TAP 56/70-Creative Flow

As a creative, sometimes we lack creativity. This could be due to all kinds of things, for me personally, it has to do with the over and under functioning that I mentioned yesterday. I may dream about things, get visions of things to create, or find inspiration in all kinds of places, but the actual doing has been a waning, nonexistent issue for a while. I spoke to a great friend about it the other day, she is a creative as well, and while she sometimes pushes through her blocks, taking time away is helpful to her as well. She suggested I reconnect with an old muse, and while I am entertaining the idea, I am not yet acting on it. I am still in decompress mode, but anticipate that ending this week or next…it isn’t an expectation on myself, just a self realization!

I have gotten away from some things that are helpful to me, and today, I would like to show you one thing I do to help myself get grounded, balanced and focused on letting go and moving forward. First, I am in a space that I enjoy being in, my office/studio. It is still a work in progress, so you can see shots of that later on, but find yourself in a sacred/safe/personal space if you want to follow along. I also have music on that helps me soften within myself, so that I can more easily define and release what I need to let go. Today, I am listening to Moya Brennan. I am not sure what it is about her voice and her music, but it makes me feel warm and fuzzy, so here we are, tuning in and picking out what is plaguing my mind, the thing I need to let go of, to move forward today, for my tomorrows.

I take a piece of my note pad, and write down what it is that I need to let go of. I sometimes will share that with others, but today I will keep it to myself!

Yes, well, most times I use my handy lighter as my paper is already in the container for it to be burned…I got fancy, used my candle to light it, while taking a photo. The paper never ignites as much as it did today, so you get this subpar image of me almost burning my hand.

This is an ashtray, but it isn’t just any ashtray, more on that in a minute. As I watch the paper burn, I let my body release the feelings and thoughts associated with my writings. I give the words up to God, and trust that what will be, will be. I will be directed, and must take action on the guidance.

I really just like this shot, which is all part of creativity…it’s just liking what you see. I love hands, one day soon, I will write about that. Note to self*

And here I am, ready to write to you about letting something go. This note is not my releasing words, these are from a class I watched earlier about reconnecting with creativity…which I don’t think I am disconnected from creativity as much as I am from the doing.

This photo kind of sums up what I am releasing, and serving as a reminder that I already know the answer, I just have to keep going, keep doing what I am doing, and pick up my camera and connect it all. I have been using my cell phone for quite a while for photos. It is quick and easy, but it is not the same as creating and capturing with my camera…and that is what I need to do. As I told you about writing about hands, I saw several shots in my mind that I need to capture to convey the significance of hands, to me. You are witnessing the release, the answer and the ideas all play out, thank you for seeing this.

I have clearly burned a lot of paper in this ashtray! Ironically, I had it stashed away for almost over 25 years before it showed me it’s purpose one day. I got this in 1994 when I went on a school trip to Mexico, and may have filched it from the hotel we were staying in, in Acapulco.

The significance of this Ritz Hotel ashtray is several fold. We were some of the last occupants of the hotel, they were scheduled to tear it down the week following our stay, to build condominiums. It felt sad, the hotel, so I kept a piece of it to keep it living on. The hotel was right on the water, and the water element deals with our emotions, what better connection to burn your concerns? Also, I acquired this piece when I was 17, my favorite year, and a reminder to never lose that part or sense of me, no matter my real age. I was bold then, I need to keep being bold, for my whole life. And one way to be bold is to write and capture what I see, what I feel, to show you who I am, and to hopefully inspire you to be yourself too.

Tune in tomorrow, as my week away from Facebook winds down. I will have some thoughts on that for you!