A Flash Of Colour

// February 14th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // creativity

How much richness are you filtering out of your life?

A patient came to Milton Erikson, the famous hypnotherapist, in a very stuck state.

She had been asked to go on a week long trip and did not want to leave her hometown, even though she was miserable there. She preferred the idea of staying put and hating where she was.

Once she was under hypnosis, Erikson’s instructions to her were, firstly, to be very curious about this state. Secondly, during the following week she was to go on that trip and while there, very unexpectedly, she would see a flash of colour.

She would be very curious about this.

During that week the woman did see a flash of colour–it was a red-headed woodpecker flying past bright, green foliage. Seeing that bird had a profound effect on her and she began a period of her life where she travelled a lot and delighted in seeing and experiencing new things.

Part of what Erikson did was to encourage her to hold the expectation that she would see something wonderful and awe inspiring.

We filter so much out of our own lives

in order to protect ourselves from being overwhelmed, that we can too easily miss the richness of the world around us. When she held the expectation of, once again, perceiving some of the richness she had filtered out, it happened. And because a connection had been made between her sense of stuck-ness and seeing the flash of colour, it created a major shift.

One way to become more creative

is to expect that ideas will come to you, to maintain a presence in your daily life that allows you to notice small details that can fuel your creativity.

Each of these small details can serve as a nugget of inspiration, a reminder to slow down and appreciate the beauty around us, or it may provide a metaphor, or understanding that cracks open a stuck-ness in our life.

So at some point in the coming week, Dear Reader, you will see a flash of colour. Let me know when you do!

The Intention Rock

// January 11th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // creativity, labyrinth picture, Labyrinths, metaphor

Lately, I’ve been consciously working on setting intentions, both in my art-making and labyrinth walking practices.

I’m finding I don’t have time to not do this.

If I set an intention with a project, or chunk of work then everything naturally becomes more focused for me and usually something worthwhile happens.

If I don’t set an intention, the activity just rambles on and when I’m finished the results are often less … (what’s another word for awesome?) less … good-ish.

When I walk the labyrinth I’ve developed a habit of standing on the small section of pavers we have just in front of the entrance to the labyrinth. It’s where I set my intention for the walk.

Sometimes my intention will be to get insight on a particular issue, sometimes it’s simply to shake off some nervous energy and get a bit more centred.

The other day as I was standing on the paving stones and setting my intention, there was something about the way I was standing, and the state that I was in, that felt really familiar.

As I stood there my vision had gotten soft, and wide, and took in the whole of the labyrinth’s form. I felt alert and at ease at the same time, and really grounded.

I set my intention and walked. And the walk was great. It usually it takes a few circuits in before I’m really present and focused, this time I was present and focused from the first step in.

At some point in the walk, the reason for the familiar feeling came to me. The way I was standing at the start was a throwback to my surfing days. It was exactly the same state I used to get into before paddling out, whenever I was surfing at a reef break.

Before surfing at a reef break, especially one I didn’t know, I’d stand on a rock in front of the surf and take a significant chunk of time to survey the rocks, above and below the water, leading out to the break–finding the best spot with a nice channel that I could paddle through without getting smashed by oncoming waves.

Once the path out was set, I’d stand there for a while and get the feel of the ocean that day. What were the set patterns? where were the trouble spots on the way out? were there any rips that might help me along? or screw me over?

I remember that I would stand there and let my gaze soften so that I had a peripheral view of what was going on.

This wasn’t a conscious thing, it was before I ever thought about meditation or anything like that. It’s just what you instinctively learn to do as a surfer.

I would wait till I felt I had a path to follow safely out into the line up beyond where the waves were breaking, and I was in a centred frame of mind, then dive off the rock.

I never thought that much about it at the time. The primary purpose was to not get smashed on the rocks (and yes I did get smashed more than once). But looking back, I can remember the sense of calmness, and presence, and aliveness I felt before diving in.

What great qualities to bring to a labyrinth walk, or any creative project.

Some things remembering this has taught me about setting intentions:

• Get grounded before I set my intention. One of the really strong sensations I noticed, and remember clearly from my surfing days, was the sense of groundness, of being rooted on the stone section in front of the labyrinth, and always on the rock, or rock shelf as I checked out the waves. Even if I’m setting an intention to work on the computer, or make some art, I can imagine the feeling of the rock beneath my feet, reminding me to drop into that grounded, aware state before I embark on my work. That memory of being connected to the rock is carried in my body, in the soles of my feet, like a built in ‘Intention Rock’ that’s always with me, waiting to be called up.

• I also noticed that I just naturally let my vision go soft, so that I got the whole of the labyrinth in my peripheral vision. Again, this was crucial before diving into the water. It was a way of getting a visceral sense of what was happening in the water, of what I was going to have to move through in order to get to my goal. In the same way, I can try to get a fuller sense of whatever I’m working on as a way to help my intentions be more realistic, and in line with whatever circumstances I’m working with.

• Imagining my way through. Whenever I stood on the rocks I always, without fail, imagined myself paddling an exact route to where I wanted to go. Likewise, with my intentions, I can imagine a path that will get me to my intended goals, or at least imagine myself at the end, fulfilling my intention.

• At the same time as my vision softened and switched to the peripheral there was a tautness of focus. A really strong sense of alert presence. This was vital as a surfer because: rocks + huge waves! but it’s also important if I want my intentions to be in line with what I actually want, and to ensure that I’m alert enough to get the results I intend to create.

It’s been 6 years since I  last had a surf, but I can still recall the strength of that alert, focused state. It’s a great thing to bring up at the beginning of any activity. I notice, too, how the winding path of the labyrinth corresponds to the circuitous way I would negotiate through the rocks and rips to get to my spot in the line-up. I’m starting to think of my years of surfing as training for labyrinth walking, after all, surfing a wave is a lot like riding around on a liquid labyrinth.

*****

I’m trying to use Facebook more, and just installed a big Facebook ‘Like Machine’ in the side bar  –>

If you like this post, or this blog, I’d love for you to click the like button!

Cheers.

Possibilities

// November 30th, 2010 // 5 Comments » // creativity, labyrinth picture, Labyrinths, process, Uncategorized

This is the final day for Art Every Day Month, although for me it was more like Art Every Couple Of Days Month.

Even though I didn’t get to make art or post every day it’s still been a great experience. I did manage to sink deeply into the labyrinth through studying, walking and drawing them, and I’ve learned a lot over the past month. I also got to meet a whole bunch of new and creative friends and to check out their wonderful blogs!

At the start of the month I wanted to explore the labyrinth and see if my interest could be sustained over time, and it has. I’m excited about the possibilities of working with labyrinths more in the future. I’m hoping to get to San Francisco in February to do Labyrinth Facilitator training and hopefully lead labyrinth workshops in the future so I can hang out with other people and learn more.

I’ve already started writing content for some training on Labyrinth Drawing, painting and journalling as an art practice and I’m excited to see where that goes.

This picture has been in my mind for a couple of days and I got some time last night to paint it. I’m seeing a lot of references to the similarities between the labyrinth and the womb, links to Goddess religions and also noticed for myself how the back and forward rocking motion that comes from walking the labyrinth is very much like being cradled. So this seemed a fitting image to close the month out on.

Creative Bank Deposit: Backgrounds

// November 7th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // creativity, painting, work in progress

I have a really busy week ahead and I know time will be short for creating art, so today’s Art Every Day Month project was to get a whole lot of backgrounds started so I could make the most of the time that I do have this week.

I feel good, like I’ve just made a big deposit into my creativity bank that I can draw from over the next few days.

Doing backgrounds has also become one of my favourite ways to beat creative blocks. They’re very non-threatening to do, and I always find myself getting into that artsy meditative state as I paint. When I do go to begin something, there’s no “blank canvas” to worry about, I’ve at least made a start.

Another great thing about painting backgrounds is that there’s very little at stake. Anything I come up with is fine, and I usually build a few layers up for my paintings these days. I love the textures and the aliveness they bring to a painting.

So if I mess one of them up, no problem. Another layer or two and it will be looking great.

Back On The Labyrinth

// November 5th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // creativity, illustration, Labyrinths

Right!

I’m on it!

Back in the Art Every Day Month saddle after a bout of food poisoning ripped through our household. The only one who managed to escape it was Mr One year old. So, we dodged a bullet there because things got brutal.

*******

The night before we got sick I did a late candle-lit walk of the labyrinth while listening to some Hildegard Von Bingen chants on my ipod.

It was amazing, and beautiful.

I walked a candle into the centre of the labyrinth and left it there as I walked back out. Once I was at the entrance I stood for a while and watched the candle flickering away in the centre.

After a bit, I felt like doing the walk again, and walked all the way into the glowing labyrinth. When I arrived at the centre I bent down to pick up the candle and it went out as soon as I touched it.

I walked back out in the dark. How symbolic.

*******

Here’s another labyrinth. This one’s painted over a page from a book called ‘Little Saint’ which is a novel about a young French woman mystic.

I love painting over text and letting pieces peek through here and there, I try not to overthink it and just let my intuition pick what comes up. Makes for the occasional nice surprise.

I picked this book for playing with collage and erasure poetry (where you take a piece of text and create poems through blocking out what you don’t want). the book has lots of loaded language, plenty of mystical references, passages in French and historical stuff. Something juicy pops out on every page.

Looking forward to catching up on other people’s creations!

30 Labyrinths In 30 Days

// November 1st, 2010 // 10 Comments » // creativity, Labyrinths, process

We’ve rolled into November and I’m going to be participating in Leah’s “Art Every Day Month’ .

I’m really excited to join in, I’ve been participating in the Creative Every Day monthly themes for a while now, but this is my first time participating in AEDM

A few weeks ago, I was reading some of Havi’s writing about walking the Labyrinth at Taos, and it got me interested in labyrinths and I started investigating.

I’ve walked a labyrinth before and had read a little about them, but they never seemed more than mildly interesting to me.

For some reason, this time around, reading about them just triggered something, and well, to cut a long story short:

I have Labyrinth Fever.

I’ve been devouring books on labyrinths, drawing and painting them, I even put up a rope labyrinth in my back yard last week. I’ve decided to make walking the labyrinth a daily practice.

I do a walk first thing in the morning and one at night once the boys are asleep. They’re the easiest times for me to consistently be able to walk. Almost every time I walk the labyrinth I get some small insight, or image. And when nothing comes up, I just feel good walking it. The labyrinth is on the lawn outside our living room and I spend a lot of time standing at the windows tracing the path visually.

While I was working out how and where to build my labyrinth I began drawing and painting them. I was surprised at how meditative, and calming, painting a labyrinth was. It made me want to paint labyrinths exclusively.

All day, every day.

When I’m not walking them, that is. (They’re kind of hypnotic.)

I’m thinking about doing some Labyrinth Facilitator training next February. So, I want to use this month to really explore the labyrinth and see if my interest (obsession?) is still running hot after a month of being immersed in the labyrinth.

So, for Art Every Day month I’ll be creating 30 Labyrinths in 30 Days. Some drawings, small sketched paintings, some bigger paintings on canvas, labyrinth musings, maybe even try a labyrinth poem.