Hello and welcome to episode 11 of Clarity Cloud Podcast I’m artist, Angie Mason your host and I
am happy you are here! So lets start by asking yourself how are you
feeling? Emotionally & physically — are you Foggy? Focused? Sad?
Joyful? Agitated or Peaceful? Whatever your current state of mind and
being are, I believe it directly correlates to how we create, it can
affect the color choices, subject matter and line quality we make and so
on. I also believe our creative expression — the things we build make
and create via our hands eyes voice and mind are ultimately markers of
our humanity / existence. So with our creative expression completely
connected to our health and being how do we create when we are not
feeling 100%? My answer for myself to this is we just do and try... the
amount of creative energy we put out reflects the moment in time we are
in , it reflects what we are going through and that alone is quite
beautiful to see a life force output something that reflects their true
state. For me this connection is a way to truth and finding balance for
myself. It also helps guide me out of any darkness I may find myself in.
So not being 100% is in fact expected as this says I’m human. So here
we are on this journey where we all at some point end. It’s what we do
during that beginning and end point that matters most to us and
hopefully others around us.
In Sickness and in health.
So
let’s explore our relationship we have with our health & creative
life - let’s look at how they affect each other. How can we navigate and
approach our creative path in regard to our health to ensure we stay
the course remaining dedicated to our creative intentions without
letting health obstacles block or cloud our paths? Our health can
certainly shape what it is we do creatively yet it does not have to
define us if we don’t want it to, allowing us to maintain creative
control over our lives. Or it can in fact change us so deeply that our
health reshapes who we are and the creative path we take. Perhaps we
find a new voice speaking out as an advocate or even become a kind of
ambassador to health issues. This can create an amazing community
amongst like minded individuals coping with the same health obstacle or
illness and can allow for a dialogue to take place helping others to
navigate unknown paths. In my mind any of these paths taken are positive
as it allows for discovery of truth and hopefully puts one on a path to
have creativity flourish.
The health factor.
How
does health factor in to our creative lives? The way I see this is our
health is a facet of our creativity because it affects our energy output
and how we can live our creative lives - whether we are at optimal
health or coping with some illness our health can be a challenge even an
obstacle when it comes to our creative lives.
How
it affects us or even guides our creative path or halt progress at
times shapes us in ways often times we never expected or anticipated.
Before practicing being more attune or self aware one can glide easily
through life with out paying mind to our bodies heart and mind. We can
easily exist in a detached distracted state which may be more of a shock
then when we are actually faced with any challenges. It is honestly a
struggle to be super mindful all the time but one can try. Approaching
my health from a pragmatic viewpoint — seeing life as a cycle helps me
in understanding and acceptance of changes we face and to shift
accordingly to nurture and maintain creative growth.
So
navigating life in a more aware state can definitely help ones cause as
we face the challenge of whatever illness or new health obstacle comes
into our lives directly onto us or even our loved ones around us.
How
do we navigate this health landscape of life and ultimately death. How
can we learn to be in tune with our creative lives and respect the
process of being human and experience the full life cycle with a greater
understanding and acceptance of ups and downs. I feel that this tuning
in can be integral to keeping our minds in a peaceful and even joyful
state. It can help alleviate feelings of depression and anger in my
personal experience. Though it is work it’s worth putting the effort
into tuning into our minds and bodies needs for a greater balance
especially during difficult times.
Part
of this for me has been allowing myself the flexibility to shift
creative paths as needed. Also being inspired by the pain or sickness
allowing self expression to flow freely helping communicate and vent can
definitely relieve some suffering I have found. This creative energy
release has a strange healing power almost feeling at times it can
actually reduce suffering by allowing the act of creation to override it
at least for a moment.
In
the end it comes down to acceptance or understanding of our limitations
and having flexibility to navigate new paths within those limitations
in mind but not let them define who we are overall. They are just part
of our story, they’re not the main character.
“Our bodies are our gardens to which
our wills are gardeners.”
– William Shakespeare
Create cleansing rituals.
Self
care an over used term yet probably most of us don’t practice it as
much as we hear the phrase. Now I am not talking about taking a full on
crystal bath type of ritual though I am all for it, if it helps you, I
support all avenues to explore that can help us balance and heal
ourselves. So overall what I mean is to place importance and honor these
times of say simply brushing your teeth or hair or taking a shower.
Those Times we may have not paid much mind to, only thinking
of them as tasks we have to do, forced to since our childhoods can
shift so thoughts can elevate these times to becoming sacred moments
meant only for us, making these moments become special peaceful times
that can help provide relief and balance as well as caring for your
teeth or body overall.
We
are gardening ourselves, pruning, planting and blossoming. Thinking
about Cleansing not only of washing away dirt grime and bacteria you are
making your self fresh, a clean start a blank slate / tabula rasa. I
like to think of the water symbolically washing away bad thoughts and
feelings. These moments of self care can really be elevated to open us
up and be ready to take on the next big idea.
“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~ Pablo Picasso
These
cleansing rituals also extend into my personal space say with sweeping
the floor... I know this mundane activity is often times seen as a
burden but I have shifted my thoughts and actually think of the sweeping
as a meditation that is physically and symbolically pushing all the
negative gunk and crumbs into a pile I can rid myself of. The refreshed
feeling not only feels good on my feet walking on a clean floor but it
actually also clears my mind. This type of thinking can be applied to so
many seemingly annoying boring tasks. Turning them into peaceful
welcome moments for myself.
A
holistic approach to creating and embracing our shortcomings, errors
and failures while caring for ourselves forgiving ourselves and also
caring for our surroundings can change us in an uplifting way. It’s a
new perspective that can shift thought and change patterns or approaches
to work and simply being. Allowing ourselves the space to try judgment
free to make something new like learning to speak a new language opening
up ourselves to making new visual marks and processes. Growth happens
as we free ourselves from self judgement. This can be healing.
“I am happy to be alive as long as I can paint.” ~ Frida Kahlo
Unexpected health crisis...
How
our health guides our creative lives and how we grow with our health or
sickness can play into how we live our creative lives. Unexpected
Health Crisis — they pop up from accidents to serious illnesses they are
difficult and can certainly try your spirit from giving up to getting
depressed. We can all expect to face this because it’s part of the human
experience. How we cope when faced with any of this is up to the
individual.
Personally
speaking I have gone through several of my own health crises, one that
stands out is a time in my early 30s when opportunities were opening up
and then it felt like it all came crashing down when some one broke and
nearly severed my left thumb. I am left handed so this caused me great
strifes how will I be able to paint now? I was unable to fully use my
left hand during a slow healing process.
Faced
with a deep sadness and frustration during the healing process I began
to train myself to use my right hand to write draw and paint with. I
presently can now switch hands to paint or draw if I feel any residual
nerve damage pain pop up or if I simply get tired I can now switch hands
allowing for creation to continue and rest and healing can happen to
the resting hand. This terrible painful accident has actually opened me
up to new ways of
approaching things. It helped shaped my mind in the way I approached
devasting situations coming from a more positive angle this always felt
more productive and helped my healing progress seemingly go much
faster.
While
I certainly could do without having that accident happen I feel like
the way I navigated a dehabilitating situation helped me over come
depression as well as overcome obstacles in creating.
And
in fact gave me greater dexterity in the end of the healing process by
having the ability to use both my left and right hand.
Art is a guarantee of sanity.
-Louise Bourgeois
Acceptance of limitations
Acceptance
is not giving into them... it is learning to grow within a new range of
territory by approaching things differently to try and get the results
one seeks. Shifting perspective and not limiting yourself by having a
narrow scope of who you should be. Allow for growth and change — our
paths are not pretty perfect bump free maps they are busted and bruised
and can often times make you nauseous.
There
are times when the thing we used to create is being blocked by physical
limitations which can definitely be a challenge to move past fighting
off feelings of depression. It’s an extraordinary struggle but once
faced I believe can lead us in new creative directions that can provide
some comfort and relief.
“Art is a wound turned into light.”
–Georges Braque
Discovering new sides
Sometimes
our sickness may impair parts of us that we relied heavily on for our
creative process leaving us feeling short changed... during this time it
may surprise us when we discover alternate sides of our selves, new
creative facets emerge allowing us to expand and grow just when we
thought we had faced a shortcoming. Exploring unknown territories has
quite a forgiving freeing feeling when there are no expectations set on
our selves we can really soar past what even we thought was possible.
For
me the way I see us humans and art making is, it really is an
expression of life and what it is to be human. Our creations either
visual or verbal or otherwise are in my opinion markers of our existence
and humanity. They communicate our experience of simply being alive in
all it’s varied states from: joyful, dark, odd, magical and horrific,
painful, sad and beautiful. All aspects of humanity explored during our
lowest points and highest points and everything in between.
We
shouldn’t hold such high standards for ourselves — meaning we often
times hurt our progress by limiting ourselves with high standards of
what we once were and had accomplished. When we are faced with any
health issue that can limit our abilities we shouldn’t get caught up in
comparing our old selves to our current state that may be some how seen
as lesser. We are simply just growing and shifting and always changing
nothing ever stays the same we should let go and allow for these shifts
to happen with more grace and ease.
Let
the lines get crooked, smear your paint, heck change your medium. LIfe
is changing all the time why get stuck in the same pattern. Why let
yourself get held back with self expectation and self judgement. Go easy
on yourself! SHIFT and SWITCH. And when I say this I am talking to
myself and to you and to who ever hears this and it speaks to them as
well. SHIFT AND SWITCH!
Science backed evidence Art Saves Lives
Our
creative endeavors can be a form of medicine which is now backed by
science. Art is being embraced as a form of therapeutic healing having
real positive measured effects within the brain and body. Art as
medicine! Us artists knew this bit of magic all along now didn’t we!
By using our creative energy as a form of medicine it can infact help us heal in very real ways.From reducing anxiety to making us happier and actually help us live longer fuller lives.If you visit the show site at claritycloud.blogspot.com
I have gathered a bunch of really cool article links included in this
episode show notes post. In short here I will sum it by simply saying
modern medicine is starting to really recognize and encourage creative
arts practice as a form of therapy in reducing anxiety and in some
instances even prescribing it. Making the healing process more
integrated and whole by recognizing the full scope of what it is to be
human. Once again a handful of articles diving deeper into this topic
will be posted over on this episodes show notes on the blog clairtycloud.blogspot.com
Some article links about Health and Art connections...
“A
new study called ‘Positive Affect and Markers of Inflammation: Discrete
Positive Emotions Predict Lower Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines,’
published in the journal Emotion, found that activities that inspire awe
may actually boost the immune system.” ~ Laura C. Mallonee,
“That
awe, wonder and beauty promote healthier levels of cytokines suggests
that the things we do to experience these emotions — a walk in nature,
losing oneself in music, beholding art — has a direct influence upon
health and life expectancy,”
– UC Berkeley psychologist and co-author
Dacher Keltner
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We
flow through this river of life sometimes the waters are still other
times choppy or even almost dried up but always as long as we have life
these waters of life are flowing while we are here. Things shift tides
change we just need to do our best to navigate to go with the flow so to
speak and not let these shifting waters drown us killing our
creativity. Be
gentle and kind to yourself forgive your self allow for exploration and
hibernation while remaining open to possibilities. We are human and
sickness is honestly part of being alive we all have to face something
during our life cycle. Whatever your chosen expression is the way I have
looked at these challenges we may face is to keep at it be committed to
your art and craft — nurture it even if it means taking time for rest
from it to come back stronger into your creative self.
Till next time I’m Angie,
Dream Yourselves Awake.
