Excerpted from Elizebeth Gilbert's book "Big Magic."
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What does "creative living" mean to you? Can you share a personal story of a time you were able to tap into what makes you truly light, joyous and creative in your own skin? What helps you tap into creative living?
Inspiring! I'm gonna write a poem and draw a picture today!
Creative living in my opinion is having fun expressing yourself through your passion/art, in my case martial arts.
When I train and let my techniques and body go without worrying about external factors like the person in front of me, I really feel alive and that's when I shine the most. In that moment there's nothing in my mind, is just me enjoying myself while being relaxed doing my things.
To me, creative living means liberation. Liberation from the labels of others. Liberation from toxic and negative people. It means living mindfully in the present to the good of yourself and others. It is freedom from judging others. It is having realistic expectations of yourself and others. Creative living is being your authentic self with pride and self confidence. Creative living is simple, joyous, and honest.
Elizabeth, I am inspired by your writing... I've had a desire to live around the world, to work and live in different communities. My life has been quite mainstream as a single mom focused on children and family and providing. My daughters are grown and on their way in their lives now... still I couldn't figure out how to make this live/work idea come to life for myself... then I lost my job and, to coin a business term, a forcing function occurred in the need to find a new job. I began to spread my net of out reach for a new job, as well as my networking and some educational efforts, to include opportunities abroad... I also allowed myself to dream more about the possibilities, what it might look like, how it might feel to actually live and work in another country... low and behold, I was recruited for a job in China - I accepted! And my exciting journey to live and work in other communities has begun!
We now can all find our creative lives by joining our global community drum circle. You have to be, or have been a drummer to express joy in banging on a drum. It's the instinct that allows us to join community drum events. There is a reason we can all do this, and uniting all people musically on Earth,is our evolutionary duty. ww.groovism.org is the gateway site to gathering of our globe.
To me creative living is feeling spiritually connected to nature, to the universe, and to all mankind. I have had moments of such joy in experiencing that connectedness, of knowing that I am in the right place at the right time and at peace with the universe. In those moments I have felt the warmth of joy and of just letting go.
Unfortunately those moments do not come often enough. I feel so disconnected by the humdrum of each day's obligations, duties and chores. I long to be free, to feel the breeze of the wind and the warmth of a setting sun, to pull me out of this stagnating life.
Creative Living for me means living fully while sharing the gifts (treasures) we possess. I feel truly grateful that for whatever reason I have been able to do this most of my life. Perhaps it came from growing up in such an unhappy and stressful childhood, that in my 20s I decided to live on my own terms and that continued to blossom up to present day late 40's. Two items I never leave home without: Free Hugs sign and bubbles to share. I thought Id include my 5 minute TED for you all that speak to this magic of discovering joy in small moments: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vp2WNkQB0o
Creative living means spontaneity and improvisation. It means having no plan, no predetermined goal or outcome, and instead being in the present, responsive to what is happening within and without moment by moment. It means being out of my head, especially my left brain, and operating out of my guts and right brain. It means mining the buried treasure within and bringing it to the surface. It means being alive. During the moments of living that way, I am light, joyous and creative, and it's wonderful. What initially helped me tap into creative living, other than the first year or so of life when I suppose we're all that way, was being with someone who was living creatively. That was inspiring. The experience lit my pilot light, which has at times been neglected but never gone out, and I sometimes turn on and allow the pilot to become a full flame. Doing it helps me do it more often.
Creative living means spontaneity and improvisation. It means having no plan, no predetermined goal or outcome, and instead being in the present, responsive to what is happening within and without moment by moment. It means being out of my head, especially my left brain, and operating out of my guts and right brain. It means mining the buried treasure within and bringing it to the surface. It means being alive. During the moments of living that way, I am light, joyous and creative, and it's wonderful. What initially helped me tap into creative living, other than the first year or so of life when I suppose we're all that way, was being with someone who was living creatively. That was inspiring. The experience lit my pilot light, which has at times been neglected but never gone out, and I sometimes turn on and allow the pilot to become a full flame. Doing it helps me do it more often.