THE SECRET: MINDFULNESS AND CREATIVITY

Article by Eadaoin Conneally in May/June/July 2012 issue of Artful Blogging

"Often, when it comes to our own selves, we can belittle any sense of our inner artist, claiming we know nothing about creativity, and couldn't even if we tried. Those wonderful gifts belong to other, more talented people. This simply isn't true! We all have a deep, creative well within us, and I'll happily share with you the secret I've discovered about uncovering its depths -- creativity takes effort, and lots of plain and simple hard work. Once you start working on it, you'll find that it comes to you through opening your eyes and mind to inspiration, and developing what you discover."~ Eadaoin Conneally

Ever since I created this page in my art journal, I've spent a lot of time mulling over "being here" -- thinking about mindfulness, inspiration, and creativity. So, I'm sure you can imagine how Eadaoin's quote above resonated with me when I stumbled upon it the other day. She's the same person who said that blogging can be a powerful tool for unlocking creativity, for it pushes you to look for, and share, the hidden delights of your average day. Anywho, it all got me to thinkin' about my own path. About how I spent more than half my life thinking I didn't have a creative bone in my body, and how very, very unhappy that made me.

So, what changed me from being that person, to being one who gasps at the beauty of a sliced-open watermelon radish, and immediately runs for her camera or paints? Well, mostly it was learning to be still and do nothing. It was realizing that the more I tried to multitask, the more miserable I became. I was a person who needed to give her attention to one thing at a time, but I realized of course, when I had a part-time job, had two young children and a hubby who traveled all the time, had failing parents, and had started back to school myself, that there was just no way to get it all done each day. That's when I fell back on a skill I'd learned when managing a clothing store in my early twenties. They taught us to make lists and prioritize, then work down that list one thing at a time. That way, even if you don't get it all done, you will have got the critical things done, and they will have been done well, rather than half-assed. Then I learned to add something else to those lists, and to make it a priority. I started adding a little bit of me-time. Time to do something that makes me happy, or time to do nothing at all. I may have had to schedule it at 5:30 AM, before anyone else was awake, but at least I was fitting it in!

Even more important though, was learning to unplug. I remember this one lady I knew back in Midland, who exercised every dang day, plus played tennis and golf, and volunteered up at the school. I didn't see how she had time for it all. I remember saying something like, "Yeah, but I bet she doesn't cook and sew like I do!", only to be told, "Well, actually, she does. Quite a bit, in fact." I couldn't believe it, so I asked her myself, "What's your secret?" Her answer? No TV. What a bizarre concept. I'd never heard of such a thing! So yes, I do spend time on the computer each day, writing my blog posts and visiting others who inspire me, and yes, I do watch a TV show or two with my hubby at supper time most days. But, if I hadn't learned to pull the plug completely for several hours each morning and evening, I never would have discovered what an imaginative person I actually was. What's the most vital ingredient to a creative life? Time. Time to noodle. Time to be inspired. How do you get more time? Turn off the TV. Turn off the computer. Turn off the phone. Turn off the noise.