Tag Archives: Creative Soul work

SELAH! the art of the pause

Slow-down

This is a common theme that has been trying to worm its way into my life over the last several years. From traffic appearing out of nowhere to roadblocks and cancellations, something in my spirit has been trying to get my attention.

Let’s take the recent Covid-19 experience…for 99.9% of us, this happening has knocked us off our highway, and onto the footpath of life. It has forced us to pause in the midst of our busyness and reassess where our life has been or is going.

For many, the things that used to occupy our minds have changed in favor of other “more important” considerations. Some have changed their business focus (me included), and others have begun to learn that nothing is sure in this life.

Where do you find yourself on this spectrum?

Since this is a Creativity blogpost, let’s talk in creative terms.

My first reaction to this whole pandemic thing was elation that I will finally have the time to create the things that have been milling around in my spirit for some time. Honestly, my days don’t look all that different from what they did before. But…

this pause in the path of my life has served to force me to slow down, re-assess where I was at, and ultimately consider where I wanted to be.

Selah!

The word has been debated by scholars for centuries as to its meaning with considerable dispute, but one thing they do agree on is that when the word appears, the reader is to stop….to pause.

This pause, like many other opportunities in our lives, can either dumbfound us or propel us to new heights. Instead of seeing this time as a curse, instead ask yourself what this pause is an opportunity to do…to change.

Is it your perspective that needs change? Your habits? Maybe you need a change of scenery or plain just need to rest. These are all valid things.

So, in an effort to move forward in wisdom, ask yourself these questions:

What have I been putting off for days, months, even years?

What can I do now that I couldn’t before?

How can I reduce the busyness in my life so that when everything returns to normal, I can move at a more reasonable pace and be more at peace with my schedule?

…and most importantly….

What CREATIVE thing can I engage in to help me to see beauty instead of chaos right now?

Friends let’s start focusing on the positive, and let go of the negative talk that the rest of the world would love to drag you into. It is not serving you, your mind, or even your physical health.

Let’s be the different that this world needs to experience.

Who knows, your creative expression might be exactly what will change not only you, but the world around you.

What are you doing to stay creative during this epic time?

I would love to connect with you! Check out my facebook page on Mondays for some creative inspiration, here at creative faith on Wednesdays for some encouragement, and sign up for our Friday newsletter HERE , you will receive all the updates in one place, and even get some “extras” from time to time.

Take a Pause today my friends…consider what your soul may be telling you!

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