Creativity needs to start in the heart
Because your heart is connected to your higher consciousness, as well as your mind and body, it is the perfect guide to your optimal creativity. It is your heart that tells you when something “feels” right.
You have an Emotional Energy System
The most honest part of your body is your heart. Your heart will never lie to you — if you learn how to listen to it.
• Your heart will tell you what to create.
• Your heart will help you go in the best direction.
• Your heart is your portal to your Inner-Self, connected to Source
• Your heart is much, much smarter than your brain.
• Your heart will never turn you in the wrong direction the way the ego will.
• Your heart is a powerful energy center.
• Your heart has a brain.
The Heart-Brain
Researchers with the HeartMath Institute and other entities have shown that the human heart, in addition to its other functions, actually possesses the equivalent of its own brain, what they call the heart brain, which interacts and communicates with the head brain.
Learn a tremendous amount at: https://www.heartmath.org/tag/heart-brain/
I’ve been finding more and more about the heart-brain, as science reveals more to us. But even without science, isn’t it easy to realize how powerful our hearts are?
The 4th Chakra and an Open Heart
The heart chakra is the balance point between the lower 3, physical body chakras, and the upper 3 chakras. It is a bridge, a connection, a communicator.
An open heart always communicates with oneself and others with compassion in the present moment. If you find yourself being negatively judgmental in any way you have just closed your heart — that’s the ego talking.
I am being very careful to specify “negative judgement” because when you are creating anything you need to make decisions to keep moving forward in the creation process. Making decisions requires you to analyze, have discernment, use your perceptions, etc.; in other words, make judgements as to what and how you will create. This is positive not negative. Negative doesn’t feel good — feel being the important word — your heart will tell you.
Practice profound self-love to open your heart-portal, connect with your own inner wisdom, and be in alignment with your creativity.
Your heart will help you create
Emotions are more powerful than the mind. When your emotions are down you cannot create no matter how hard you try. You might be able to produce out of habit, but you won’t feel inspired. It is imperative to find ways to elevate your attitude to get back into the creative mode.
High creativity words include:
love, freedom, empowerment, enthusiasm, joy, gratitude, inspiration, bliss, engagement, serenity, curiosity, optimism. These are emotions that create positive energy in your heart-center.
To learn more about the Artist’s Scale of Emotions and The Creativity Line please see Creative Emotions on my website.
But what about artists who are angry or depressed?
When I was in those states I didn’t create anything. I couldn’t create anything. These were the times when I stared at the blank canvas or paper unable to make a single mark. Consumed with fear I was paralyzed and miserable. It took me years, lots of therapies, and sporadic periods of creativity to develop the artistic part of me. Later on I realized that art could have helped me through the process.
Using art to help a friend
Distraught from a broken relationship a friend came to the studio to be in a loving space. She didn’t want to draw or paint, but I gave her paper and paint and suggested she simply express her emotions with the brush any way she’d like. Red and black were the only colors used, which she stirred on page after page, a muddy, grim mess, spattered with tears, which served as a catharsis, an emotional purge, something physical she could then tear up and throw away.
And art supplies can serve that way.
Anger is often violent. Depression usually paralyzes. All of the negative emotions separate us from our creativity. Can work be created in those states? Perhaps so; but of what quality are they? Or can they reflect the best of the one making those marks?
Art can be created about states of negative emotion and be quite powerful, but not until the artist has returned to her native passion, transcended the negativity, and is reflective of what she felt before.
When Picasso painted Guernica he wanted to depict the horrors of war in such a way that people would really feel it, would understand how futile and devastating it was in all ways. He hated the war, and was angry, yet I believe he transcended the anger when he painted this masterpiece and was actually in a state of enthusiasm and flow. Creative geniuses can ride the waves of emotion like this.
I also know that if you push yourself to do something creative you can raise your energy to a higher level. The act of creation stimulates higher vibratory energy.
I would love to know your stories of creating while feeling negative emotion, if you have any. Connect with me privately here.
A color meditation
The colors of green, turquoise, and light blue represent the heart and throat chakras in your energy system.
A useful meditation is seeing these colors, in your mind’s eye, growing and glowing brighter and brighter in intensity of color within the part of your body they emanate and radiate out from.
• Green — The heart chakra is in the chest. It is the center of love and compassion in your total being.
• Turquoise — Sometimes referred to as the High-Heart. I’ve included this color because when the color green of the heart and the color blue of the throat are connected there is a blending of the energies resulting in loving communication, both towards yourself and others.
• Sky Blue, Robin’s-egg Blue — the neck and throat. The throat chakra is the chakra of communication. The power of this chakra is omni directional: it receives information inward and sends information outward.
These energy balls of light can be quite large, and extend outside your body. So don’t feel that you have to limit the size of them.
If you have a hard time visualizing color, think about and remember colored lights you have seen, such as Christmas bulbs, prism, or other colored light. You could also bring up a solid color on your computer or smart device and simply meditate on that. Allow your creativity to come up with a good way to visualize colors and see those bright colors inside your body. There are also colored lens glasses that would help you see colored light.
If you can only “see” muddy colors that’s a good indication you really need to do this meditation, and may need to see a doctor to find out if there is something going on in that area of your body. This meditation can help to heal those areas, too.
Nurture your Emotional Energy System so it can help you be more creative
Your Emotional Energy System is always available to you to help you make decisions for your highest good and finest creativity. You need only to center yourself in the heart and ask, and then notice what you feel inside:
• Do you feel good, joyful, positive? The answer is yes.
• Do you feel anything less than good? The answer is maybe or no.
• Keep refining your questions until you feel good.
The way I use this when painting is to give myself quiet times before, during and after a painting session to bring all my attention on the work in progress. I use my 15 Step Process and more to stay aligned with my intentions. This is a kind of active, self-guided meditation, where my eyes are open and softly observing the painting, so that I can make the next group of decisions with greater ease. I am always feeling for the yeses.
Artist Tip:
Instead of being negatively critical of your creations, strive for neutral observation. Start with appreciation for what you are or have created. Verbalize or list all the good stuff, and build up your feelings of gratitude. Do this first and then look for the things you’d like to do differently next time — no rights or wrongs, just different choices, simply that.
Would like some help feeling good about your art?
I do Compassionate Critique for artists who desire guidance on how to improve their paintings. I offer this because painting is such an individual creative process it is impossible to generalize. I am offering a free half-hour session to talk about your art and art goals. Find out more HERE.
Wishing you joyful creativity
Kim Victoria
P.S.
This is Part 3 of my series on Energy Creates Art which Creates Energy
Artists use all four energy systems to create their art, whether they realize it or not. But when they ARE aware of these energy systems they are better able to control or direct their energies in ways that help them create.
In addition, artists who are aware of the four energy systems their art projects are better able to make decisions in the content of their art.
I’m writing about all these energy systems and what creatives can do to develop mindfulness and positive action for their own energy.
Read more here in Medium or on my Blog
Part 1: Dead People Don’t Create, Introduction to the concept
Part 2: You Are A Creative Animal, The Artist as a Physical Energy System
Part 4: You Have A Creative Brain, The Artist as a Mental Energy System
