PART TWO
I’d like to start this article with a quote from Joseph Zinker, Psychotherapist: Creativity is a celebration of life... I am here! I love life! I love me! I can be anything! I can do anything!
You are not alone if you are one of the many in our society who say “I’m not creative”. Actually, we are born creative but our sense of our own creativity can be knocked in our early childhood if for example we are not encouraged and validated in our efforts to paint or draw, write an essay or make an apple tart.
The seeds of much of our creativity come from our unconscious, our emotions, our instinct, which is like a deep well, but many of us put a lid on that well We can take the lid off the well. Art in its many forms is an important expression of who we are. Expressing ourselves creatively can be deeply healing. I hope this article will entice you to try out new ways of expressing yourself.
We are all capable of being creative, and there are many ways of being so – singing, dancing and moving our bodies, painting and drawing, making music, beadwork and jewellery making, crafts in all its forms, pottery, knitting, crochet and sewing, carpentry and metal work, collage making, poetry or short story writing, cooking, gardening ......... I could go on.
When we are in the process of creating something we move deeper into ourselves as we concentrate on what we are doing, and move away from worries and fears which can besiege our minds.
Joseph Zinker also says: “In the process of making anything, a person moves beyond personal expression to make something that stands by itself. The work acquires its own internal validity, its own integrity.” Every day we are involved in making and creating, although often we are not aware of what we are doing.
Sometimes, if it is something we do day in and day out (like cooking) it can feel like a drudge. At other times it can feel wonderful to be making good food to nourish and sustain ourselves and our family.
Sowing and growing vegetables in the garden can give enormous satisfaction as we watch them mature and eventually pick them and eat the fruits of our labour.
Nothing can compare with the taste and goodness of freshly picked produce that has travelled, not air miles, but feet to get to the kitchen. How good does that feel? What a pleasure to see a candle lighting in the candle stick we made ourselves, or a row of books on our self crafted shelves, our picture on the wall or a bunch of flowers in our own thrown pottery vase.
How about teaching the grandchildren to knit, to turn the heel of a sock (I never did manage to master that, but I love knitting and experience a great sense of continuity as I can remember both my mother and grandmother knitting. Creativity does not always have to be about making, it can be about expressing ourselves creatively too!
The creative energy is a doorway into spirituality. It brings us into a place of timelessness, where we lose our self consciousness. Like dancing, where we move into our bodies, our physical selves, and go through familiar steps or free movement practices like the 5 Rhythms.
In this practice, we can connect with the healing power of dance and become more connected to our bodies, to move them in ways that feel right for us and not be struggling to find the “right” way. We dance for fun, for joy, to keep fit, to feel rooted and steady in life. We can dance anywhere – in the kitchen on our own if we like, or with a group. Dancing can help us to rejuvenate and relax. Singing can be a most uplifting experience, again whether we sing in a group or on our own doesn’t matter letting our voices ring out feels very powerful.
So, how will you be creative this month? In what new way will you express yourself? Go for it!
Evelyn Burke, MIACP, Counsellor / Psychotherapist practising in Naas
www.naascounselling.ie