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The deep inward spiralling energy of winter is now beginning to nod toward the lighter days and the inevitable take over of the spring. This is the stage in any cycle when we are in the final preparations before the big leap into action. The forceful, penetrative and directional energy that bursts forwards after the turn of the Equinox at the end of March represents the time when we place our feet on the starting blocks and wait for the final signal before we open a new business/ move house/ start a new project/ habit/ regime, in other words take the leap!
When you reach this stage well prepared, aligned with your values and with your creative juices flowing then you will have all the energy you need to provide the assertive action to actualise your dreams. In these final stages of the dreamtime of winter when anticipation is building, it is valuable to deepen the connection with your curious and creative self. Using the arts as a medium to stay in touch with how you feel when you are fulfilled, satisfied and’ in the zone’ helps you to stay on track and keep life fun when it is action packed and busy.
Taking time to freely express yourself through mediums such as drawing, writing, sewing, crafting, singing, dancing, etc, unlocks potential in other areas of your life. Intrinsic satisfaction fulfils your need as a human being to create by igniting your unfettered soul. The part of you that is free, adventurous and limitless. Creating puts us in the flow, helps us to experience that meditative timeless state, lose our sense of self, time and space and be immersed in the present moment - where all potential sits.
Creativity also has a positive impact on our health and well-being: A report from the National Alliance for the Arts states that artistic expression aids recovery, improves memory, helps us live longer and healthier lives, helps problem solving, reduces depression anxiety and increases happiness.
For many of us self doubt quickly arises when it comes to freely expressing our creative selves. Our cultural practices of labelling, grading, assessing and the insistence of constant progression of most things, tend to stunt our creative growth. From a very young age we learn we are ‘good ‘ at some things and ‘not good’ at others. These labels cause that free spirited expression that we all experience as babies and toddlers to be filed under ‘Caution - shame and rejection likely to be experienced!!’.
Although enjoyable to receive, extrinsic rewards such as praise, payment, gifts, certificates and medals can become an exchange for intrinsic rewards such as enjoying exploring (which means feeling fine about making mistakes!), being curious, playful and trusting in ourselves. In his book Punished by Rewards, Alife Kohn reports countless studies that show how although extrinsic reward keeps us productive and motivated in the short term, it actually does very little for our self esteem, motivation and fulfilment in the long term. As we get more and more conditioned to look outside of ourselves for validation and motivation our sense of wonder and curiosity diminishes. These studies performed in kindergartens, schools, colleges and the workplace consistently showed that once the ‘carrot’ was taken away, people would quickly lose interest - even when initially they were doing something for the love of it.
This is not to say that extrinsic reward is never valuable. Having your gifts and talents enjoyed, shared and acknowledged can also be empowering; however, how it is offered changes the impact on the receiver:
A phrase such as “I love watching you dance" over "you are a good dancer" offers a mutual appreciation over an opinion from an external authority. Celebrating somebody's effort over the end result encourages enjoyment of the journey as well as the outcome. Creating a discussion together over a piece of work and asking questions rather than just stating an opinion creates connection over an authoritative relationship.
With all this in mind we invite you to take the leap privately this month and explore your creative potential. Take some time to ponder or journal on the following prompts:
If you don’t have a form of creative expression on the top of your list of priorities then spend some time this month exploring your reasons why. For example to you believe that you're too busy? Too old? Not good enough? It doesn’t help you to progress? Not important?
What would you do or explore if no-one was watching & there was no extrinsic reward or praise?
Make a commitment to create time over the next month and surprise yourself, have a digital detox a few evenings a week, get up half an hour earlier, ring-fence your lunch hour, put your inner critic to bed with a cup of cocoa and play a little. Pay attention to what feels good so you are aligned with that unfettered part of you (I have also created a simple somatic practice to support you in optimising your creative energy). Here are a few ideas of things to experiment with to get you started:
Write, draw, paint, sew, mend, knit, decorate, restore old furniture, rearrange, create a vision board, write a short story or poem, play music, sing, act, write a song, change your hairstyle, revamp your clothes, make a wish list, plan a party, create a corner that is yours, re-write history, dance, choreograph, bake, cook, garden
If you’d like to dive a little deeper, join us in our March Nature's Rhythms Update as we explore the benefits of unlocking your creativity. In this video we will look at intrinsic reward, the flow state and how you can use your creativity to connect with the unfettered you and access your fullest potential.
When you are in touch with your creativity, your intrinsic reward is flowing and you are able to express your gifts and the unfettered you, you have access to an unstoppable fuel. This is the fuel that helps you to stay inspired, motivated and on track with actions that are aligned with your dreams! This month in our memberships monthly container we are taking a deep dive into the powerful creative energy available to us to prepare for an exciting new journey through the spring and the season actualising dreams. Keep your eyes open for our launch at the end of the month when we fling our doors open and harness that forceful and directional energy of spring.
And in the meantime, play and get creative! It's now more important than ever that you connect with your ability to create, to share your gifts with the world in a way that lights you up from our very core. When you do that you are raising your vibration and in turn, you are contributing to raising the vibration of the planet.
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