What is Creative Mindfulness?

Ever wondered - what is creative mindfulness? Why do creativity and mindfulness go together? Or why is combining mindfulness with creativity beneficial?

Transcript

So,

Hello to you all.

And this podcast is going to ask the question,

What is mindfulness and what is creative mindfulness?

Because I know it's a question that a lot of you have asked me and I thought it would be good to just look at that in a little bit more detail because knowing that really helps our practice.

So,

In order to do that,

I think the best thing to do would be to start with a little bit of an experiment in noticing.

So,

Wherever you are right now,

If you could just shut your eyes and just sit in your chair,

So that's all you're doing.

You're just sitting.

You're not trying to make anything happen.

You're also not trying to stop anything from happening either.

You're just sitting where you are.

And let's just see what happens in this next minute.

So,

The first thing that you might notice that actually a minute feels like a really long time.

You also might have noticed sounds,

The feeling of your body sitting in the chair,

Maybe some aches and pains that you hadn't been aware of before.

The other thing you bound to have noticed is that your mind just wandered off all over the place,

Going back into what had happened today maybe or leaping ahead to what you're going to do later.

So,

It's a really interesting exercise,

This exercise of just stopping and noticing what it's like to stop,

What our experience is at the moment.

And that's really our most basic definition,

If you like,

Of mindfulness.

So,

What we can say is that mindfulness is a process of noticing what our experience is whilst we're actually experiencing it.

So,

It's worth just thinking about that again.

Mindfulness is a process of noticing what our experience is whilst we're actually experiencing it.

And I think that's really interesting in itself.

Actually knowing that it's a process and that it's just about knowing what's happening whilst it's actually happening.

And this noticing that we talk about when we talk about mindfulness isn't a sort of cold,

Detached or disconnected type of noticing.

It's a noticing that's infused with a quality of warmth and kindliness and curiosity.

And that's really important too.

We're not judging our experience,

We're making friends with it,

We're getting to know it.

So I guess then we can say that mindfulness is actually the opposite of being on autopilot,

Of being detached and disassociated.

And what I mean by autopilot is that thing of living but not really knowing that we're living.

That kind of example of maybe driving home from work and suddenly we're parked outside our house and we actually really don't know how we got there.

We can't remember taking any of the turns,

We can't remember driving or operating the car.

It's just one minute we were at work and then a few minutes later we're home and we can't actually remember how we got there.

We can't remember the steps that we took.

And we live a lot of our life like that on autopilot.

So mindfulness is the total opposite of that.

Mindfulness is again noticing what our experience is whilst we're actually experiencing it.

And that's very helpful but then we still might have the question,

Well then how do I do mindfulness?

Do I just sit in my chair?

I do that a lot and I don't think I'm very mindful.

So I find it helpful then to break this definition of mindfulness down a little bit further and it's particularly helpful as we start to talk about creative mindfulness to do that.

So then we can think about mindfulness also as a process of both doing and being.

So we've got this process of knowing what we're experiencing but then within that,

That process itself is a process of both doing and being.

And in the doing part of mindfulness we choose a specific focus for the mind.

Traditionally,

In traditional practice that's the breath or bodily sensations or sense impressions.

And when we're practicing creative mindfulness this would also include an art activity or a writing activity of some kind.

So we're in the doing part of mindfulness then and a little bit of effort is required of us because we know that most of the time we're on autopilot so we need a bit of effort to sort of train ourselves to mindfulness and that's why it's important to have a focus.

A focus is really,

Really important.

Traditionally that focus as I said would have been the breath,

The body,

Bodily sensations in creative mindfulness.

That focus is also the activity we're doing creatively.

And in this way a creative practice and a mindfulness practice really go together fantastically well because they both share some very common characteristics as processes.

They all start with focus.

They start with a focus.

They contain concentration and that focus and concentration leads us into a state of absorption.

And then from that we find ourselves in a state of flow.

An example of that would be when we're drawing and we're so concentrated on what we're drawing and we're so focused that after a while we become so absorbed that actually everything else just drops away.

We find that we're not really aware of anything else that's particularly going on in our lives at the moment.

We're not projecting into the future or thinking about the past.

We're so absorbed that maybe we're not even aware of our surroundings.

We're just completely focused on what we're drawing and on the process of drawing itself.

And then we just find that it flows effortlessly.

And that sort of continuum of focus,

Concentration,

Absorption of flow are found in mindfulness meditation practice and in creative practice.

That's why they go so well together.

And it's worth just sort of talking a little bit about this idea of flow because I think it's really important for both practices.

Flow,

Which was named by a professor in Hungary who was investigating positive psychology,

Flows also known as the zone.

And I really like this definition of the zone or flow.

It says it is the mental state of operation in which a person forming an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus,

Full involvement and enjoyment in the process of the activity.

In essence,

Flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.

Now that perfectly describes my experience of mindfulness meditation.

It also perfectly describes my experience of creative practice too.

So what we can say is that through this process of focus,

Concentration absorption and flow,

We discover a way of being that's totally different from that sort of empty disconnected feeling of zoning out of being on autopilot.

So when we're in the zone,

We've moved actually into the being part of mindfulness.

When we're in flow,

We've gone beyond the doing part of mindfulness and we're now in the being part of mindfulness.

And when we're simply being mindful,

We are fully aware of our experience.

We're relaxed and alert.

We're aware of thoughts,

Body sensations and emotions rising and passing away.

But the different is that we can look at these rather than from them.

So we might see a momentary self doubt about our drawing arise and we see it pass away rather than the self doubt arising and then us jumping on it and thinking from it and feeling from it and suddenly doubting the whole process of the drawing.

So when we're being mindful,

We're in a state of awareness that feels warm,

Connected and spacious.

It's the opposite of that zoned out feeling.

It's very focused and concentrated.

It's not all fuzzy.

We've used the doing part of mindfulness to get us into the state of simply being mindful.

Now doing creative activities helps us to be naturally mindful because they require this process of focus,

Concentration and absorption and they help us into the zone.

They help us into that state of simply being.

And for that reason,

Creative activities and creative mindfulness is really,

Really helpful for people who either find it difficult to sit in meditation,

Maybe because their minds are really,

Really busy,

Maybe because they got fidgety bodies or might just be because they're actually very young.

So in this sense,

Creative practice is a really accessible way to start to experience mindfulness.

And in that sense,

The mindful colouring in books that have become so popular recently,

A really good example of this type of mindfulness,

This natural mindfulness that arises from that process of focus,

Concentration,

Absorption and flow.

However,

Creative mindfulness,

Certainly as I teach it,

Is more than simply being in the zone.

It's more than that natural kind of mindfulness that comes about when we're doing a creative activity.

And the reason for this is that creative mindfulness utilises not only the natural mindfulness that arises during a creative activity,

But it also directs mindfulness towards and at the creative process and at the artist's experience of doing it.

It is absolutely that noticing what our experience is whilst we're actually experiencing it that I spoke about at the beginning.

So when we practice creative mindfulness,

We're choosing to bring a kindly awareness to all the thoughts,

Feelings,

Habitual patterns,

The kind of blocks to creativity,

The lack of confidence,

The inner criticism or self-sabotaging behaviours that we may bring to our creating.

We're creating with an awareness of these rather than creating from these.

There's a big,

Big difference.

And to illustrate that,

I thought I'd tell you a brief story about creative mindfulness in action.

So a few years ago,

Someone came to my class,

A woman called Moira.

She was in her late fifties and in the sharing session we had at the beginning of the class,

Which was going to be a five week course with 10 people,

She shared that she really wanted to create,

But every time she tried to do anything creative,

She was filled with such depression,

Such total bleakness and despair that she simply couldn't do it.

She just couldn't.

It was too powerful an emotion to move through.

So she just didn't create.

She really wanted to.

She had a partner who loved to be creative and she wanted to be creative with them,

But she just couldn't.

So how we worked with Moira in the session,

How I worked with Moira was that first of all,

I told her that we were going to make her feeling this way.

Okay,

We were going to be really kind with it.

And that meant we weren't going to force anything.

And actually if she wanted to during any of the activities during the class,

She could leave the classroom if she wanted to.

She was completely free to just walk out if it got too much.

So we started the session.

We did two or three warm up exercises and she sort of looked a little bit uncomfortable,

But she stayed in the room.

And then we did our first mindful drawing activity,

Proper mindful drawing activity.

And within about two minutes she got up and she left the room.

Clearly it was too much for her and she couldn't bear it.

I was a little bit worried about her,

But I stayed in the room with the rest of the students.

And at the end of the activity,

I brought Moira back in.

And as I always do in a class,

We did some pair work.

We sat down in pairs and just discussed what had happened during the activity.

And I made sure I sat with Moira's pair.

And Moira then shared that sure enough,

As soon as she'd started a proper creative activity,

This terrible feeling of despair and depression had come upon her and she hadn't been able to continue.

And she'd felt really,

Really,

Absolutely terrible.

And I just questioned Moira a little bit more about this.

And I asked her to bring some more mindfulness to what had happened during the activity.

And I asked her just to recollect what she had noticed around this uprising of the depressed feeling.

And Moira was able to tell me because she had been practicing mindfulness and being aware of her creative process,

As well as being mindful through the creative process.

She suddenly said she did remember that just before she got very,

Very depressed,

She had remembered,

She'd had recall of a time in her life when she was young,

When she was surrounded by very supportive people and she was doing creative things and she was able to do creative things,

But that now she didn't have that support.

Now she didn't have people around her who supported her creativity and she didn't feel creative.

And I was really amazed that she'd noticed this and I was very excited and I got very bouncy in my chair and I said,

Moira,

This is amazing.

This is a breakthrough.

And she kind of looked a bit suspicious.

Is it really?

She asked.

And I said,

Yes,

Absolutely.

Because what you have noticed by applying mindfulness is that it's not creating that makes you depressed.

It's actually your thoughts about creating that are stopping you from being creative.

It was remembering something from the past and a story about it and how you didn't have it now that made you unable to create.

And Moira sat for a minute or two,

Maybe not a minute or two,

Maybe a minute.

And I could suddenly see that something kind of shifted in her because there was this completely different expression on her face.

And she said,

Really,

You mean that it's not the creating?

And I said,

Well,

You think about what happened.

Was it the creating or was it the thoughts about the creating?

And in the end,

She said,

No,

It was definitely the thoughts about the creating.

And I said,

OK,

That's great.

Then all we need to do now is you just need to be really mindful of those thoughts that come up and you need to treat them with great kindness and you need to know that it's OK.

You can do it.

And we then went on to do another creative activity in the class,

Another drawing activity.

And Moira stayed in her chair through the whole activity.

She didn't leave the room.

And at the end of it,

She said,

Yeah,

Those things had come up.

The feelings and thoughts had come up,

But she was able to be mindful of them.

And the next time she did an activity with us,

Which was taking a photograph of a mouldy old wall,

She came back into the classroom.

She was beaming.

She told me that for the first time in years and years and years,

She'd been able to do a creative activity and not just get through it with but to do it with enjoyment and with a great sense of peace.

And this was a real breakthrough for her.

So for me,

This is a really fantastic example of why it's so important not just to utilise the natural mindfulness of creative activities,

But to actually apply mindfulness to the process of creating itself.

And that makes it truly creative mindfulness,

Because when we're practising creative mindfulness,

We are able to see what's stopping us from creating,

What are the thoughts and emotional patterns that get in the way.

And we're able to make friends with them.

And gradually,

Over time,

They're actually able to drop away.

And we find that we have a more inhibited and much more free and happy experience of creating.

Reviews

Calming pace, calming tone calming message, delivered with care ⚡ powerful stuff and clearly articulated in terms anyone can understand. Thank you 💕

This was very helpful...looking forward to trying this...I tend to feel overwhelmed and frustrated when I attempt a creative endeavour and often give up. Thanks for giving me hope and a mindful path for moving forward!💗🙏🏼

Hi Wendy, l love your English accent just like l used to hear around London. And l like creativity as a topic. Thanx. 😄🌻🌹

So clearly demonstrated: we all need special people who are accepting and loving of where we are: but most of all to love ourselves. Go keep practising the ebb and glow of love and be thankful for all we have been given ,.. thank you and blessings... Judy Hughes East Doncaster Victoria Australia

Lots to absorb here...will definately listen again thank you.

Fascinating approach to mindfulness! Definitely one to remember and apply to my life often! 🕊🌿

This was so interesting! It really helped to me understand mindfulness in a different way!

That was a clear and concise explanation. Very helpful thank you.

Nicely done. Thank you 🙏🏽🦋

I found this pod cast very informative and inspiring :)

Simple and straightforward, therefore very helpful.

Interesting, made me think and maybe observe better.

Stuff to think about... (in the moment of course).🏵

Great talk. Clear and full of love. Namaste

A talk very interesting mainly for beginners. Thanks.

I really liked this!

The best discription of mindfulness I have Jerad. A must listen to for everyone. Thank you