Expressing Your Creativity is a Spiritual Practice

the creative urge is life itself

What catches your eye? What inspires you? What is urging to be created through you? Are you up for an adventure?

“Your creative expression is an act of faith. You must give it passage from the abstract into form by trusting what’s coming through you.

 "When there is no motion, it’s only a dream and remains in the realm of possibility. You don’t need to know how an adventure ends before you begin it, nor do you have to know where your creative urge is going to take you before you begin.” ~Joyous Living Journal

I don’t know when everyone got so convinced they aren’t creative. We are infinitely creative. Even when we are not intentionally creating we are creating by default. As humans we have a deep driving need to be creative.

It’s time to indulge ourselves!

Could painting (or cooking, or writing, or gardening, or knitting, or playing an instrument, or singing or writing a letter, or taking pictures, or or playing with play dough) be a spiritual practice?

YES.

And engaging in your creativity is opening another avenue for Spirit to demonstrate in your life. And just like meditation and prayer it works better when you set aside your ego, drop the judgement and embrace some unconditional love for yourself and others. Think of practicing creativity as an act of gratitude for the beauty and joy you feel inside, a two way conversation between you and Infinite Intelligence.

Life is ever evolving in the direction of increased love and increased beauty. What other than the intentional spiritual practice of expressing your unique brand of creativity to assist in that evolution.

Let it loose in the world and you just don’t know the life it may take on.

Lessons in Creativity Sunday Service

Today I let go of 'how' my creative gifts will show up in my life and allow myself to create in joy. My gifts are needed in the world, therefore, I give them. And So It Is!

Tune into Sunday Service Live 10:30am 

Today Share Your Creativity

From Analysis to Action

A creative expression from a purpose workshop lead by Vidette Vanderweide.

The Joyous Living Journal, July 2nd installment is titled From "Analysis to Action".  It mentions, "Alchemy doesn't just look at what's at hand and analyze it; it uses what's there and transforms it into gold."  When we are moving through something that is a hurt, pain, wound, or block, we may seek answers as to the why of the situation.  It can be in our nature to wonder and analyze our life. What the Joyous Living Journal is suggesting is to, "Take your wounds and blocks as fuel to create, write, produce music, paint, dance, or whatever your creative modality is to bring forth the masterpieces of your soul."  It goes on to say, "But remember, don't make producing a masterpiece or needing transformation your goal, but rather keep creative expression as your purpose."

Aside from a product of artistic expression, this mindset can also be used to create a beautiful life. The idea of "creating memories" is one idea that I constantly revisit in my own life.  Creating memorable experiences for my children and husband is something that I enjoy doing.  Spending time with my family can be more than just being in the same room with them (though that can be great too), it can be heightened by taking something simple and creating it as a memory. Recently, as suggested by my husband, we started going to the park to play frisbee after dinner. With the daylight being extended, the time to play has also been extended.  What I noticed about myself is that I almost forgot what it was like to run around and play at the park.  Now that my children are older, we don't go to the park as often as we used to.  Creating that family time gave us an avenue to make a memory for our children, as well as for myself.  Though it seemed an effort beginning this new ritual, it soon became effortless, turning into an daily desire.

Getting into a rut of the "same old, same old" just takes one moment of action to get clarity on how to "create" a beautiful life.

The reflection statement from the Joyous Living Journal: "Take the feeling from a blockage in your world, and take those emotions and pour them freely through a creative expression of your choice."

Have a wonderfully creative day. 

E PLURIBUS MUSICUM: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN MUSIC

Wednesday Wisdom: Potluck & Sing-Along

Come join us Wednesday for a one-hour history of the United States through the melting pot of its music. I figure that everyone will actually be busy on the 4th of July, so having our celebration on Wednesday the 2nd makes a lot of sense. 

Since it is the first Wednesday of the month, there will be a potluck starting at 5:45. We are going to have a sing-along starting at 6:45, with the concert starting at 7:00. There will be lots of singing along during the concert, so come prepared to have a good time.

The name of the concert means “from many, music,” and is of course a play on “E Pluribus Unum”, the United States motto. A lot of people don’t know that “E Pluribus Unum” (“from many, one”) is the original motto of the United States. “In God We Trust” was added to coins in 1864, but did not become a national motto until the 1950’s, the same time “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance. These were ostensibly to combat “godless Communism”, but I find both of them an offensive commingling of church and state. The concert goes back to that original definition of the United States as a melting pot: a coming together of different peoples, the free exchange of ideas, in this case musical ideas. The music that is uniquely “American” has always been a mixture of multiple styles that came before, so it makes an excellent analogue to this.

Kimberly and I have been toying around with the idea of putting together a one-hour “cruise ship” format show around this idea. You can think of this as the first draft of such a show. We are pleased to be joined by the “Fire Pit Players”: Karyn Allen and Rick Dale, Hans Smith and Darrolyn Fennelly, Patty Coquillard, with Jimmy Vann on the piano. This gives us a lot more leeway to add some extra voices and instruments and styles and harmonies. We hope to see you there!