Gratitude and the Creative Connection

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Science and Psychology tells us that there is a strong link between gratitude and mental health. Let’s explore that connection to our Creativity…

PEOPLE with an “attitude of gratitude”

experience lower levels of stress
are more satisfied and tend to have higher levels of self-esteem
have a sense of increased well-being, as well as lower levels of depression and anxiety

The link between the mind-body connection aligns with how gratitude can have a double benefit. For example, the feeling of appreciation helps us to have healthier minds, and with that healthier bodies.

Here are 5 ways GRATITUDE can help your creative practice:

Healthier minds tend to be more creative, as they look more deeply at their surroundings noticing details often overlooked.

The right side of the brain is best at expressive and creative tasks. Gratitude can strengthen the synapsis, creating stronger connections and enhancing the right brain abilities. Some of it’s strengths include: Recognizing faces. Expressing emotions. Music. Reading emotions. Color.

Stronger self-control which helps with discipline and focus. Long term this can help you to make that creative practice more consistent.

Gratitude is a powerful tool for strengthening interpersonal relationships which can lead to a deeper Artist/Customer connection. Art isn’t about the need for what you make…it is about the connection to the work, and the artist themselves.

Simply being grateful for being alive is a great way to motivate oneself to seize the day. Take on that creative project that you didn’t think you could do…You Can!

Creative Next Steps:

Would you like to cultivate a practice of gratitude? I am starting a new book project on my facebook live Monday sessions at 9am –here. Can’t join live? All of the video sessions will be available in the “Express Yourself! A Creative Soul-Journ” group. Its free to join, you can do that here

I hope to see you there. Like, follow and share this post, my page or the group….I would love to have you along on this creative journey. Let’s do this together!

Tell me ~ What are you grateful for today? Leave a comment and encourage someone!

Peace and Love and Art ~lisa

Creating from Deep Places

I am often asked what it takes to make great art

My first reaction is to say all art is great.

But that is often met with qualifying words of what they think is great.

Making any art in general, is directly related to; learning a process, practice, refining that process, more practice, changing that process to fit your “voice”, even more practice…practice, practice, practice. But even this, although true, is only part of the equation. It’s just the basics of what it takes to make art.

Great art on the other hand, comes from a much deeper place.

GREAT art is part desire, part suffering, a little bit of desperation, and a whole lot of SOUL.

Great art doesn’t just happen, it is born.

So what do I mean by great art….it isn’t what you may think. Sure, the Masters did their fair share of suffering, and created some of the worlds greatest masterpieces. Feeling is evident in the brushstrokes, even love, compassion, curiosity and a desire to know the subject matter more intimately. These are all qualifiers.

But just because you didn’t study under the masters, doesn’t mean that you can’t create a GREAT work of art.

Great creative works aren’t always born by the most gifted person, or even the one who has invested hundreds of hours into a creative piece or practice. It isn’t necessarily the most “beautiful”, or the most expensive, and they aren’t always found in galleries.

Truly Great pieces of Art make people feel.

They bring out emotion, memory and sometimes even tears. They are a culmination of what the artist feels deep inside during the creative process….often mirroring the heart of THE CREATOR, for it is in those deep places of the soul that ours touches HIS.

Heart beating fast, as the bush hits its mark with an accuracy you simply KNOW isn’t yours.

And then there is that one person who sees it and is overcome; sometimes with joy, sometimes with grief – and they experience feelings they often don’t understand. In this moment, that art, that masterpiece, that Truly. Great. Soul-work. is a conduit connecting the Creator to His creation; for that is what we all are, whether we readily acknowledge it or not.

It is a call to recognize that deep place, to “SEE” what only some will choose to see.

In that moment of clarity, all of our questions fall into place, and a knowledge that surpasses understanding finds its way into our souls…into those deeper places where art and creativity are born.

I invite you today to go deeper, to choose to see what is hidden deep inside of you, and to create that Great Work of Art that can touch the souls of others.

I would love to hear how you are connecting to that creative center of your being. What do YOU do to connect to your Creative Soul? Let’s start a conversation….this is a place of safety and love…your feelings mean something to us

with love and creativity ~lisa

making creativity a daily SOUL-care practice

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say they were in a rut, and couldn’t create because they just weren’t inspired to.

I get it! That is me in a nutshell. I WANT to be creative…I’d like nothing more than to spend every minute of everyday pouring out my creative heart onto a page, canvas, fabric….whatever is handy and enticing.

Yet I don’t

…and the more days that go by since the last time I was creative….the harder it is to muster up that artful energy. but this is what I have discovered:

CREATIVITY BREEDS CREATIVITY

Simply said: if you will simply do it, more will come.

Albeit slowly at first, but with perseverance and tenacity, all of a sudden a creative force will burst forth with all the glorious sentiment of a long lost love. The joy pulls you deeper and deeper into that passion ignited, and all else will fall away as you engage the center of your creative soul.

I want that!

I’ll bet you do too

Easier said than done you say? Yes. Getting started is the hardest part. I come up with some amazing excuses. But what I’ve realized is that they are all rooted in fear. Time is all relevant. How does one person do everything you’ve always wanted to do, yet you can’t find even a minute for it?

Choices

We all make time for the things we truly want, even if that is sitting and staring out a window. Believe me I get it. Fear has kept me from doing a myriad of things I know I was born to do. But I’m telling you, it is time to stop letting the enemy of your soul drown you in that fear. It is time to say NO MORE!

So – How do you stop this pattern of inactivity?

Just begin.

Here are a few ideas:

-Look up an inspirational quote on google – write it in a notebook or journal and surround it with color, doodles or your own words of intention.

-Take an in-person class to learn a new technique. Sometimes you just need a small push to get started, and what better way than to spend time with other creatives. online classes are awesome, but you are still sitting alone in your comfort zone….stuck. Getting out and mingling…seeing what others are creating may be just what you need to get you unstuck. (looking for a good class? Here are a few)

-Pull out that dusty journal and just do something…every day! Even if you only spend 10 minutes drawing, painting, writing, dreaming….those 10 minutes will put you on a path of moving forward. Before you know it, 10 will become 15, 15 will become 20….and you will be well on your way to a vibrant daily creative practice! (need a new journal? Check these out)

-Make it a priority. Only you know you. In my world, if I do not spend the first few hours of my day doing creative things, I won’t do them at all. There will always be other things calling my attention, and responsibilities pulling at my time. Even if I don’t feel like it, or think I have other more important priorities, I spend at least an hour in a creative practice of some sort. It is the only thing moving me forward.

If you don’t find a way, no one will for you.

This has to be something that you do for yourself – and the soul-healing that can come from it could change your whole perspective. I hope that you will take time today – for you- for your soul-health, and begin that journey of creative discovery!

Tag Archives: creative practice