 My little corner of the bathroom. Note the electric toothbrush :) In my last blog post I challenged you to do something--anything--creative. How did it go?
The reality is that if we want to be more creative, we have to do more than think about it. We have to make time and space in our lives for our creativity. While taking classes and workshops and dedicating our lives to art is all well and good, that’s not realistic for all of us, and definitely not all the time. But a creative practice that we can do in our homes in 10 or 20 minutes? Now we’re talking. In addition to carving out the time, It’s really good to have some kind of space for our creative practice, no matter what form it takes. Ideally one that is private(ish). Don’t have a good-enough space, you say? I didn’t think I did either - until I used my bathroom. Yes, you read that right. My bathroom. I live in an intentional community house and I share a private space with my partner and young child. I was aching for a “room of my own” and realized that I could put a desk by the window of our large bathroom. I’ve painted, sang, danced, cried, and so much more in this bathroom. Did I fantasize about having some gorgeous backyard studio? Yes. Did I wait until I had one? Nope. And, to my surprise and delight, after years of making the most of bathroom creative time, I have gotten a tiny bit closer to my dream in the past few weeks. There just so happens to be a treehouse on our property that the kids don’t use. (Treehouses are so 1992, I know…) As I walked up and opened the door, I found my new creative studio. Sure, I can barely stand up in it, but there’s room for a table and a chair and a meditation cushion on the floor. It has windows that open and look out into the trees. OK, there’s no glass, but it’s warm most of the time in Oakland...and I can wear a sweater. We cleaned it out and found a rug and some battery solar lights to cozy it up. It’s not perfect, but it works. Especially when the bathroom is occupied! So back to you - Take a moment to think about your home. Is there a space you can carve out for you own creativity? A desk in the corner of a kitchen or bedroom where you can stash some art supplies in a box? Can you clean out a closet and put a little table in there? Maybe a corner of the garage? Drop me a line and let me know what you come up with!
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 Do it now. You know what I’m talking about. That creative thing you’ve been meaning to do that you’ve tucked away in the corner of your mind.
Don’t wait until the lighting is right and the stars have aligned and you have the perfect array of art materials laid out in an Instagram-worthy spread. There’s always gonna be more work to do, emails to reply to, facebook posts to read. Start now. As soon as you finish reading this. It doesn't have to take more than five minutes. It can even be three. But it can change your whole day. And over time, change your whole life. You get to see what happens when you step out of the constant working and consuming, and into the unknown sea of your own creative expression. You start making space for your unique voice to come through. You start listening to your intuition as it guides the lines you draw or the way you move your body. Don’t put pressure on yourself to create something amazing that you’ll frame and hang on the wall (though I won’t try to stop you if you want to do that!) The point is the process, not the product. It’s the act of playing and creating because that is what we are meant to do as humans and that is what makes us feel more alive. As Howard Thurman said, “don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” I've found, in my own life and work, that when we are more alive, more fully ourselves, and more in touch with the flow of creativity, we are then able to truly serve and share our gifts with the world. Can’t think of what to do? Here are 3 ideas to get you started:
Go ahead. Do something creative. Let me know how it goes! |
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Julia Ellis, MFT
Licensed Marriage Family Therapist #84601 phone: 510-214-6216 email: juliaellismft@gmail.com |