Creativity!

Wow Martha Beck got me on this one. As one of the other blogger's mentioned, I thought this chapter would be one that helps us explore our creativity. Quite the opposite. She wants us to explore our enemies, our failures, look at doing something completely different when we are approaching creativity.

Failure as creativity?? Wow that made me sit down! I have had my share of those and yes they were true learning experiences! The other suggestion examines your enemies (or the street term "haters"), list their traits and consider whether their traits are some I should take on? Heavy dose of medicine on that one. Somehow I do not feel comfortable lamenting on their negative energy.

So this is what I decided to do on this one. I decided that I would be creative in exploring new activities such as snow boarding for example. I decided to try something completely new and completely outside my element. Do something different each month-(I am not going to say each week) and use that as a creativity exercise to think differently about my desires and goals. Not sure what those activities will be but I am certain I will find plenty of new experiences.

Eckhart Tolle- On Creativity

This morning I did my usual routine of meditation and yoga. As part of my morning ritual I was reading a passage in Eckhart Tolle's book "A New Earth" made popular through the series sponsored by Oprah Winfrey earlier last year. For whatever reason a couple of passages rang true to me and I wanted to share them with you:

"All creativity comes out of inner spaciousness. Once the creation has happend and something has come into form, you have to be vigilant so that the notion of "me" or "mine" does not rise. If you take credit for what you accomplished, the ego has returned, and the spaciousness has become obscured."

This reminds me that this year, I cannot let my ego get in the way of my creativity for creativity's sake. I am not my dolls or designs or anything that I create. It is simply a process that comes through me through spirit within the universe led by GOD.

Ashe'

Celebrating My 5th Birthday! Thanks to Creative Cause!

On Tuesday of this week, I had the pleasure with three other comrades to take Tambra Stevenson's Creativity Workshop of Creativity Cause in Washington, DC. This was a gift from my husband Howard to take a creativity workshop with three other friends in the arts. I must say it was a wonderful experience and I am thankful for him to give me such a thought provoking gift.

The founder of Creative Cause, Tambra is an Oklahoman native with a creative soul who enjoys organic cultural cooking, painting Chinese and mixed media art, restoring wellness and enlightenment, practicing yoga, and developing web projects, writing on (Chakras) energy, nutrition, health and sustainability, society, and politics. Currently she speaks and leads workshops on creativity and health along with brain education. She is a graduate of Tufts Medical School with a master's in health communication. She received her B.S. in human nutrition/premedical with a Spanish minor from Oklahoma State University prior to studying public health aboard in Dominican Republic. She has worked in federal and District governments along with the media/PR and nonprofit sector. Her latest venture is the health and sustainability impact in the restaurant industry.

When I entered her home a small yet, efficient, comfortable, and quiet condo, I immediately felt relaxed and open.

Though a young woman, Tambra has been studying metaphyisics, yoga and Eastern philosophy quite intensely and this was her first time working with a small group on creativity. Her gentle words and suggestions were quite fitting and I enjoyed her energy.

The workshop was not typical of sitting down and painting something or reading something and writing the first thing that comes to mind. No, it was more physical and mental. It was about exercises and developing relationships with the other participants and working with fear and ego to move past barriers.

The exercises that she had us work through including any blockages dealing with creativity was fantastic. One of those exercises was imagining it is your 5th birthday party. Describe what you are doing and dance around like you are 5 years old again! Also blow out candles and make a wish! This dancing around made me energized and it made me think about my life at the time and how creative I was.

Another thing that Tambra shared in the workshop was to always try something new! Like take a dance class or music class and how that even though it may not be directly related to what I am doing as an art form helps free you to look at art in a new way. This has made me think about taking an African Dance class and perhaps a ceramics class next year. I also want to retrain myself on guitar and perhaps take a poetry class.

I must say to anyone interested in bringing out their creativity Tambra's Creativity Coaching is a must! I truly enjoyed this thought provoking experience and made me look at creativity training in a whole new way. For more information check out Creative Cause at http://www.creativecause.blogspot.com/.