Subconscious creativity
Tell us how it's going.
Is subconscious creativity a real thing? We think it is. Phew! What a month!
Remember when we said we had no headspace for writing, given the twists and turns of mid-life tumult? Well, we couldn’t even manage to type out a full post this week, so we have a video for you instead.
In the video (and audio) below, we reflect on the monthly creative challenge of letting our creativity go underground. After a month of doing that, we are one hundred percent certain subconscious creativity is a real thing.
What did you discover? Did you try this creative challenge? If so, tell us how it went in the comments below and/or watch the video for some inspiration on how to make it work for you.
Listen here:
Watch here:
Thank you, Steph and Maia! And I love your comments, Deb and Amy. This has been a time of creative marinating for me. I rebuilt my garden beds and have been busy planting and tending and harvesting, all of which feed my soul. I am also doing a watercolor painting of the townhouse my daughter just purchased as a gift for her and her partner. They are moving out of my house this weekend, and though I will miss the general mayhem and family dinners, I sense an expansion of time, of energy ... perfect for long summer days in which to get back to my novel. I am trying to flow with presence instead of forcing my butt into the chair.
The universe is so timely in so many ways. I am writing this in a self-proclaimed period of waiting. A mid-life pregnancy on many fronts – clearing clutter in my home and on my agenda to create space physically, energetically, emotionally and mentally. Struggling not to fill this newly created space in my calendar with other events, learning and obligations. Giving myself room to stretch and grow in the summer months. Unaware, I spent late winter and spring, clearing the ground and space around me. Feeling this call to pause and surrender without a plan or specific purpose for my time. To be a human being and much less a human doing. Today’s conversation provided extra nutrients to the soil. Many years ago, I had a card reading and I pulled a card with stagnant water – wholly unappealing on the surface. But I was reminded by my friend how much is happening beneath the surface of stagnant water - in these periods where we are not checking boxes and completing all the to do lists. How surrendering to the waiting is a gift in and of itself.
In an effort to be less of a spectator member of the community and more of a participant, I am actually documenting a response instead of applauding, laughing and enjoying this space unobserved behind my computer screen.
A note on portals, Outlander and Discovery of Witches aside, I agree – incredibly difficult to do well. The real life portal hopping component of this conversation was so interesting. This perspective on shifting back and forth between different timelines and locations in our life – it’s unsettling and messy. Opening vulnerabilities we have forgotten about and exposing new layers to ones we have been actively working on. It must be difficult to find a comfort zone when zipping back and forth between our past and future home with ties to both. The effort to stay present must be all consuming – I could easily be dropped back into all the memories or shuttled into all the plans for new ones.
I recently came across this quote – which seems to me to be the best definition of bittersweet – and bittersweet seems apropos to portal hopping experiences.
"When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the spirit laughs for what it has found" - Sufi Proverb