Our creativity thrives when we feel relaxed, happy and safe. It's really quite simple in theory, however there are so many factors that can stand in our creative way! Can you think of a few things that might get in your way?
For a long time, I didn't make art because I was afraid of getting it wrong and it looking bad. When I made art I wanted every piece to be amazing and sellable. As a freelance Artist, the need to SELL and make money takes over and you forget the simple joys of making art and experimenting. This can cause issues like Art / Mental blocks, and you sit starting at a blank page for hours without putting pen or paint to paper. You get frustrated, you get angry with yourself, you feel more blocked... and the cycle continues.
This is just one example based on my own experience, and I'm sure you can think of your own reasons, if you're feeling blocked or uninspired.
I personally think the thing that is drying up our creative juices, is social media.
Alongside making us feel bad about ourselves, forgetting what actually makes us happy and the ever creeping in brain fog clouding the ideas and intuition! Now if you're of the Boomer or Gen X generation, you might not experience this as much, but there are lots of other things that stand in our way, like watching too much TV, not experiencing new things, not knowing where to start or knowing what inspires us, fear, lack of confidence and more, so keep reading as I think this is useful to everyone!
These tips aren't anything groundbreaking, but they are things we don't do when we know full well that they will help. We have to factor in our lifestyles, mental health and all of that and the main thing is to be kind to yourself! We are so mean to ourselves and does this help us achieve what we want? Not really!
So, here are my top tips for opening up your mind to more creativity, clarity and inspiration...
Get Outside. If you're ever feeling foggy headed, get out into the fresh air and blow away those fogwebs! It might not be nature that inspires you, but take yourself on a little adventure and truly look around at what you see. You might even take a small sketchbook or piece of paper and pencil to make some notes or sketch out what you see. You might like to take a quick photo for reference later. Look at your environment and what sparks your interest; It could be buildings, colours, doors, people, water, shop fronts, transportation, trees, landscapes? Just allow yourself to observe and soak it up.
Reduce Screen Time. This does depend on how much you rely on social media / the internet. For me, when I'm stuck or procrastinating, I scroll on instagram for 'ideas' and inspiration. It makes me feel like I'm doing something - Research maybe? - however I then end up comparing myself to others, wishing I'd thought of the idea first and thinking 'I cant paint like that because that's copying them', so then I'm stuck even more and left feeling worse. STOP LOOKING AT WHAT OTHERS ARE DOING. We need to reconnect to ourselves and our own source of inspiration and joy! What do WE LOVE, what makes us light up... if you're not sure, perhaps you've lost that inner connection. The following tips can help with that...
Move your Body. Take a step back from what you're doing, if you're going outside anyway GREAT, incorporate a nice long walk into it or go for a run, or if you're staying in, find a space to move, roll out your Yoga mat and start to connect to your body, moving it in a way that feels good and allows you to open up and release blockages. You could do a few rounds of Sun Salutations, dancing, step aerobics, shaking or slow swaying, whatever helps to release the tension, the frustration or the anxiety around making art. These all hinder the creative process. Loosen up physically to help loosen up mentally.
For me personally, when I have an art block, I feel it quite intensely in my body as a tightening or a restriction. It's not just my mind that is blocked, I feel blockages in my body too, like the creativity is trying to move through but there's all this negative tension in the way. It's my nervous system telling me that I don't feel safe and that I need to run away or shut down. We need to feel safe in order to reduce the fight or flight part of our brain and allow us to relax. When we are relaxed, we are much more creative.
Breathe Deep & Slow to stimulate your Vagus Nerve! The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body and it connects your brain to the organs in your neck, chest and digestive system. Vagus means 'Wanderer' in Latin, so think of it as wandering through your body from brain to bowels. The vagus nerve is the main parasympathetic nerve of the body, so when stimulated it helps to slow your heart rate and provides feelings of relaxation and calm. You can incorporate your deep slow breathing with movement, by moving through a few rounds of Sun Salutations or even just taking a deep inhale to shrug your shoulders to your ears and a slow, long exhale to release. I recommend lying down and getting comfortable with a pillow or folded blanket behind your neck and head, as this gently presses and stimulates the vagus nerve in the back of the neck. Breathe in for a count of 4, and breathe out for a count of 4. Hold for 2 - 4 if that's accessible to you, and then repeat.
Try Yoga Nidra or other type of Meditation Practice. If you've been to my workshops, you know that I always include Yoga Nidra or meditation, and we do this before the art session! It's scientifically proven that the right side of your brain fires up more during relaxation / focusing practices like Yoga Nidra & Meditation. The right side of your brain is more visual and linked to images, whereas the left is seen as logical - Writing and calculations and so forth. The right side is associated with attention, memory, reasoning, and problem solving; all of which are important or useful when getting creative. The right side is also connected to emotions and intuition, which often drives an artists' practice. Allowing your brain time to rest and reduce external stimulus will provide you with more clarity and remind you what inspires you. You might experience more visualisations and images flashing in your mind when you practice meditation. These are great insights into your imagination, look out for them because they might inspire your practice!
Make some Art. Stepping away from your blank page or project can really help, but avoiding it forever can just cause more fear and anxiety around getting started. If you're in this space, my advice is to get stuck in and just make some art. ANY ART. It doesn't have to be good, or anything groundbreaking or even meaningful. Allocate time to practice, play, experiment, get it wrong and make the bad art. Learn about colours, shapes, line, texture. These are all important parts of the process and from these little experiments, something bigger might inspire you.
Use your favourite colours and materials. If you want to make some art but you're staring at your equipment and feel overwhelmed, break it down. Pick a few of your favourite colours and materials that you connect with on the easiest level - this could be crayons, pencils, paint, knitting, sewing, whatever it might be... it's the thing that you don't really have to learn because you know how to use it already. Draw, paint or make as many things as you can that are related to your favourite colours - Like orange? Paint some oranges, like purple... write a list of everything purple you can think of and draw them in that colour - Aubergines, blueberries, plums. Get your brain thinking and imagining! Again the outcome doesn't have to be perfect.
ART PROJECT IDEA....
Think back to when you were younger, perhaps 7 or 8 years old. What was your favourite toy / teddy / doll / tv show? Can you picture it in your mind (without googling it to start with) and try to redraw / recreate it? Create a memory picture / board of your favourite childhood toys.
I really hope this helps! Remember it is a journey and not always an easy one.
When you are living in alignment with your values, when you truly listen to your own needs, when you are grounded and you feel worthy; you are more connected to your TRUE NATURE. This is part of the self-realisation journey that is Yoga and we achieve this through our daily practice of Yoga, Meditation, Gratitude, Journalling, Self-Compassion, Exercise, Creativity - whatever it may be for you. Whatever it is that makes you feel whole, grounded and supported.
The more you practice, the more you will notice when you are standing in your own way. When you are feeling flustered, restricted, uninspired, you will automatically know something isn't right and that you need to do your practice.
Who's up for more creativity, clarity and inspiration in their lives?!
With Gratitude, Sophie xx
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I look forward to sharing your creative Journey to self realisation!
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