How to Touch the Divine + Find 'Flow' in Your Veggie Patch
“So, what do you do?”
Don’t you love that question?!! I never know how to answer. I’ve been practicing being more concise and interesting, but what I usually say is…
“Well, I do two things. I’m an artist and I exhibit my work in Melbourne and Brisbane. And I help people grow organic food with a blog and online training course.”
What I really do though, is chase ‘Flow.’
When I was 18, I began preparing my portfolio for art school.The trouble was, I was terrified of making marks on a page. I’d pretty much lost my creativity when my parents divorced, three years earlier. It just fell away, probably somewhere with my joy and sense of safety.
Returning to art was like courting a lover who’d rejected me. Painful. Full of doubt. Fear I’d be rejected again. ‘You’re not good enough, you can’t do this,’ I heard whispered over and over in my mind.
So I found a mentor. He was an older artist. Worldly. Wayward. Mysterious. Fun. Temperamental.
He showed me how to put my ego aside and just dive in. Experiment. See what happened. Don’t take it personally. But do show up. Make marks. Put the time in. Don’t run in fear of failure. And don’t take it so seriously – like my life depended on it. Because it felt like it did.
Surprisingly, I found an amazing thing.
When I did as he said (had a glass of wine and sat down to draw) I touched on an experience that has woven its way through my life ever since.
Flow :: Presence :: Bliss :: Groove
“Whenever there is enthusiasm, there is a creative empowerment that goes far beyond what a mere person is capable of.” – Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
Professor Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi calls it Flow. Buddhists call it Mindfulness. Eckhart Tolle calls it Awakened Doing. Joseph Campbell calls it Bliss.
Twyla Tharp calls a Groove. In her book ‘The Creative Habit‘ (which I love, and highly recommend by the way) she says;
“A groove is the best place in the world. It’s where I strive to be, because when you’re in it you have the freedom to explore, where everything you question leads you to new avenues and new routes, everything you touch miraculously touches something else and transforms it for the better.”
Ever since those days preparing my portfolio, I’ve wanted more flow in my life. For me, flow is when time takes on another quality. You’re so absorbed in the task at hand, it feels like time doesn’t exist.
But flow doesn’t just happen in the fine arts. Flow exists in preparing a garden bed. Transforming lawn into abundance. It can be found in a well-stocked garden shed. And a box of your favourite seeds.
Flow visited me this weekend in the veggie patch.
Time flew. The world didn’t exist outside of my immediate environment.
I didn’t have a plan. Instead, one action led to the next. I pulled down the old Madagascar bean, like shedding an old self image. The abrupt nakedness of the bamboo tee-pee shocked and excited me. I prepared the ring of soil around the base with nitrogen-rich green leaves and weeds, then layered compost, and finally hay soaked in molasses and water. Then I parted the hay like a skirt and planted snow-peas.
A flush of new growth is promised. Anticipated. But right then, in Flow, the end result didn’t matter so much as the current movement, development, sunshine, exercise, vitamin D.
It was all good.
I went outside to check my handiwork at 9pm and the naked tee-pee, with her new upside-down skirt, glowed in the full moon.
Flow.
It can catch you unawares. But only if you are prepared and show up.
Put on your gloves.
Get into the habit of composting (so it’s ready, when you are).
Find yourself some seeds to play with.
Go outside.
Thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends on social media!
And read on, for details about how you can win a ticket valued at $150 to help you reconnect with Flow + Presence + Bliss…!!!
Love, Nicola xx
Special Giveaway!!!!!
If you feel like you’ve lost your mojo and would like to find Flow, or get your Groove back, Selfish for 27 Days could be the support you’re looking for. Hosted by my very generous, deeply committed and wise friend Susana Frioni, the program is a safe place for women to reconnect and take the time for supreme self care, deep self-inquiry and genuine self-expression.
If you’re curious about what’s in store during the 27 days, watch the awesome video trailer here. I participated last year, and it was truly a special event that helped me slow down and take care of myself. This year, Jessica Ainscough The Wellness Warrior and myself are both honoured to be feature guests along with a bunch of other inspirational women from all around the world.
I’m thrilled to be giving away one complimentary ticket ($150 value) to a Sprouter who also wants to join The Selfish Ones. To enter:
Watch the video trailer
Enter your name and email on the same page
Then come back here and leave a comment answering these questions…
When was the last time you did something, just for you? What was it and how did it feel?
I’ll email the winner in the next three days ~ so don’t delay! xx