5 Everyday Tips for Creative Living
Creative living is to allow for inspiration, love and meaning. Creativity is a conscious state. It is more about being, and not just doing. Certainly, it does not solely entail using your fingers to paint or your body to dance. Thus, it is not just about engaging in an artistic pursuit for a couple of hours.
“We are, ourselves, creations. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being creative ourselves.” – Julia Cameron
(Scrapbook picture: I am an artist. Photo: Min, my daughter.)
Despite having developed an increased understanding in the recent years, I cannot profess to be now living with utmost creativity. As I have discovered, to be connected creatively is a journey that involves the intent of shifting towards greater authenticity. Thus, it is also a journey that takes me inwards in an unfolding manner. Nonetheless, I hope to share my perspectives on what creative living ultimately means.
Creative living involves the intention of creation.
You are the artist, the writer, the sculptor; the one who weaves your life experiences into a beautiful tapestry. Creative living puts you in the flow. And you are in the seamless flow of making meaning from the story of your life.
Creative living means that you choose to live from the soul.
By this, you are able to appreciate the beauty of life, in spite of its tragedies. You are able to see that where there is shadow, there is also light. And so you are able to embrace the shadows in creative ways for your healing, renewal and empowerment.
With creative living, you are able to
– perceive meaning in the most mundane tasks;
– experience beauty even in the heaviest of storms;
– receive inspiration even from the most ordinary events;
– see the invisible dots that connect two distant but related objects;
– feel love – the source essence – that connects everything.
So how can creative living be achieved in practical terms?
5 Tips for Creative Living
1. Slow down. Modern day lifestyles can be pretty stressful. There are many things that demand attention from you in a day. We complicate our lives further by reporting about the things we do to the minute on twitter or facebook. It just seems as if time is a luxury that few people have nowadays.
You do not want to be left behind and so you pack your days with activities that will make you more profitable, faster, and more efficient. From what I know, more is not necessarily better. When you are too much in a rush, it is hard to be creative. If you can allow yourself to slow down, you become more relaxed. Creative ideas usually come at a time when you are relaxed and not when you are stressed.
2. Set aside your worry. Recently someone said to me that it is impossible not to worry because it appears to be a human instinctual habit. The mind latches on from one worry thought to another to another. Eventually you get to feeling overwhelmed and may even experience a sense of panic.
Sure, it may be hard to not think about our kids, finances, future and so on without feeling a tinge of anxiety or discomfort. I don’t think it is wise not to acknowledge we are concerned either. However, my belief is that while it may not be possible to stop worrying altogether, it is very possible to bring down anxiety levels.
Worrying saps you of energy. Your mind becomes besieged with anxiety. You are prevented from thinking creatively.
3. Focus on the here and now. Your creative mind can only do one thing at a time. Creative living means being free to respond to the moment without putting in any resistance. Thus, you are spontaneous. Your creative mechanism works best only when it is fully present. You allow yourself the freedom to explore without fear to hold you back.
4. Try to do only one thing at a time. A cause for concern is the advice on “multi-tasking”. The student tries to watch TV and do his homework at the same time. A professional tries to get work done while surfing facebook at the same time. Or the part-timer who worries about what is going on at home while in the office. The resulting emotions range from nervousness, anxiety and stress from the absurd idea that it is productive to do multiple things in one given moment.
You stifle creativity by trying to accomplish too many things all at once. The truth is that you can only do one thing at one time. When you are fully present, you have better focus. Presence gives you the space to discover your innate creative soul.
5. Connect with nature. Nature has a lot to teach us on creativity. To begin with, there is a variety of species of everything known: flowers, birds, bees, butterflies, leaves and so on. There is no physical manifestation that is 100% alike.
Connecting with nature on a daily basis helps you live more creatively because you can draw your inspiration from its diversity, richness and abundance. Nature constantly renews itself and so you become renewed in its surroundings.
Make your life an art
Creative living involves giving the permission to see the self as a significant co-creator. For sure, creative living brings about greater fulfillment. You are aligned with purpose and passion. Everyday is an opportunity to express who you are beautifully. Everyday offers an opportunity to bring out the best in the self.
Your life is your molding clay. It is up to you to shape it as you desire. Making your life a masterpiece involves choice. You make the choice to infuse what you do with love. Taking charge, you direct the flow of love through you. You are living creatively because you have love for your art (in this case, your life). Read the article on 101 ways to love your life if you haven’t already done so.
Love is in your breath. It is how you came into being. You are a divine child of the Universe. With creative living, you are channeling pure love. You are living in your highest expression.
Love and abundance always,
Author. Adventurer. Life Coach.
P.S. To live in abundance is also to be creative. Grab a copy of my book, Abundance Alchemy: Journey of Gold for tips on creating a life of abundance.
Share Your Thoughts
What inspires you to live creatively? What inspires you on a daily basis?
Share your ideas in the comment box below.
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