Article by Jennifer Nesbit Holt
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #26
It's true...When you become more aware of the internal and external world around you, creative flow in your artistic trade and life are limitless. Living ON purpose and with intention exponentially expands your awareness so you can move into a more curious space between the rules of life.
Mastering mindfulness is simply the art of being present. With the fast-paced existence of the modern world many feel like this is unattainable, but in actuality it is a chronic thinker's best friend. Mindfulness opens the door to consciousness and heightens your thoughts and feeling by trained observation (and it's not that hard).
90 Seconds To A More Mindful YOU
To see the truth of 'what is' and get out of your thinking brain takes a shift in your approach to any given situation. One suggestion to step into the space of awareness is to check in with your breath. Are you breathing deep enough? This seems like a no-brainer, yet most of us don't take the time to focus on our breath. A free tool of cleaning out mental cob webs holding back your creativity resides in a deep 4-6 count inhale and even longer count exhale. This technique can take less than two minutes. As a creative person, your ideas and work require space to breath and new ideas to flow.
Roar of Silence- Sensory Awareness
Most of the time creative blocks form because you're caught in a vicious cycle of fear, negative thoughts and bad habits. You think you know truth when your imagination runs wild, but most of the time you are fueling your anxiety and stress with perceived truths about others and the world around you. A simple technique to bring you out of this mindset is to discover more awareness by observing the sounds around you, smells of the environment, taste of the air, feeling or sensations of touching a surface in your space, and what you see in the moment. Find your phone and set a timer for one minute. Spend this brief time birthing a new perspective.
Take a new direction, Become More Creative
You cannot grow or create if you are unwilling to expand. Make new associations by pushing yourself to learn how to experience the world. You can literally form new synaptic connections in the brain by introducing yourself to new ideas, people, culture, food, and places. If you are stuck in your work, try taking a self-care/exploration day. Taking time to care for yourself, inside and out, exploring nature and travel are 3 excellent ways to overcome your creative blocks.
Slow down, cowgirl, and tune into your intuition! When time takes a long pause you can gather the most valuable lessons and appreciation for your beautiful world. Clearly being able to hear your voice of intuition and higher-self sets you up for living in pure alignment with your soul's purpose and your creativity can then flourish.
Mindfulness is not about being still, it is about noticing, without judgement, what is happening in the moment. Mastering mindfulness is as easy as stepping outside of your comfort zone to experience life, and in turn, unleashing your creativity.
