“Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery.
Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds!
Shine.” Buddha
Do you think it’s possible, that just by practicing meditation, you can unlock creativity within yourself?
Many published writers and visual artists attribute the practice of meditation to their success.
WHY MEDITATE?
The regular practice of meditation can help:
- Unlock writer’s block
- Create a flow of ideas for new paintings
- Clear the mind of junk
- Enable you to better focus on your craft.
My artist husband, Drew Brophy, meditates every morning before he starts his day.
He says that meditation “gets rid of all the other nonsense in your brain so you can begin with a clean place, no distractions. It allows me to focus better.”
As a result, Drew is one of the most focused, organized people I know.
HOW MEDITATION UNSTUCK MY CREATIVITY:
I’m about halfway through a book I’m writing for artists on the business of art. It was going well, until a couple of months ago when I felt “stuck”. I had hit a wall and feared that I would abandon the project. But I had already told so many people that I was writing this book, I knew that I had to finish it!
So I decided to take a trip to recharge my mind. A search on the internet led me to a writer’s meditation retreat at the Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO. Susan Piver, a bestselling author, was the instructor.
Her course description read “Through practicing meditation we can access our true voice and deepest inspiration.”
The idea that meditation could somehow unlock my creativity within was intriguing.
I registered, and 2 weeks later, flew to the cold, Colorado mountains to learn how to deepen my meditation and become a better writer.
This retreat created a huge breakthrough for me. Susan got us into a routine of meditating first, and then free-writing. I’ve since taken this routine home, and it’s opened up an entire new world of writing. I’m back to making progress on my book, which feels great. (Another benefit is that I’m a lot calmer, meaning that I’m less likely to lose it when my son accidentally wipes chocolate on my white shirt, or when a client rubs me the wrong way.)
WHAT IS MEDITATION?
In simple terms, meditation is the self-directed practice for relaxing the body and calming the mind. There are many different ways to meditate. For me, its finding stillness in the mind by sitting quietly and ridding my mind of thought of anything other than where I am at that moment. One way of stilling the mind is to focus on your breath, which keeps you in the present moment.
It’s not easy, stilling the mind, especially for someone like me who is super-hyper, full of ideas, one right after another.
When learning to meditate, instructors will advise that “if a thought arises, gently acknowledge it and bring your mind back to your breath.” Good advice. It’s really taken me a lot of practice just to go a few minutes without a racing mind! But each time I meditate, I get better and better at it.
Susan Piver wrote a blog post titled “Five common misconceptions about Meditation” and it provides a link to instructions. I recommend checking it out.
MY MEDITATION / CREATION ROUTINE:
I wake up an hour or two before Drew and my son wake up. I light candles and place a pillow on the floor to sit on. I sit with a straight back, legs crossed, hands placed palm down just above my knees, eyes softly gazing straight ahead. I set a timer for 10-20 minutes.
Immediately after meditation, I’ll move to the kitchen table and do a free-writing exercise for 30 minutes. This is where I write anything that comes to me, always keeping the pen moving. Once I’ve written, pen to paper, I’ll open the laptop and re-write, clean it up, and then post it or save it for more work later.
WHY A ROUTINE WORKS:
It’s what you do every day that shapes your career and your future. I’m committed to becoming an excellent writer. And I know that in order to do that, I have to write, every day, regardless of how inspired I am or how poorly the words are coming out that day. Beginning with meditation gives my mind a clean slate, one in which new ideas can more easily grow and flourish.
FOR MEDITATION BEGINNERS:
There are guided meditations you can buy on itunes and on CD.
Some of my favorite guided meditations are Meditations for Busy People (8-10 minute meditations) by Bodhipaksa and Indigo Dreams Soundtrack by Lori Lite.
I also recommend going on youtube and doing a search of “guided meditation” – here you’ll find many short, good meditations for free.
Find a meditation routine that works best for you, and make it a part of your daily life. It may work best for you to meditate right before you begin a new painting project. Or, you may prefer to do it first thing in the morning when you wake up (this works best for me). No matter what works for you, try to do it consistently so you’ll enjoy the benefits.
I heard someone once say that there is great freedom in routines, because it is what allows us to be who it is we want to be.
And like I said in one of my previous posts, “you are what you do every day“.
“Practice meditation regularly. Meditation leads to eternal bliss. Therefore meditate, meditate.” Swami Sivananda
Maria XXOO
