We are already in February of the new year – this is about the point when I start feeling a little more settled into the year. For me, January is still a month of one leg in the past year, 31 days of tying up loose ends and getting a sense of where I am now in time and space. Now I feel firmly planted in this year. This may also have something to do with the fact that I can sense Spring around the corner and all the newness that comes with it. Last night’s dream of tulips budding and blooming was the final push I needed to embrace the new beginning that I find myself in.
As you made your commitments for this new year, whenever that year begins for you, did you look at ways to add spirituality to your life?
What’s with the spirituality business in a blog that is supposed to be about creativity? Well, it’s like this. You can’t drive a car well on a flat tire. You can’t say your house is clean when one of the rooms is cluttered. If you look at your life like a car or a house and assign the different parts of you to each tire or room, it makes sense that attention needs to be given to all the parts of you for everything to work smoothly.
In my experience and strong belief, creativity and spirituality are strongly linked. In fact, they are inseparable. Creativity, in whatever form it comes to you, is a gift from the Universe. Your expression of your creativity is a gift back to the Universe. Not to use your gift is not the most gracious way to receive it, right? Imagine being handed a present at your birthday and then chucking it aside without much thought, or telling the giver that you’re too ______ to use it. (Fill in the blank with words like tired, busy, imperfect, non-creative, grown-up)
Fueling your spiritual side, therefore, strengthens that connection with your creativity. It allows your creativity to be easily accessed. You know those a-ha moments when you are “suddenly struck by a great idea”? Those happen more and more often when you are open to and aware of them. How do you become more open, more aware? Deepen your spiritual connection.
I’m going to be honest. Because the word spirituality is often connected to the word God, I know I run the risk that people who don’t like the word God will either be offended or will tune me out. If the word God is offensive to you or doesn’t resonate with you, then change it. What miracle do you believe in? Nature? The Laws of Physics? Well, then that’s what I’m talking about. Something awesome that can be connected with beauty and progress.
So, how do you deepen that connection? That’s a question only you can answer. For some people, it’s by hiking in the woods. For others it’s by being very still on the floor or on a chair. I know people who connect by writing in a journal. I feel the most connected when I’m sitting in the dark with a sleeping child on me. It’s whatever makes you aware of your Self and its part in something greater. Imagine that every time you engage in activities that connect you with that Source of Awesomeness you are widening a channel, or de-cluttering a room, or filling up a flat tire.
I heard from several people last month who said that this year they wanted to be more creative. It was difficult to have this conversation without bumping into topics like “spending time connecting with your Self” because it would be like trying to fill up an empty swimming pool without first turning on the tap. (I promise, that’s the last analogy.)
Those conversations prompted this post. There is an entire page of Writing Prompts on this blog for those of you who wish to connect with your Self through writing. If you recall, I have also always encouraged readers to sit quietly and think about the prompts and then listen for the answers. If that doesn’t work for you, try something else that feels right. You probably don’t have to think too hard to find it, and you likely don’t need a lot of props. I’m always open to having these conversations with you so you can feel free to drop me a line, too.
Do you have a practice that keeps you connected to your creativity? We’d love to hear it!
