creating movement

Mark Hoekstra- Flickr

I get stuck a lot.  I get stuck on projects.  I get stuck in writing.  I get stuck in negative thinking.  I just get stuck.

I find it's often much easier to keep going with the same old patterns, the ways of being that are comfortable, that are known, that are 'easy,'  even if they don't making me happy anymore.  There are many a night where I am found clicking from website to website, slowly wasting away my time rather than dreaming or reading or sewing or knitting or stretching any creative muscles.

I came across this excerpt by Nina Wise the other day that spoke to me. I like the idea of starting small- a new recipe, sand castles, a shower in the song.  I was talking to a friend today about the joys of sewing- that there are times when you need the technicalities of a tough project to get your mind off of something but there are other moments when the mindless seaming together of straight lines is what's called for- something meditative and soothing in its monotony.  Creating something calls us to appreciate those small steps we take to make something out of nothing, to connect with other people when we share our gifts and time and sometimes to stop and notice the world that's right in front of us.  

From Nina Wise:

Everyone is creative. Creativity is our very nature. But for many of us, the creative impulse has gone into hiding...

Creativity is about having the courage to invent our lives--to concoct lovemaking games, cook up a new recipe, paint a kitchen cabinet, build sculptures on the beach, and sing in the shower. Creativity is about our capacity to experience the core of our being and the full range of our humanness.

The question of how to become more creative is not about learning anything, or even doing anything, but about allowing whatever arises to gain expression. To do this, we must bypass the voice inside of us that says stop...

We obey this voice as if being guided by inner wisdom; but when we tune in, we hear a quieter voice calling out to us to express ourselves freely. This is the voice that can liberate us. If we listen and respond, our lives become rich with the pleasure creative freedom provides.