Creativity, It's just plain good for ya!

I'm really excited to be hosting a painting/creativity retreat in Dingle, Ireland, a place I consider to be my second home. I can't wait to get there, to see old friends and to just be in the magic, creative space that is Dingle. The wildness of the sea, the freshness of the air and the sacredness of the spiritual place where the retreat is being held is so enchanting and inspiring that I can't wait to get there and share it with the participants of the retreat.

The feeling of wanting to share this experience is not limited to just the participants of the retreat. I realize my excitement is to share what it feels like to tap into our creative self. Not to share my experience, but to open people up to discovering their own aliveness when they tap into their creativity, their dreams and their desires. It is what coaching is all about and it is what I LOVE to witness and support not only in my clients, but in everyone I come in contact with.

Diving into ones creativity allows us to explore, play and uncover the truth about ourselves. It shines the light on things we may be afraid of, it allows us to experience all the feelings we have; those that we are running from as well as those we reveal in. It allows us a clearing, a spaciousness that then shows us new perspectives, new opportunities, new strength to move closer to our true self. AND, there are scientific health benefits to tapping into our creativity as well.

In an article posted on "Bottom Line Secrets" entitled "The Artist Way to Heart Health" (attached below) Dr. Harlan M. Krumholz, MD and professor of medicine and epidemiology and public health at Yale University School of Medicine discusses the physical benefits of creativity in reducing stress. Dr. Krumholz said. "If stress is bad for you, then creative pursuits are the opposite -- creative pursuits allow people to find their 'flow state,' a mental state in which they are so fully involved in an activity that they become unaware of passing time."
This "flow state" is bliss, it is unencumbered with the stressful thoughts our mind so loves to create and immerse itself(and us)in.

So join me in my excitement to dive into our creativeness. The truth is WE ARE ALL CREATIVE. It's just a matter of diving in, getting curious and getting in the "flow state."

Go for it! It's exciting.





THE ARTIST'S WAY TO HEART HEALTH

Remember when, as a child, you happily drew and painted pictures and made clay animals? Remember the pure delight in picking out a tune on the piano, dancing without caring what others thought and writing stories and poems? Few of us continue those creative pursuits into adulthood... but perhaps we should. Medical experts now are studying how artistic expression can improve heart health -- in fact, it can be prescribed right along with exercise, healthy diet and medicines for patients with cardiovascular disease or at risk for it. Can you picture it -- instead of a prescription for statins or a hypertension drug, your doctor sends you home with instructions to make a collage?

I love this natural, drug-free idea... and I was especially intrigued when I saw the name of cardiologist Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, associated with it. Dr. Krumholz is a professor of medicine and epidemiology and public health at Yale University School of Medicine and an expert I often call for his take on important developments in cardiology. He also is on the board of directors of the Foundation for Art & Healing, which explores the connection between creative expression and healing. Dr. Krumholz told me that there’s good, hard science supporting this premise: "Studies have demonstrated that acute or chronic stress can increase the risk for cardiovascular disease," he said, offering plenty of examples how that’s so. "We know, for example, that the acute emotional distress of broken heart syndrome can damage the heart, stress from events like earthquakes can cause a spike in the number of heart attacks and, similarly, the trauma of serious illness can shock your system, as it makes you aware of your vulnerability and mortality."

ART & YOUR HEART: HAPPY TOGETHER

Art can be a way to reduce such stress, Dr. Krumholz said. "If stress is bad for you, then creative pursuits are the opposite -- creative pursuits allow people to find their 'flow state,' a mental state in which they are so fully involved in an activity that they become unaware of passing time." Stress and flow are mutually exclusive, he noted -- spending time unstressed, with the benefits of lower blood pressure, lower heart rate and deeper respiration improves immune function, reduces anxiety and worry and can result in reduced risk for heart disease.

"The mind-body connection is fascinating, and heart disease, in particular, has a special connection with the mind," Dr. Krumholz said. "We’re too often leaping to the next drug. It’s valuable to explore how lifestyle strategies such as engaging in creative arts may favorably influence risk."

WHAT SCIENTISTS KNOW

A considerable body of evidence supports these ideas. We already know...
Art helps you to process feelings about experiences that are too difficult to put into words, and it also can be a refuge from the intense emotion associated with illness. In a study of women with cancer, researchers found that working with textiles and making cards, collages, pottery, watercolors or acrylics helped relieve participants of their preoccupation with illness while also enhancing their self-worth. Their artistic endeavors provided opportunities for achievement... gave them a social identity that was not defined by their cancer... and allowed them to express feelings that might otherwise be too upsetting to face.
Dance and creative movement bring mind/body benefits. Music has the power to change how you feel, as we all have experienced... and avid athletes know that endorphins (brain chemicals created during exercise) improve mood. Combining these two can be a way to express your emotions while also realizing the health benefits of music and exercise.
Writing about traumatic experiences produces significant improvements in mood and health. Dozens of studies have shown that "emotional writing" (also called expressive writing) can reduce frequency of doctor visits, improve immune function, reduce levels of stress hormones and blood pressure, and lift a depressed mood. (See Daily Health News, August 16, 2007, for more on this.) You can try journaling, poetry or just jotting down your thoughts, and you don’t need to worry about editing yourself -- it’s the process of being creative and expressive that’s so valuable.
EXPRESS YOURSELF!

You can start applying this premise to your life now. As Dr. Krumholz points out, there’s no limit to the ways you can engage in art in your life. "Find a pursuit that fits your interests, and don’t worry about how others judge your performance," he urges. "Everyone has an inner life, ideas, and a capacity to be artistic in some way." Just as with the children who draw, paint and sing simply because they like doing it, this is all about the process, not the product. Your art doesn’t have to be "good" to be good for you. Free the artist within.. and see what a difference it can make!

Source(s):

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, professor of medicine and epidemiology and public health (cardiology), section of cardiovascular medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

Peace in a Best Buy parking lot.

Last week I had one of "those" weeks where things seem to be a bit wonky and then BLAMM-O, my cell phone died and I lost all my contacts....truly a moment of questioning how great cell phones are. So I started out my Friday morning with how I was going to deal with getting the phone situation dealt with before my painting class at 10:30. I was supposed to take my car into the shop but that got superseded by the phone however, I couldn't cancel my appointment because I didn't have the mechanics number....remember, ALL my contacts had vanished. In a moment of clarity, I realized I have Skype so I was able to access the mechanics number and skype them to cancel, WHEW! One task down.....

Then onto to Radio Shack, they open at 9:30 so the timing was perfect. I would get a battery for the phone, plug it in, charge it up, get my contacts back and all would be good.....WRONG. Radio Shack doesn't carry the battery for the phone I have. Now, as time is ticking away, I decide to hightail it to Best Buy and see if they have a battery. I arrive Best Buy in good time, only to have them still be closed; they open at 10:oo and it's 9:53. I have a moment of thinking I can do one more errand and then get back to Best Buy, run into the store, get the battery and get to my painting class all by 10:30 and all of a sudden a voice from somewhere inside yelled out "STOP!" Just STOP! You have 7mins before this store opens. Sit in the car and relax. SLOW down, breath and settle down. It's all going to be fine." So, I listen, I shut off the car and I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths in hopes of calming my brain down.

When I opened my eyes and looked out into the parking lot the most amazing image appeared.
3 small Asian women were doing this beautiful, peaceful, slow moving dance routine. They were mirroring each others moves and at times they looked like elegant cranes moving gracefully across the marsh and other times they looked like little girls playing and mocking each others moves. They were moving so succinctly, so peacefully and so present in their movements that it was mesmerizing to the observer. People who were waiting at the doors of Best Buy to open were all watching them, some would just glance and then turn away, others were as mesmerized by them as I was, completely enchanted by their freedom to dance, and practice something they enjoyed , the peaceful smiles on their faces reflected that. At one point I had to blink my eyes in order to make sure I wasn't imagining this lovely image.

After a few minutes (7 to be exact) people started going into the store, the store was now open for business. As I got out of the car I felt so calm and peaceful. I approached the women who were finishing up their routine and I thanked them for making waiting for Best Buy to open one of the most enjoyable experiences of my week. They giggled, not understanding my gratitude for only one understood English.

7 mins of pure peace and bliss. 7 mins to slow down and be given a gift from some random strangers who were honoring their time as they waited for Best Buy to open. It was lovely and felt like such a sweet gift to have been given. Such a nice pause in a crazy-making morning.
Best Buy didn't have the battery either but my brain could handle that information better and I proceeded to plan B (buying a new phone) and then heading to my painting class, which I made in time, with a much calmer, grounded perspective, after watching the dancing women in the Best Buy parking lot.

I just completed an Art from the Heart painting workshop this past weekend and I am still reeling from it. What strikes me, what really touches me, is how each participant showed up; curious, willing to explore, open and eager to dive in albeit unsure and a bit anxious. The mere courage to show up on a Sat morning and commit to a full day of totally submerging themselves into a creative process just proves how committed to themselves they are, and THAT takes courage. It's not easy to really stop and listen to the voice that is longing for us to slow down, dive into the unknown and trust that it's all good. It is such an honor to witness that commitment and to offer a space for that voice to be heard and encouraged to get louder, bigger, stronger.

It inspires me to support and encourage each participant in their own, unique, creative journey. I am always intrigued by their process and curious about what is possible. For me it's like watching kids on a nature trail; one moment they are smelling a new flower or checking out a beetle that is crossing their path, the next moment they are frightened by a new sound or something that looks daunting and the next moment they are running freely towards a big tree they hope to climb. It's all so magical and freeing and empowering. Each little breakthrough is actually a deepening into a spaciousness that allows for more possibilities, more opportunities, more hope and joy and all things good.....I am so truly honored to be able to witness it, it's a real Win Win for everyone.

I am SO excited for the next time I get to witness the kids on the nature trail.....And I'm even more excited to be offering an Art from the Heart retreat in Dingle, Ireland the weekend of Oct 22-24. If you are interested, please see the flyer on the Art from the Heart blog page and contact me if you have any questions.

Clearing the path with a paintbrush rather than a machete

MOO…My Own Observation 4/2/10

As a life coach I support people as they pursue their dreams and create a life they are fulfilled in living. I witness their process of laboring a dream or idea and courageously throwing themselves into transition; a place of fear, excitement, inspiration and doubt. This place of unknown is where magic happens, as long as we are open to it, and THERE lays the key.

It dawned on me that I am smack dab in the middle of such a place and depending on my mood, the weather or how loud my inner critic is on any given day, I may be more open to the magic- or not. And then it dawned on me that perhaps writing about this experience will allow more openness, more curiosity about what is possible, and who knows, MAYBE someone will read it and find it helpful or if nothing else, humorous…

2 ½ years I moved to a small town on the West Coast of Ireland. This was a life long dream that I was able to manifest thanks to several opportunities lining up and me jumping (more like launching myself) into the unknown. People say that I was “So Courageous” and I suppose I was, but really, I was propelled to do it. Something deep inside me kept driving me to take the next step, KNOWING that this was the time really- go for it. I had NO idea where I would live or what I would do, I just KNEW that It would all be fine. I had more than my share of hurdles just before I left and even so, this deep place inside kept saying “It’s all going to be fine, it already is.”

Today I find myself in the same place of the unknown and yet all the familiar feelings of uncertainty, curiosity, fear and the deep seeded “Knowing” “that It’s all going to be fine” are showing up. Like one big Welcome Home party… You see, I moved back to the Bay Area 4 months ago having no real idea of where I was going to live, or what I was going to do (no, you didn’t read the same paragraph over) and yet trusting this place of knowing has enabled me to pursue opportunities with curiosity and openness like I had when I moved to Ireland. It is this deeper, inner, knowing that I believe we all share and when we tap into it and listen to it it will put us on the path we are meant to be on, or true life’s purpose. It’s easy to ignore this place, we are living in uncertain times and are bombarded with news of doom and gloom so it’s easy to say things are tough, “it’s too hard”, “I can’t”….but all that chatter comes from a closed, scared mind that buys into the story in order to keep us right were we are. It is not the place of the soul that KNOWS “It’s all going to be fine” and then curiously takes a step forward.

I see and hear lots of people who feel stuck in the “mind story” and yet when their inner wisdom is aloud to be heard they become lighter, inspired and open to possibilities and a new path. I liken it to clearing a path with the light strokes of a paint brush as opposed to hacking away at it with a machete. When I apply this idea to my scared, frustrated moments, it’s amazing what shows up…for instance, my computer crashed, I was sick and stressed out about what the hell was I doing with my life?! My mind was in a tailspin about money, getting ripped off by some computer person who KNOWS I don’t know anything about computers, blah, blah blah. I had to find a place to fix my computer but since I am new to the neighborhood I had NO IDEA where to start. SO, I decided to adopt my phrase and “sweep with the paintbrush instead of a chainsaw” and I drove around the neighborhood only to find a parking space INFRONT of a computer shop AND, when I got out of the car, a man offered me his parking validation that was good for a ½ hour! I decided that this was a good sign and proceeded into the computer shop where they were friendly, helpful, PAITENT (especially to someone who is computer illiterate and sick) and…CHEAP! Oh, and I forgot about the fun banter with another patron who ended up buying me a cup of coffee… Soooo, need I say more????

There are a million different ways to look at things, the proverbial glass half empty/half full; however; I KNOW that we all have this place inside of us that KNOWS “Everything is going to be fine” and by using a paintbrush instead of a machete to clear the path we open ourselves up to magic and the place where our dreams can become reality.