How to Rediscover Your Creativity: A Simple Daily Practice
Have you ever wondered why creativity and play often take a backseat in our adult lives? Despite being as crucial to our well-being as exercise, nutrition, and sleep, many of us have disconnected from our creative selves.
Creativity isn't a luxury. It's a lifeline to our authentic selves.
It's as if a switch turns off when we transition from child to adult. We forget how to move through life playfully, indulging our senses and embracing our whims. As adults, we often sideline creativity and play, prioritizing "serious" pursuits. But here's a thought:
What if our creativity is actually the link to our inner world? What if our "indulgence" in play is what makes us feel like ourselves?
Over the past few years, I've embarked on a journey to reconnect with my creative self. It wasn't always easy, but it's been transformative.
In finding my voice, letting my imagination flow, and rediscovering a vital connection to myself, I realized that an essential piece of me had been missing. The only way to reclaim it was to allow myself the freedom to create without boundaries.
I read books like "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron, "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield (thanks, Mom, for gifting me these books!), and "The Practice" by Seth Godin. I engaged in practical exercises to tap into my creativity and designed new rituals to bring me even deeper. I walked in nature, played with my cats without an agenda, and traveled to new and inspiring places.
Interestingly, as I developed my own training, Inner Vision Quest, to help people reconnect with their intuition, I found that much of it relies on tapping into innate creativity. It's about bringing forth wild dreams, passions, and ideas in unprecedented ways – the ultimate expression of our soul.
Yesterday, while on a flight and looking for something to occupy my attention, I found an old podcast episode from The Marie Forleo Podcast that I had downloaded onto my phone years ago. In it, she speaks with Julia Cameron (author of "The Artist's Way"), who shares her powerful practices for enhancing creativity and tapping into inner wisdom.
In the voice of a wise, older woman, Julia shares her tools for creativity - the very same tools outlined in her life-changing books:
Morning Pages
The Artist's Date
Asking for Guidance
Walking
With each tool, Julia encouraged listeners to keep their practice simple and to show up for themselves every day. To do the work and find their creative flow.
It was a short episode, but it ignited a remembering within me. A reminder of how easy creativity can be. Of how simple it is to show up for myself. And all the ways in which I've complicated my process or shrouded my rituals in rules could be released.
I encourage you to give the episode a listen (and if you haven't yet read her book, go ahead and get yourself a copy!)
And if you simply don't have the time or energy to do so, I'd like to offer you a challenge:
Clear off an afternoon of your schedule this week, whether during the week or on a weekend, and take yourself on what Julia calls "an artist's date". Go out in the world and do something frivolous, whimsical, fun, and playful. It could be:
Playing with a puppy in a park
Visiting an art museum
Dancing to your favorite song in your living room
Exploring your local botanical garden
Anything that sparks your sense of play and wonder will do!
I'd love to hear about your experience! Reply to this email and share your artist's date adventure with me.
Here's to rediscovering the joy of creation,
Amanda
P.S. Still feeling stuck? Try "morning pages" – three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing first thing in the morning. It's a game-changer recommended by Julia Cameron.