get really tired and achy. Some people feel it in their lower back or hips ~ an achiness or a feeling that if you move the wrong way it's going to go out on you. And as your body sinks, your mind and emotions swirl downward too. You just don't have the reserves to get what you need to done, much less have the extra energy for creativity.

Julia Cameron offers a remedy for this in her book The Artist's Way. (It's a great read in general for creatives, so you should check it out.) She says that creative types need a feeling of abundance, and she suggests you take yourself out on a date once a week. It has to be something relaxing and fun. It should bring out your inner kid and your playfulness. It should recharge you.

I wholeheartedly agree. You need a sense of infinite space and time and abundance to create. Maslow's Hierarchy ~ if you want to create a masterpiece, you can't be worrying about the laundry or where your next meal is coming from.

So, now would be a good time to let your family get by on their own self-sufficiency, to flirt with yourself a bit, and then screw up the courage to ask your inner kid out to play.

What I'm Reading Today: More wonderful Brooklyn.

No comments: