Sunday, April 21, 2019

EPISODE 11: In Sickness & In Health





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.

No comments:

Post a Comment