Take a few moments to settle into your body.
Find a comfortable seated position.
Roll out your shoulders.
Loosen your jaw.
Notice any areas that might have some tension and try to invite a little relaxation into that area.
Start to get in touch with your breath.
If it feels good to you,
Close your eyes or focus your gaze softly on an object in the room.
If you'd like,
You can put your hands on your heart.
Take a few deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.
As you breathe out,
Try to make your breath last a little longer than the next breath that you take in.
If you have one,
Set an intention for your practice today.
Take a moment to thank yourself for making space in your schedule that's just for you.
Give yourself some appreciation for your openness to a new experience today and for your willingness to be vulnerable to step out of your comfort zone.
As you're continuing your breath,
Shake off your day and any worries you might have.
Shake off your to-do list.
In this space,
You don't have to worry about any of that.
This time is for you.
In this moment,
Your only responsibility is to be present to whatever shows up for you.
Your only job is to try and surrender to presence,
Surrender to your emotions and to whatever you create in this container of time.
What you create today doesn't have to be good or bad.
You don't have to justify your decisions or show a final product or explain the meaning.
There is no need to assign any meaning to what you do today.
The act of creation is an act of hope and optimism.
Even when you're expressing negative emotions through creativity,
There's an optimism in believing that the act of creation has the potential to make a change.
We sometimes get caught up in the meaning of what we're making,
But the truth is it's not always immediately clear.
What you create today isn't set in stone.
You can always return to it tomorrow or next week or next month or next year.
What you put down on paper today may not feel immediately clear to you.
You may need some time to rest before it ever makes sense.
We create for so many reasons.
To fill in the puzzle of our existence,
To express our joy and our anguish,
To process our experiences,
To connect with ourselves and others more deeply,
To get out of our own head,
To express,
Challenge and understand our thoughts and our world.
All of these reasons are necessary and they're all valid.
Release the idea that you need to be productive.
Release the idea that you need to be good.
Release the idea that good or bad even exists.
Your curiosity,
Your exploration,
Your questions,
Your inner knowing are all more important than trying to make something that's good or worthy or interesting.
You are here to express your present moment.
Trust that what happens next will come to you when the time is right.
Take a big deep breath in.
Slowly invite some movement into your fingers and toes.
Remember the intention that you set at the beginning of your practice.
Start to invite even more movement into your body into ways that feel really good.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes and get ready to create.
