Welcome to Week 4!
Let’s recap last week!
Wonder is all around us. When we allow ourselves to experience wonder, we naturally experience abundance. It strengthens our “wonder” and “play” muscles, and opens our lives to greater moments of surprise. When we realize how marvelous, powerful, and connected our creativity is, we are thus opened and connected to the world at large. It is about the largeness- the largeness of your life, the largeness in service of your own healing, largeness in service of global healing.
“Lord our God, hear my prayer, the prayer of my heart. Bless the largeness inside me, no matter how I fear it. Bless my reed pens and my inks. Bless the words I write. May they be beautiful in your sight. May they be visible to eyes not yet born. When I am dust, sing these words over my bones: she was a voice.” Sue Monk Kidd, The Book of Longings
When we see the importance of our own creative practice, we begin to believe in the greatness of our lives.
This week, we will be focusing on growing pains and the strangeness (and beauty!) of growth. All living creatures and beings experience growth in some form, and it is undoubtedly a surreal process. There can be pain, stagnation, exposure, and vulnerability.
Have you ever watched a tomato plant grow? As its fruits bear weight, the limb may sag, and even seem as if it may split or break. To the average eye, one may see this and think “Oh no, this poor thing is dying! Its limb is completely bent!” However, if you return a few days later, you may notice the limb has scabbed over and now is thicker and capable of bearing the weight that it couldn’t previously.
How can we embrace our internal and external growing pains as we move towards our fruit? How can we hold space for growth and allow our own expansion?
This week we will be focusing on two ideas:
We must create systems of support.
We must allow ourselves to trust.
Week 4- Unit 1
Hello dear friend! How are you feeling this week? How was your week off? Delightful? I hope so!
As we jump into this week’s lesson, I want you to think back to a time that felt tempestuous or chaotic. What did you feel? Where did you feel it in your body? Did you survive (clearly, or you wouldn’t be there today!)? What systems of support helped you get through your journey?
Like all gardens, growth may be uneven. Not every area of your life, nor every plant in a garden, grows at the same rate. Different plants need to be tended to in different ways, and as will we tend to our creative selves in a way that works for you, not against you.
I don’t know about you, but I hate the word ROUTINE. It feels so…militant. When I think of my most creative self, I think of a life that is fluid, full of wonder, and surrounded by joy. When I think “creative routine”, I immediately think “oxymoron”. How can one have a routine and be a creative?
That being said, I would argue that when we create a “safety net” (let’s get away from the word routine for now!), we give ourselves the security and safety to play more and expand larger. Would you ever try playing on trapeze? With a net…maybe! Without one? Heck no! The same can be said for your own creativity. If we feel we have the systems in place that support us and work FOR us, we are more likely to take the risks needed in order to expand beyond our current confines.
However, we have been raised in a world where routine/systems are synonymous with toxic capitalism and productivity. What would our lives look like if we were able to decide what kind of a routine worked best for our bodies, our minds and our hearts? How can we redefine support on our terms?
What would moving your body look like if we divorced it from weight loss culture? What would meditation look like if it was no longer in service of “being more productive”?
As we continue our journeys towards creativity, we must ensure that our lives and “safety nets” are in support of our creative endeavors as well! If we do not create some sort of support system (think of these supports like a tomato cage- wide enough for open movement, but supportive!), creativity and playful freedom is simply not sustainable.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
Write down everything you LOVE and HATE about the following items…what is working for you? What do you feel works against you?
Body Movement
Nutrition
Sleep Hygiene
Self Care
Schedule
Spirituality
Mental Health Care
Now, finish the following sentences….
It would feel freeing if I was allowed to do _________ when I moved my body.
A playful schedule would look like______________.
I think I can be more creative with my self care by__________.
Nutrition would be more fun if I_________.
Sleeping is in service of my creativity by___________.
When I take care of my mental health, my creativity thrives because__________.
For me, a playful approach to spirituality would look like_____________.
Great job! Now let’s dive a little deeper!!! For each of the following items, list what they would look like for you, and how they might support the “seed” (ie, your larger goal) that you planted last week.
For me, playful body movement would be_______.
…and it will support my larger goal of _______ by_______.
For me, playful nutrition would be_______.
…and it will support my larger goal of _______ by_______.
For me, playful “Sleep Hygiene” would be_______.
…and it will support my larger goal of _______ by_______.
For me, playful self care would be_______.
…and it will support my larger goal of _______ by_______.
For me, a playful schedule would be_______.
…and it will support my larger goal of _______ by_______.
For me, playful spirituality would be_______.
…and it will support my larger goal of _______ by_______.
For me, playful mental health care would be_______.
…and it will support my larger goal of _______ by_______.
CHECK IN
Let’s check in on both your play practice AND your seed/ie larger goal!
Consider answering the following questions for yourself…
I planted my “seed” last week by_______.
I can be held accountable for caring for my seed by_______.
List the various play practices you have engaged in recently. Which ones resonated with you the most? Which were the most FUN/JOYFUL/JUICY/ENGAGING?
How can your play practice support your seed/larger goal?
Week 4- Unit 2
One of the most challenging obstacles we can encounter in our creative journey is our own sense of TRUST. Do we trust ourselves? Do we trust ourselves to lean into exploration? Do we trust ourselves to complete a project? Can we lean into trust?
Let’s return to the metaphor of gardening. You can cleared your land, built a bed, created fertilizer, added compost, and planted your seed. Yes, you will water the seed, tend to it, and watch for growth…but before you can witness a sprout you must trust that there is movement happening beneath the surface. If you do not trust, and suddenly dig up the soil to check, you will disturb the process.
The same must be done for our own lives. We must learn to trust ourselves, knowing that our growth is happening right beneath the surface. We will engage in in our creative routines as outlined above, knowing this will support and nurture our sprouts as they emerge. We will continue to look to our lives for compost, discarding that which no longer serves us. We will take notice of our creative lives and nourish ourselves through careful attention to “fertilizer”. But, most importantly, we need to trust that all of the work we are doing above the soil is nurturing us from within, even if we cannot see the growth right away.
Dear one, do not dig up the soil of your life just because you cannot see the roots below. Allow the growth to occur and trust in your own actions. Trust in play. Trust in nourishment. Trust in yourself.
HW
Today we will be creating a “Trust Bank”. This can be anything…an actual piggy bank, an instagram account, a journal…anything that you can use for reflection. The premise is simple: every time you take an action towards your own growth (you engage in play practice, when you take a step towards your creative routine, when you work towards your larger goal, etc) document it. Write it down, put it in the piggy bank. Take a photo and post it. Write it in your journal. It doesn’t matter how you document it, but make sure you can look back on it later. When you are feeling like you might “dig up the soil” (ie, engage in self-sabotaging behaviors, stray from your project, etc) reflect on your bank- read the list, look at the photos, etc. This will help you see the larger picture, and all of the times you followed through, nourished yourself, or prioritized your creativity.
Week 4- LIVE CLASS
I cannot wait to see you today! For today’s class, we will be discussing your play practice and your “seed”. Please come prepared to class to discuss both!
See you soon!