Mindfully Creative

Posted on May 01, 2013 by Dolly Muzer, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

Mindfully Creative
I have been thinking about these two words and what they mean to me. How does mindfulness inform my creative practice

When I am mindfully creative I feel awake and feel that anything is possible. There is an intention to be fully present moment to moment with the creative process. I feel alive! I don’t want to miss out on anything! Through mindfulness I am able to become aware of my habitual patterns. When I shift my attention out of habit, I can make different choices and move forward with creative projects or creating the life I want to live. This can be so helpful when coaching clients. Helping them to become “unstuck” or “blocked” in their lives. Empowering them to have the ability to make different choices for themselves rather than be stuck in their minds, their habits or their lives.

The following are some ways that mindfulness has helped my creative process and life:
Slowing down
Mindfulness helps me slow down. I am not doing five things at once, not paying attention, and probably not doing any of them very well. I am able to pay really notice what is happening moment to moment when I slow down. I am able to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel better when I slow down. When I slow down I am able to go deeper into my process instead of skimming the surface.
Clarity
Mindfulness helps me to be centered and fosters clarity. Clarity about what I would like to create, what I am envisioning for a project or my life. There is less noise and clutter in my mind and my thoughts. There is space for something to arise organically. I am clear about the where, when, how and why of creating. I am in tune with my intuition.
Focus
Mindfulness helps me focus my energy. I am not distracted by the world around me and I am able to engage fully with the task at hand. I can make choices on purpose and with intention rather than haphazardly creating. I space out less and I am able to notice when I do and come back to the present moment.
Acceptance
Mindfulness has helped me to be less disconnected. I am able to be present with myself in a different way and be with the experience. Sometimes the experience can be peaceful, frustrating or maddening. However, I do not push the feelings away, they become a part of the experience that is unfolding in the present moment. If something turns out completely different than I envisioned or if it is a complete failure I am able to accept either scenario (and the many others that can present themselves) as part of the creative journey.
Appreciation and Joy
Mindfulness helps cultivate appreciation and joy for me. Since I feel more engaged and awake moment to moment there is an appreciation of being alive and that brings me great joy.

There are numerous ways to practice and bring mindfulness into our daily lives. There are two specific practices I use to help me cultivate mindfulness. One is sitting meditation. Although this works for me, I don’t expect clients to be sitting on the meditation cushion. The other is walking mediation or mindfulness walks. When I am out in nature, I am able to clear my head of distractions (especially the computer). This enables me to pay attention to the small and large wonders, feeling the breathing, pulsating energy of the natural world. It reminds me of how we are all inter-connected. This has been a great centering practice especially when I am in a rut and need a fresh perspective. Again, there are many ways to bring mindfulness in our lives finding out what that means for the client and how they can incorporate that into their lives can be life altering.

Dolly Muzer, MA, LPC is a licensed psychotherapist, certified creativity coach, and a visual artist who inspires and supports people to live their best creative life. You can contact her through her website at www.thecreativepioneer.com.