How to Ground Yourself in the Present Moment So You Can Be More Creative
We can cultivate presence in our creative lives and in doing so, find more ways to invite playfulness into our personal self-expression.
So, what do playfulness and presence have to do with being more creative?
I’ve found discovering how to bring myself back into present time and live in the moment has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life.
It’s led to more joy, peace, productivity, authenticity and greater connection with other people than anything else. And not only that, it’s led to more playfulness and joy in my creative life, too.
Because in order to play, we need to be present to what we’re doing.
If we’re worried about how a painting is going to turn out, or replaying events that happened during the week, we miss out on being with our painting or creative project as it unfolds.
It’s only when we gently bring ourselves back into present time and we pay attention to each brush-stroke and each part of the process, that we get to experience the full pleasure of play.
Jumping ahead in our minds past the point of where we are, leads to missing the deliciousness, the subtleties, and the discoveries that are only available in present time.
As a result, being present is how we develop our skills.
Because when we’re paying attention and remembering to enjoy each stage of the process, we become attuned to the materials we’re using and see how we can use them to express our heart.
If you’re rushing, or focusing your thoughts on places other than where you are, it won’t lead to your best learning or your best results, because you’ll miss the moment.
As Shaun McNiff says, “You don’t want to be at “the end” of the process when you are just beginning or in the thick of it. You have to be where you are as completely as possible. Free play is the best way to achieve this state of committed presence because there is no expectation beyond the activity pursued for its own sake.”
When you notice yourself wanting to be at “the end” of a painting, catch yourself and gently bring yourself back to focus on where you are, noticing the brush stroke you’re putting down, or the colour you’re mixing. Painting with presence will give you the ability to truly play with your materials and discover new things.
Access Points to Presence
One of the best ways I’ve found to come back to the present moment is by tuning into one or more of my five senses.
Ask yourself, what can I see, hear, smell, taste or touch right now? Because your senses can only be here in the present and never off in the future or stuck in the past. So accessing the present through your body is a great tool to calm your nervous system, give you a sense of safety and open the doorway to Play.
You may like to ask yourself; Can I feel the pressure of my brush on the surface of the canvas? What are the colours I can see on my palette and how do they mix? What does the linseed oil smell like? Can I feel the pressure of my bottom on the seat or my feet on the floor? What sounds can I hear around me?
By tuning into your senses you’ll bring yourself back into the present and give yourself the opportunity to relax and enjoy the process, and embrace the opportunity to truly play!
Practice Using Your 5 Senses To Ground Yourself in the Present Moment
The key is to take notice of the details, as this will help you slow down, focus your attention on the here and now, and draw you into the present.
Ask yourself:
What can I feel right now?
What can I see?
What can I hear?
What can I taste?
What can I smell?
Create Your Story Bag of ‘Reality’ Resources
When have you done something challenging in the past that surprised your logical, rational mind?
Perhaps you’ve built a model ship from scratch, learnt algebra, managed to stay in a yoga pose longer than you ever dreamed possible, arranged a bunch of flowers into a beautiful bouquet, made a sponge cake, ran further than you ever thought you could, or learnt a new dance move that literally made your head spin?
Come up with at least three circumstances when your mind said you couldn’t do something, but you went ahead and did it anyway, and it worked out just fine.
These experiences and stories are great to remember when the voice in your head is telling you that you can’t do something, and to use to remind yourself that you really ARE capable of much more than what your mind says.
You’ve successfully done things it said you couldn’t do before, and you will disprove it again by following your whole wisdom. By honouring your intuition, playing and being kind to yourself!
What is your relationship with playfulness like? Do you carve out time to play? Do you find it challenging to let your guard down and make mistakes while you play?
What have you found helps you to relax and be more playful? Leave a comment sharing your story ~ I’d love to hear.
Be kind to yourself and nurture your creativity,
