Tipping the Scales

This is about finding new ways to approach life and career by engaging your creative ‘right brain’ thinking, aka calling in your muse!   “But what has this got to do with me?” you might ask.  “Everything,” I answer, as if you really asked that question.

Creative thought is an instigator of change.  And since your life has probably changed over the years, then creative thought has likely played a role.  But wait a sec…  There is another instigator of change.  It’s the “I should do’s” or “I have to’s” or even the nasty “I can’t’s.”

Okay, I admit, our life changes are much more complicated than simply determining if we have creatively chosen our path, or if we are being directed by influences that say ‘you should, you can’t, and you have to,”  BUT let’s for a minute pretend it is that simple.

Imagine a balance weigh scale, with one brassy plate labelled “creatively chosen my path” and the other side labelled “should, have to, and /or can’t.”  Then imagine which side weighs heavier in your life.  Yes, now.  Don’t try to analyze too much or question the concept, just quickly off the top of your head imagine which side weighs heavier.

Got the picture in your mind? Good.

There is no right or wrong about how your imagined scale looks.  The question to ask yourself after you’ve pictured this scale is “Am I happy?”   Use this tool to get clearer:  Imagine a linear scale numbered from 1 to 10, with 10 being “I’m so happy the world is my oyster, and I have nothing but pearls in my life” and 1 being “Excuse me, happy? Never!”    Where would you put yourself on that scale?

If you’ve placed yourself up near 10, then the first balance scale is probably weighted ideally for you.
If not, ask yourself “what small steps could I take to shift these scales?  Can I find a way to chose my direction, rather than be led by the “shoulds” and “have to’s”?  Play with these questions creatively. You could start by using the “What if” technique.  Example:  “What if I actually did start to research the trip I’ve always wanted to do?”   or “What if I simply got some paint and paper and played?”  or “What if I did leave my job?”  Notice what emerges and see if you discover that small step that will have you shifting the scales more to your favour.

I don’t know if you noticed, but within the 400 words above there are four creative thinking moments:   1. Pretend it is that simple, 2. Imagine a balance scale, 3. Imagine a linear scale, and 4. “What if” questions.   Isn’t it just so much easier to find answers when you invite creative thinking into the process?

By Janet L Whitehead
Certified Professional Life Coach and Creativity Coach.
www.musingsandmud.com

Soul Whisperings of the Creative Spirit

… especially for those with a creative calling – even if you’re not ever getting to it!

There is a pathway to spirit, soul, intuition, and connections to the ‘more than what we see’ that is so easily accessible for some that it is dismissed ‘unlikely’ and few truly recognize its potential for miraculous discoveries.

And that pathway is simply this: If you are creatively inclined, or always yearning to be creative, then show up. Show up to your creative process.. in any way, shape or form. Even if you aren’t sure what your ‘true calling’ is, show up to something.

‘Showing up’ is the yoga of the creative being. “Being in the zone” is their meditation. The process (not the product) is where the creative person opens the door to the whisperings of their soul, the channellings of spirit, and the magic of… okay.. honestly? …the magic that can begin to happen is almost ridiculously and unbelievably amazing.

I know. I’ve experienced it.  When characters, who initially introduced themselves as faeries, (and later fine-tuned this to ‘realm travellers’) showed up in my clay.. well, I wasn’t exactly pleased. “That’s not art!” I cried out. “I’m trying to connect to spirit here, what do you have to do with it?” I complained.

It’s a long story what happened from there; so long that it’s now a nearly complete novel. But for now, I will say, the doors to new thinking, intuition, easy access to spirit, and ‘impossible things becoming possible’ flung wide open. Not just while I was creating, but life as a whole shifted to something new and magical.

There’s little being modelled or taught in our logical left brain world, nor a lot in our alternative wellness world, that has supported the creatively-inclined to recognize the immense spiritual value of showing up regularly to any or all things that might be called ‘creative.’   These ‘creative things’ can range from the obvious visual, performing and written arts to the less obvious; inventing, mind mapping and stream of consciousness thinking, high risk individual sports (really!),  to living life ‘differently,’ and to one of the most powerful and easiest accessible: imagination.

Unsupported in the left-brain world, the individual creative person finds many reason not to show up to their calling; not enough time, not feeling like you are ‘good enough’, perfectionism, overwhelm, procrastination (we are the masters of that one!), fear of failure, fear of success, not giving it the same value as more commonly recognized self-awareness paths … well, the list can get pretty long.

If this is you, you’ll know the yearning to show up to your creativity doesn’t stop. You might feel guilty for not showing up, and guilty when you do because you ‘ought to be doing other things.’ But there is a part of you that always wants to get to your creative process.

For those whose gift to connect to spirit is through their creative process, there may even be unconscious fears around this unknown feeling of ‘other worldliness’ that happens if you allow yourself to go there.  Liken this statement to those who have prophetic dreams and visions, but will do whatever they can to avoid exploring this more because it is scary to go into the unknown alone and unsupported.

You’ve all witnessed singing performances where you knew the singer was connecting to angels. Possibly you’ve seen an artist in the zone of creating and realized there is much more going on than just paint on a canvas. Very likely you’ve seen friends who excitedly come up with the most bizarre ideas that you are certain have come from some inspired ‘out there’ place.

And you may personally know people gifted with a fabulous voice or amazing art,  who don’t show up to their gift and you wonder why… they may be the ones who don’t even recall their performance or doing their art, so ‘out there’ were they, and without an understanding of what is happening, it can be frightening.

If you are yearning to be more in touch with your creative side, you too have the ability to hear the whisperings of your soul in a way that is truly and uniquely yours. A great first step is to simply ponder the possibility. A good next step is to  give yourself permission to ‘show up’ to a creative calling for just five minutes. Just five minutes.. that’s do-able, right?

By

Janet L. Whitehead    ©2011

Certified Life Coach and Creativity Coach

Musings and Mud Coaching Studio
“Your inspired life begins here”
www.musingsandmud.com

Orginally published in Yoga Tree Magazine 2011