Meditate And Create #1

Being an artist,

We have a lot of choices every day and sometimes those choices can be overwhelming.

As a creative,

We come in with lots and lots of ideas a lot of the time,

Unless you're on the other end of the spectrum,

Which also happens occasionally.

But this space is really created for people who are in their creative practice or desire to be in a creative practice.

It can be for people who are actively painting,

Writing,

Teaching.

It can also be for people who are creativity curious,

For those of us who have a suspicion that there is something much that there is something to be explored within your own creativity.

And this practice space is here to support you in your creative expression,

In taking what you see,

Sense,

Feel,

And explore in your meditation and listening to what wants to be tended in order to bring that into your creative process.

So we're going to meditate together and then I would like for you to pause this recording and set a timer for yourself,

Whether it's 30 minutes or an hour or even shorter if you want to set a 20 minute timer or even a 10 minute timer,

Depending upon how much time you have for this practice.

And then once you're done spending a little time with your creativity,

With whatever it is that you're bringing into the world,

I would like for you to come back to this recording and we'll close the space together.

So we're going to start with an opening meditation,

Then we're going to move into a short timed solo experimentation space,

And then we're going to come back and close our space together.

Sound good?

Let's get started.

So sit comfortably,

Ideally in a chair if that's an option for you at this moment.

Feel your feet on the ground,

Feel your breath begin to deepen,

Paying attention to your breath moving in and out through your body as you magnetize your whole self here.

And if we imagine that we're all a bunch of bouncy balls bouncing into our stillness,

I want you to give yourself that kind of permission.

So if you need to adjust yourself,

If you need to sit up and roll your shoulders or open your jaw,

Whatever it is that you need to do to allow yourself to really land in this space.

This is a special and unique opportunity to really validate yourself in your creative process and bring in a little bit of extra joy and curiosity and play to your space.

Just feel yourself seated and feel yourself supported.

And I'd like for you to imagine a bubble out in front of you.

And this bubble can just pull or suck any distraction,

Any overwhelm,

Any mental clutter,

Any fear from your space.

Oftentimes our nervous systems will go into fear when we're starting in on a project or when we are having a lot of perfectionism come up for us in our work.

So just acknowledging that and allowing some of that perfectionism,

Some of that fear to move out of our space.

And just trusting whatever is ready to go will go.

You don't even have to name it.

Just simply surrender and breathe.

If your feet are on the ground,

Wiggle your feet,

Your toes a little bit.

Wiggle your fingers a little bit.

Continuing to allow any fear,

Judgment,

Overwhelm to move out of your space and into this big beautiful bubble.

Maybe you see dark energy.

Maybe you sense some weight,

Some heaviness.

Whatever it is,

Just give it to the bubble.

The bubble will help you.

Let it pull out from your heart,

From your head,

From your throat,

From your eyes.

And then just for one more moment,

Almost as if you're taking out the trash,

Just let a big chunk of energy move out of your body and into this bubble.

When the bubble looks nice and full,

Just send it off away from your home,

Away from your space,

And just let it pop.

Awesome.

And then I'd like for you to imagine creating a new bubble over your head.

This bubble is going to magnetize some fresh,

Clean,

Creative energy.

Bring in some play,

Some neutrality,

Some ease and flow into this bubble above your head.

And maybe you see color.

Maybe you see sparkles.

Maybe you see the spark of imagination.

Just start to welcome this bubble,

This creative bubble down into your space,

Allowing it to drop into your body,

Allowing the spark of creative energy,

This refresh to go into all of those places we just opened up.

As powerful creators,

We get to decide what we want to release and then decide what we want to bring in.

And this isn't all in the mind.

This is in our energy as well.

This is in our capacity to hold curiosity around what wants to emerge through us,

The dance of creative energy.

So really allow yourself to get a refresh and allow your analytical mind,

Your analyzer,

The parts of you that have maybe been chewing something over,

Problem-solving.

Allow that part in your head to get a really good refresh here,

Allowing your analyzer to quiet down,

Quieting it down,

Giving yourself that gift.

Doesn't mean there won't be a time and space for it,

But right now you're in a different mode.

You're in the space of receiving and allowing.

You're in a space of dancing with your own creativity,

Of holding curiosity and bringing in that play,

That spark of play.

So really allow the energy of play to move about in your space.

And notice maybe it starts to help you move your body a little bit.

Maybe you want to sit up and sort of stretch forward and back a little bit.

Maybe you want to stretch your arms up over your head and let out a big sigh.

And when you're ready,

You can start to come out of your meditation and grab whatever it is that you're working with,

Whether it's a notebook or some paint and some paper.

And just look for a moment at the blank page.

Feel your alignment,

Feeling your feet on the ground,

Feeling yourself held in the moment,

Feeling yourself with a big refresh of energy in your space.

And just for this moment,

Looking at the blank page,

Start to ask what wants to emerge.

Start to listen to your subtle impulses moving out of our meditation slowly and into our mindful,

Creative,

Curiosity practice.

So if you're writing,

Perhaps you want to just start with a brain blast.

Maybe you want to just,

Maybe it's called a brain dump.

Maybe you just want to start to write words.

Maybe you can allow yourself the space to not have full form yet.

And if you're painting or you're drawing,

Perhaps you want to just look at what color is sparking for you and just trust it.

Start to play.

Moving into this next practice space,

The practice of creating space with a lot of curiosity and play and bringing your awareness to when and if you get into judgment.

And simply meeting that judgment with your spaciousness,

Meeting that judgment with permission,

Just agreeing that there will be a time and space for editing,

But this is not it.

This is the creative space of emerging.

This is where you're starting to really allow yourself the spaciousness to let what wants to bubble up and communicate through you out on the page without judgment.

And set your timer for how long you need.

Maybe you want to play some music that's inspiring to you.

And when you've come to a place where you feel complete in your creative practice,

Knowing that this does not mean a finished piece at this stage,

But where it means that you have enjoyed a ride,

A process,

And you feel complete in it.

It's again the practice of trusting that you know.

I had a woman ask me the other day,

How do I know when a painting is finished?

And I told her that it's just it just clicks.

Something clicks into place and I know.

So with this next time period,

I invite you to let yourself have that click.

Or maybe you just need to be done because you only have a certain amount of time to do this practice and that's okay.

So set your timer for what feels right to you today.

And I will see you on the other side and happy creating.

Welcome back,

My friend.

I hope you enjoyed your time with your creative expression.

We're just going to do a quick closing meditation.

Seal the space together.

So again,

Sit comfortably.

If you can sit up in a chair with your feet on the ground,

That's ideal.

Take a few deep breaths and just begin by acknowledging.

Acknowledge yourself.

Acknowledge any places where you came up against judgment,

Self-criticism.

Did you feel that in your process?

If you did,

That's okay.

We're here to give that part of it some love.

So just take a moment,

Really close your eyes,

Roll your shoulders back,

Open your jaw,

Stick out your tongue,

Give yourself a little spaciousness.

Let whatever you were in go for just a few more moments.

Allow yourself to feel the flutter of joy around your heart space,

The spark of creativity around your belly.

Maybe you can imagine a little more openness in your process,

A little more groundedness in your creative process so that you're really enjoying it.

If there's any places in your practice that you really,

Really enjoyed it,

I welcome you to milk that.

Milk the sensation of enjoyment.

Feel the energetic vibration of that enjoyment.

Acknowledge it,

Whether it was a color that you loved,

Or a funny phrase that came through you,

Or the answer to a question that you've been looking for,

Or just simply the space you gave yourself to create something.

Whatever it is,

Just acknowledge that joyful expansion.

Say hello to it.

Be friendly with it.

Be kind to yourself.

And give yourself the space to release any judgment,

Any places where you maybe went into analyzing.

Let it move out of your space.

You can give it down to the earth and let the earth make compost of it.

Beautiful.

And in our last step,

Let's just fill in one more time with fresh,

Clean,

Clear energy.

Filling up a big,

Beautiful bubble above your head with creative energy and letting it pour down into your body,

Into your being,

Acknowledging yourself in your process.

Good work.

So incredible practicing with you today.

I look forward to practicing with you again real soon.

And happy creating.

We need your unique and beautiful voice in the world.

Thank you for being here.