Meditation: Supporting The Creative Process

This is a meditation to support the creative process. It’s meant for anyone who creates, hobby level or professional. (Maybe it suits visual artists a little more, because of my background). After a short intro, I’ll guide you through a meditation based on visualisation. Have pen & paper or tablet at hand to make notes. We focus on a piece of art you are working on & you would like to reflect on (when feeling stuck, uncertain). Feel free to add your own background music.

Transcript

Welcome to our short meditation. In this meditation we will focus on what arises from our subconscious when meditating on the current state of an artwork. We will notice and record what comes up during this session. We trust that this can help to make our artwork into a stronger whole. I will share a technique I usually practice in that case. It's based on visualization. First I will explain what I mean by helping on the creative process and then we go into a guided meditation, Approximately 5 minutes, And after that we close together. During this meditation we will focus on a creation that you are working on and that you like to think about because for some reason you are not sure about it. Or on a work you put aside because something bothers you, You are not really satisfied with the result, But you can't put a finger on it. Maybe it's in the composition or in the technique, Or you lost sight of the initial concept during the elaboration of your work, Or maybe the work doesn't resonate with your actual energy level. Whatever it is, It's quite possible something is missing on a deeper level. In that case, A meditation can be helpful. So the idea is to visualize the work as it is right now. Take it in your mind's eye or ear, But make sure you let go of the initial idea and concept. We will come back on that at the end of the session. Thoughts, Images or sensations like smelling, Feeling, Hearing, They appear at a certain moment out of nowhere. They come from our experiences and are related to our social context. They are triggered by what goes on in our life right now and related to our dreams and fears. They come from our personal subconscious. When in meditation, They come and go. They come and go. And in this case, They will get involved in the visualization. We accept ourselves the way we are at this very moment, With love, Self-compassion, But no judgment. Before we start, It's important to find a location where you can sit comfortably without being disturbed. And make sure you have pen and paper or tablet at hand to make notes immediately after this session. If you need to prepare, Just pause this audio for a moment. You can also pause if you want to prolong the visualization. Meditate on your own pace. Enjoy your practice. I will guide you. I invite you to sit up tall. Close your eyes. We take a few full breaths to prepare until we are really in a state of relaxed attention. I invite you to take the work as it is in your mind's eye or ear and experience it as if you are the public, As if you meet the artwork for the first time with an open mind, Like Alice in Wonderland. Come closer to the artwork. Sense the sphere. Explore the global expression. How does it feel? How do you receive its energy? Then you enter it like you enter a landscape or a soundscape. From what point do you enter it? What catches your attention? You start wandering around in the work. Explore each encounter. What does it tell? Where does it hit you? Where do you notice a friction? Observe carefully. Don't judge. Just wander around and observe. We'll do that for the coming two minutes. When you feel you explore the work in all aspects, You can start to interact with it. Imagine it's a living being, So you can ask questions. That doesn't mean you have to formulate them with words. Rather, It's in the way you do interact when having a lucid dream. You interact with the storyline by focusing your attention on certain aspects. Ask how it feels. Ask if it's pleased with the way it is right now. If it likes the energy, Make sure it's not your mind giving the answers. They have to come from a place of sensing, From your subconscious level. Then you invite it to morph and evolve. What would it like to change, To add, To let go, Follow what happens? What wants to come forward? What wants to move or to disappear? What wants to change form or property? Do you feel some parts longing for another energy? Keep questioning so it feels encouraged to present itself as balanced and unified as possible at this moment. Observe each change and ask questions. We will do so for the coming two minutes. Now slowly come out of your work. Return to the place you are sitting. Breathe gently. Keep your eyes closed for a moment. We are grateful for whatever did arise during this session. We close the meditation for now. Now it's time to write down, Sketch or record all you remember. Things you saw, Heard, Felt. You can pause the meditation here and take all the time you need. Don't judge. Accept each suggestion with an open mind and curiosity. And also be aware of the state you are in right now, Because that will be part of what came up during this visualization. The moment you link your note to the original, Keep in mind that the presentation of the work in your mind's eye or ear may already have been different from the real thing. The importance of visualization is that your subconscious will try to make the whole match. The energy, The elements, Structure, Composition, The details. And maybe that's not 100% the same as the initial concept or idea or as the state of the artwork right now. You can compare it and see what insight the meditation offers you. This technique requires some experience, So don't judge yourself if it doesn't give you much result at first. Maybe you found the entrance to the artwork but not much happened after that, Or you had a feeling that your mind was directing the experience. That happens when we are not fully relaxed. A golden tip is to thank your mind for being active and tell it that you are safe so it can relax and withdraw. Sometimes we need longer meditations to get into a quieter state and let our subconscious come to the surface. In case you experienced the visualization was interesting but too short, Just prolong the session when you redo it. Feel free to play with it, It's your practice. I hope this meditation helps you to let your creation find its final shape and become a work of art that has something interesting to tell. I wish you a deeply inspired, Creative day. Thank you for meditating with me.