The Promise of Spring.
While March has Spring Break & the First Day of Spring, I really think of April and Easter as Springtime. There’s a newness, an energy that stirs – friends are planting flowers and vegetables, others start Spring cleaning.
Warmer weather and sunshine beckon us outside to play. Here in Texas there are a few sacred weeks where it’s not too hot & not too cold, not too windy or rainy for drinks on the patio with friends at a favorite Mexican restaurant or bistro. Something inside awakens that’s been dormant all winter. A promise of newness, freshness, openness. Seeds, Growth.
The Blues
I wasn’t sure what was calling to me until last week, when I had a little setback. Nothing huge, but painful enough that it threw me off center for a couple of days. So I chose to be very gentle with myself and engage in self-compassion (because I really try to be authentic & practice what I suggest to my clients.) I was pulled to the piano and reached for what brings me solace – Playing the Blues
Granted, I played them badly – I’m really out of practice. But sometimes you have feelings inside that you just need to release & it doesn’t matter what it sounds like. It’s the process. And I played until my hands ached – which wasn’t very long, but it was enough.**
Creative Expression
When you have ideas / thoughts / fears / feelings that are ready to be expressed or brought into the world, how do you do that?
Drawing or painting?
Gardening?
Writing?
Music?
Sewing/knitting/crochet/crosstitch?
Cooking?
Because creative expression is about DOING.
Creative expression is one of the hallmarks of self- compassion. It feels good, and is healing.
Will you share your experience with creative expression and healing in the comments below?
Some quotes on the creative process you might like:
The creative process is a process of surrender, not control. — Julia Cameron
Everybody has a creative potential and from the moment you can express this creative potential, you can start changing the world. –Paulo Coelho
Experiencing sadness and anger can make you feel more creative, and by being creative, you can get beyond your pain or negativity. –Yoko Ono
**Billy Joel plays it better than I do, with Ray Charles – Baby Grand (video link attached).