Emergence

Today I watched a fat fuzzy caterpillar cross the road. Instead of wondering,"Why? Why did the caterpillar cross the road?", I stared in amazement at the speed of the little critter. It was bookin'! About the time I had that thought, my mind began to happily wander. I contemplated that humble caterpillar. A lowly start to life as a furry worm that can be both cute and yet somewhat repugnant, as any of us who have had a caterpillar fall on them from an overhanging branch can attest to! (Though there are some caterpillars that are surprisingly GORGEOUS!) In due course, caterpillars instinctively cocoon themselves for a time. When the cocoon period comes to its end, the chrysalis opens to unveil a caterpillar transformed- a beautiful butterfly. The Hotel Chrysalis is clearly the ultimate spa experience!

There are times in a person's life that tend to resemble the caterpillar. Maybe we feel a little on the roly-poly side, a little too fuzzy for comfort. We may even occasionally cause others to react to our presence with horror. 'Tis unfortunate, but at times like that, a person may instinctively choose to cocoon himself, to seek a place of safety, until it all blows over and things get set right once again. Recently I felt the need for just such a cocoon. I had a few very negative experiences, as we all do at times. I could feel the stress from these experiences eating away at my humanity, sapping me of my creativity and peace of mind. I lost my joy in making art. I figuratively enclosed myself in a chrysalis for a time in order to recover my creativity, to get a sense of balance once again. And gradually I did. As time passed, I took the opportunity to pore over a number of books on creativity and how to stimulate it. I gleaned some wonderful points that were most helpful to me. One suggestion that truly resonated with me was to make ordinary activities extraordinary. For example, when preparing a meal, don't just plop it on a plate unceremoniously and chow down. Make it a thing of beauty, flavor it well, serve it in a beautiful setting on a lovely dish. Light a candle. Make it a special event. Another example: if you are the type who periodically sends a handwritten letter or card, take a little time to personally illustrate the envelope with a colorful drawing (here's one I just decorated pictured with this post. Isn't it purty?). Imagine how the letter's recipient will feel when they open their mailbox! So many good suggestions that truly renewed my creativity and imagination and got me out of my shell.

So what tactics do you use to restore a blocked creative flow? How do you dislodge obstructions to your artistic abilities? And once the flow is restored, how do you keep your imagination consistently moving?

"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn."- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiam."- Earl Nightingale

"To be creative means to be in love with life."- Osho

Fractal

In high school, I took Geometry, as most students do. Up till then, every math course I had taken was not too difficult for me to master. But Geometry was a whole new set of rules, a different brand of logic. Postulates, theorems- nothing could be assumed. Nothing. I had to back up every assumption with proof, show how I had arrived at that proof and make sure all was logical. It was a tall order for a creative thinker. No matter how hard I tried, I simply could not get a better grade in that class than a 'B'. Well, I wanted an 'A'. Badly. I decided that, no matter what, geometry was not going to get the better of me. Not this girl. I worked HARD, harder than I ever had before and, finally, in the last semester of the school year, I got my 'A'. Well, technically, it was an 'A-', just barely. But it was good enough for me.

I got so much out of that class, so much more than I expected to. I have absolutely no recollection of how to solve a geometry problem, but I did retain valuable life lessons: 1) Never, ever assume anything. 2) If something is important to you, the work to achieve it is worthwhile. These lessons have remained with me through out my life. I try to live by them and pass these values on to my own child. Was all that work really worth it? You do the math. I'm done with geometry, no more sweating through tests. However, I, like everyone else on this planet, must daily face conundrums and struggles of various sorts. What to do? Never, ever assume anything. Make sure of the facts and use those facts as your guide to answers. And don't be lazy. Work your little hiney off to achieve your goals. Once reached, those achievements may not be exactly what you hoped for in the end, but they will be adequate to satisfy you if you did your best.

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."- Henry J. Kaiser

(The one thing I still remember from geometry is the beauty of geometrical fractal patterns. They are mind-boggling. They take my breath away.)

(The bead pictured in this post is for sale in my Etsy shop.)