Writer’s Block? Lack of Inspiration? Artistic Blues?
… Been there, done that. Eventually, I realized that such problems are entirely optional. Don’t believe me? Try these ...
3 Healing Secrets
1. Spend time “moodling.” Famed creativity mentor Brenda Ueland emphasized the power of “moodling,” which she described as a crucial aspect of the creative process. Moodling isn’t just daydreaming, though it might seem like it. Rather, moodling is an unorthodox strategy for unlocking one’s artistry. A state of active receptivity in which you let your thoughts roam, it’s meant to be a mental, emotional and even spiritual space where inspiration can flow freely and gracefully. In such periods of “unproductive” meandering, people often come up with their most original ideas. When we permit ourselves to release rigid thinking, creativity can bloom like a magical flower in a nanosecond. Learn more about “moodling” and related creativity-enhancing strategies in my new #1 Amazon Best Seller for energizing and manifesting your best self and life.
2. Get back to nature. “Nature is fuel for the soul,” says Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester and lead author of an inspiring research paper about the extraordinarily ordinary healing power that’s literally all around us. “Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature,” Dr. Ryan emphasizes. Not that I have anything against the occasional cup o’ joe, but clearing your mind while stretching your legs in the great outdoors is unmatched in its ability to energize the body, mind and spirit—often while producing amazing creative juice as a fringe benefit. So … take a hike!
3. Let go of having to have everything figured out. What would be the point of creativity if you already knew beforehand what you were going to create? The need to “know,” by itself, is problematic for the genuine inner explorer. Don’t shy away from the chaotic fluidity of a world that’s constantly in flux as your perceptions about it morph. Make friends with “not-knowing” instead while visualizing yourself as a funnel for the divine imagination. Feel creativity flowing into and being filtered by the exquisitely tuned vessel of perspective that is you, a being capable of creating new worlds within and without. If this flexible approach to productivity appeals to you, my new exclusive ebook is a quick-hitting masterclass on this and related empowering subjects.
2 Health Links
“The brains of artists aren’t really left-brain or right-brain, but rather have extra neural matter in visual and motor control areas,” we learn in a fascinating video from Newsy Science. This finding sheds light on an iconic quote about those with an artistic temperament (defined liberally) by Hunter S. Thompson. “When the going gets weird,” he wrote, “the weird turn pro.” The upshot? If you’re truly an artist, however you grok the term, you really have no other choice but to be an artist. Or as Oscar Wilde put it, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Have you played in the Magic today? Enjoy this short exclusive audiobook to learn the three additional secrets to creative manifestation in all areas of your life.
1 Transformational Quote
When it comes to having any meaningful impact on your audience, you’re lucky if your art entertains—and you’re truly blessed if it manages to inspire.
Where art does have a potentially life-changing purpose, however, is in its own creation. For the artist all art is—or at least has the ability to be—art therapy.
Maybe art’s just a mode of escapism, but I’ll take that. It’s certainly a lot cheaper (not to mention safer) than heroin. You can smack me up with art any day.
Art can clear the cobwebs from the head and, even more crucially, repair the cracks in the heart.
—Yours Truly, MUSINGS FROM A SMALL ISLAND
💡 KINDRED AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & BONUS BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Julia Cameron, THE ARTIST’S WAY
