How can you use your mind more constructively? And why is it sometimes sabotaging your creative process? Your joy and playfulness?
It's about knowing who is in charge. Very often we let our minds control it all. But in reality, it just needs to be used to back up your own creative power, that is centered in your heart. You must let your heart decide. And this is where we often stumble. Our brains and control mechanisme are so trained to step in, sabotaging our process, making us doubt, making us feel we are not good enough.
In your creative process, the brain should not be allowed to control. Here it can only be used for practical purposes. And to set the framework for the process.
Marie J.Engelsvold. “My heart, my soul” Yarn, photo, wood. 2020.
The most important thing is to allow yourself. You have to take the lead, and tell your mind to let go as long as the creative process is in progress. When you have told the mind what to do, it calms down. Show it that you are in control. It’s you. You are acting from your core. Supported by your heart and feelings. You decide. Only you. You have to be very clear about that. If you want to express yourself from that inner wholeness and excitement. That feeling of aliveness. You can’t play any mindgames. There are no room for fear. You can’t allow any kind of fear.
Marie J.Engelsvold. Sculpture play in local park. 2020
When you listen to your heart and your body you are grounded.
You could also say that when you operate from the heart, you are grounded in yourself and your emotions. You take your own feelings seriously, you take your own inner experiences more seriously than your external world. You believe in yourself.
When I am grounded, I am present with myself. I listen to my body, my heart, my inner child, my higher mind. Not fear, not worry. Not the things that everyone else tells me is the right way. It is only me who knows what makes me present, and at peace. It's about trust. It is about trusting oneself. Then I'm grounded. It has nothing to do with how busy I am with the materialistic world. It has nothing to do with how big an income I have.
It has to do with how willing I am to be my own leader. Be my own guide. To take ownership of my life, and listen to my own needs and what I really need. Taking care of myself. Defend myself. Being whole and honoring all my aspects. That is, dare to change direction.
It's not like standing in the same place all your life, like a rock. I'm not a rock. It is to be open and to dare taking risks. To play with life. Life can be an adventure if you trust it. When we have no confidence, when we worry, we tend not taking risks. We do not go out of our own comfort zone. We remain limited, because the slightest movement from what we are used to is making us afraid.
You must be rooted in your own reality.
It is the only reality you are meant to be in. There is no reality outside of yourself, everything is a mirror of you. Because you can only experience reality through you.
We all have our own unique way of interpreting our reality. We can be in the same place, we can maybe do the same things, meet the same people. But our experiences is completely different, or more accurately, our emotions are different. What we notice is different. Our inner experience is completely different. We may agree that the grass is green, but the emotions around the grass are different. We have different memories when we see grass. When we smell grass.
When I’m not grounded, I tend to live in a limited version of myself. I'm not really in touch with everything I am. With my wholeness. My core. I tend to live only on what I accept in myself. Because of this, I become very vulnerable. I become very unstable. I'm not really comfortable with my own diversity. Sometimes it feels like I'm afraid of myself. Because I don't feel safe, I don't feel like I can trust who I am.
When you're only in the mental, it's a way to keep track of yourself. You control yourself. It's not a nice place to be. Constant concern. Comparison. Self-criticism. Selvsabortage. You are not supportive of yourself because you are not listening to yourself. You do not feel your feelings. You are only focused on the outside world. Of what you should be. Who you should be. You live in a mental picture. The key is to listen to your feelings. Thrust in yourself. Listen to your body, what does your body want? What do you really want? When you honor your feelings, you are grounded.
When I feel at peace, I can feel this grounded feeling in myself. It's like my roots are very stable. At the same time, I am moving. Constant movement. Constant in deep, intimate contact with my emotions, in every moment. It makes me more curious, more spontaneous and more alive. When I am alive, I am very alert and very grounded.
Marie J.Engelsvold. “Heart home” 78 x 44 x 3 cm. Wood, foam, textile, yarn. 2019. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.
It's about finding and keeping your own flow.
I have experienced that you get so much more done if you go with the energy. It may look chaotic at the moment, and for some time. But you expand yourself in ways that are not possible if you limit yourself. Or stick to a fixed defintion, and go into automatic pilot. You can actually get stuck for years this way.
Instead, follow your feelings and sensations, even if you do not know where they are leading you. If you just do things because you have planned it and feel obligated to maintain your intention, you will experience being very heavy. It will be boring, and will drain you, instead of lifting you up.
Why spend your time that way? Why not ask yourself what you want to do instead? Maybe you need a break.? Maybe a walk in the park will make you more inspired. Maybe it's your surroundings? Or you need to talk to someone? Sleep? You may be tired? Maybe the whole project is wrong? Maybe your relationship is draining, and negatively affecting you? Maybe your whole project, or your work, is not what you really dream of?
Marie J.Engelsvold. “New pattern” 15 x 10,5 cm. Yarn, paper cuts, acrylic marker and pencil on paper. 2017. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.
Only you know it. No one but you.
How easy can it be? Why fight and make it tough? If you follow your desire, the place where you feel lifted, go in that direction. If you feel heavy and drawn down by something, or someone, leave it. Go in a different direction, and most importantly, nourish the feeling of excitement and play.
Perform the activities that make you happy. Don't think about the result, just absorb yourself into the activity. What makes you happy and excited? You will attract more happiness into your life the more you allow yourself to go with your energy. Why go against your own energy?
It all depends on your willingness to listen to your heart. To listen to your own truth, your own voice. Because you have to follow your flow, you don't have to follow other people's definition of flow, or your own definition. When you try to make a definition, it is your mental control that tries to settle. It loves recipes, so we can say "Then we do this"
That's what we're up against. Our need to make recipes and then keep repeating the same acts. And why do we need the repetition? because we feel fear.
Marie J.Engelsvold. “Nature nurture” Photo. 2019.
You cannot stop the power, from your deepest desire in your heart. Sometimes we ignore this heavy feeling, we go against our own power, our own life force. Because we get scared to go with the flow. You need to float. But most of us don't like to float, letting go of our beliefs.
We get so scared of this force because it is actually a huge force. So we fight it. But the power of our deepest desires from our hearts cannot be ignored. At some point it will force you down the river. But this is only if you have completely ignored your own inner guidance, your inner voice. Because if you're used to shutting down the energy and putting it in a box, making it into a fixed recipe, you can't feel your flow. You cannot feel your heart. You've shut your heart down.
To follow your flow, you have to be open to all possibilities. It can be hard work to begin with, because we are so used to holding on to energy all the time.
Very often we lie to ourselves, we say, "Oh, I'm so happy about what I'm doing," even if we're not. Or we say, "Of course there are a lot of boring things, but that's life." Frankly speaking? When something is boring, it is actually a sign that we are not in our flow. We are moving against our own flow.
The heart is not interested in settling down.
I am coming to the conclusion that it has something to do with the heart. The heart is not interested in settling down, sticking to one thing being so bored. The heart is not interested in hard work. The heart is not serious. The heart is not interested in being wise and skilled. The heart is only interested in love. To love and be happy. The feeling of being light or heavy comes from the heart. It is a kind of heart language. It is not interested in having status in the community. It is not interested in putting things in boxes and categorizing things. It's only interested in how it feels. And wow! Isn't that so? You can make all the right choices from the outside, but if it doesn't feel right, it doesn't matter.
So listening to your emotions is the key to getting into your flow. Not other people's definition of happiness and success, but your own. So maybe that's why we're having a hard time being in flow? Very often the heart wants something completely different from our ego. It does not accept that you are lying to yourself. It does not accept pride, or status. It is not afraid of other people's opinions.
So if you are someone who has never really fit into a category. If you've done most things just because you wanted to. Could it be you have an open heart?
But it is not easy. Other people may not like your way of life. Why? Because it goes against the norm. You make other people uncomfortable. We have learned to shut our hearts down, not to listen to our feelings. We live in a society that loves hardworking skilled people who are bored to death. Fear is the weapon.
Maybe because of that, we think it is bad to change direction. Being open to all possibilities. To listen to one's own feelings, and follow one's own guidance. To live life the way we want. Be happy and feel alive. To be blown away by energy, excitement and love. Can you tame such people? No. You can't scare free people. You can only be in the flow if you listen to your own feelings and act on what you feel is right.
Marie J.Engelsvold. “Inner knowing” Paper cuts, acrylic marker and pencil on paper. 2019. For purchase. Contact: Marie J.Engelsvold.
You have to follow your emotions without seeing the whole picture. Yes, the emotions can change. Like the wind, like the waves. But it's only on the surface, down in the depths, it's your heart that decides. That's your captain. The ripples on the surface are the captain's messages. The messages from the heart that you can follow. You have to follow your emotions without seeing the whole picture. the direction appears to you little by little.
You might think it has nothing to do with creativity or being an artist. But if you're not free, you can't really create. That's my experience.
Use your mental skills to support your heart and flow.
In our society, it is often our brains and mental abilities that get overstimulated. We are generally very good at planning and structuring. But whay about playtime and the deeper meaning ? What about feeling alive? If we have to express ourselves. Our whole self. We have to be in balance between the heart and the brain. So we must spend extra time and attention on the ability that is under-stimulated, which is typically our ability to play, and follow our heart.
When you are in the creative process it is an interaction where you use your two abilities alternately. It happens completely automatically, but often the brain begins to interfere in the process and begins to sabotage, control and judge. Instead, use what your mental abilities in a constructive way. You need its ability to control and discipline, to support your own creative power. To define the space in which you can create. So you decide that now you want to play. You set the time and the framework, which of course must be allowed to be changed along the way.
But in the beginning you will feel most comfortable with having the framework of the process decided. For you are probably very good at following rules. So here you make your own rules, which you then follow.
Marie J.Engelsvold. “Green portal” in the making. 2019.
Make a plan around the process.
It is a good idea to start with a plan around your process. For example, start by setting a stopwatch for 20 minutes. In the 20 minutes you do exactly what you want. Your brain sets the frame, but in the process itself, it must not interfere. If your thoughts go in and analyze, evaluate or judge, you must shut it down. Show you are in charge. If it is very provocative, then start with 10 minutes, next time 20 minutes. Practice how long you can stay in the process. How long can you be present in the flow?
But how do we create and maintain the flow?
And how do we shut down the comments, sabotage, and self-criticism of our minds? Very often, our minds /reason thinks it knows best. It will come with rules, and opinions and comparisons.
We have learned a lot of things about being creative and there are a lot of rules. But being creative is actually about breaking rules. To shift out of the black and white mindset, the notion of something being right and wrong. We have to empty ourselves of all that we have learned, to start from scratch. To create without judging. To be able to step into the present.
To make contact with the deeper layers of ourselves that scream to be expressed. Create a space around you where everything is allowed, and measure your success on how free you felt.
Remember to be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to play. Be curious about the process. When the time is out, you can go back being mental. Look at what you have done.
It doesn't have to be a long process and be careful not to get into self-criticism and start judging your work. Unfortunately, this is often what happens when we are coming from the mind , we are sabortaging ourselves. The brain generally wants a result reasonably quickly. It becomes uncertain in a long process, and does not understand the meaning of surrendering and letting go of control.
Try to pay attention when you are self-sabortaging. What can you do when that happens? Breathe all the way down to your stomach 3 times. Tell yourself and your brain that it's okay to be insecure. Accept the feelings that come up. Tell yourself that you are in a creative process, and it is normal to get scared. Tell yourself that you are in control.
Marie J.Engelsvold. “green portal ll” 84 x 54 cm. Pencil, textile, foam, paper cuts and acrylic marker on paper. 2019.
Once you have reassured yourself, you go on to make your decision on how to move forward. Sometimes you have more ideas on how to proceed, and may have difficulty choosing. Write down all your suggestions on a piece of paper and select one of them. You may want to use the other suggestions later or in another process.
Primarily if you have any doubts, use your instinct. The most important thing, is to get past the doubt. When your mind is going in circles, then act. For everything you need happens in the process, you can't figure it out in advance. So embrace the process and don't be afraid because you have no control about the outcome. Trust your knowing in your heart. Trust your feelings and you will be safe.
If you want some more tips on how to silent your mind, and your inner critic read this previous blogpost:
What to do when you are stucked in the creative process??
I’am sharing this information to you freely, from my own experiences. Hope you can use it in your own process. Any donation, is deeply appreciated. :-)
-
Turtorials and tips
- May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
- Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
- Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
- Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
- Feb 13, 2018 How do you work with composition? Feb 13, 2018
- Jan 8, 2018 Make a kickstart. Jan 8, 2018
- Nov 20, 2017 Go bigger. Nov 20, 2017
- Nov 8, 2017 What is your drawings all about? Nov 8, 2017
- Oct 31, 2017 Wait!! Before you throw that drawing in the bin!!!!! Oct 31, 2017
- Oct 12, 2017 Find inspiration everywhere. Oct 12, 2017
- Oct 12, 2017 Experiment with shapes and lines. Oct 12, 2017
- Oct 12, 2017 Want to find your own visual language ? Oct 12, 2017
-
psycological aspects
- May 26, 2020 Holding your flow. May 26, 2020
- May 6, 2020 The world is yours. May 6, 2020
- Apr 22, 2020 Let your heart decide. Apr 22, 2020
- Apr 18, 2020 Create from your self. Apr 18, 2020
- Apr 4, 2020 Expand your own signature. Apr 4, 2020
- Oct 9, 2019 How to shift out of the 3d perspective. Oct 9, 2019
- Sep 20, 2019 What is it, to be grounded? Sep 20, 2019
- Sep 10, 2019 How to follow your own flow. Sep 10, 2019
- Jul 28, 2019 Releasing your resistance to the moment. Jul 28, 2019
- Jul 15, 2019 Don't wait for life to be perfect, let go of control. Jul 15, 2019
- Jun 1, 2019 How to raise your vibration, through the creative process. Jun 1, 2019
- Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
- Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
- Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
- Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019
- Jan 2, 2019 Let yourself shine in 2019 :-) Jan 2, 2019
- Nov 22, 2018 Look at your obstacles as adventures. Nov 22, 2018
- Feb 2, 2018 How to stay in the process? Feb 2, 2018
- Dec 20, 2017 Slow down Dec 20, 2017
- Dec 12, 2017 There is no "right" way. Dec 12, 2017
- Dec 5, 2017 Why it's important to unlearn. Dec 5, 2017
- Oct 12, 2017 Let your feelings be your guide. Oct 12, 2017
- Sep 5, 2017 Don't be afraid of change:-) Sep 5, 2017
- Sep 5, 2017 Express your feelings Sep 5, 2017
- Sep 5, 2017 Can drawing be a kind of meditation? Sep 5, 2017
-
turtorials
- Apr 6, 2019 How to start your drawing praxis. Apr 6, 2019
-
video
- May 15, 2019 How to take your drawings, to the next level. May 15, 2019
- Apr 30, 2019 Be bold, let your light out. Apr 30, 2019
- Apr 1, 2019 How embracing all parts of you, will help you in your art making. Apr 1, 2019
- Mar 8, 2019 What to do when you are stucked in the creative process?? Mar 8, 2019
- Feb 20, 2019 Don’t resist the moment. Live your dream. Feb 20, 2019
- Feb 10, 2019 Why are we so hard on ourselves? Feb 10, 2019
- Feb 1, 2019 It's okay to say NO. Feb 1, 2019