the creative act

• the way you preceive the world
• practice of paying attention
• becoming sensitive to subtle notes
• searching for what attracts and repels
• noticing feelings arise and where it leads
• you entire life is a form of self expression
  • you exist as a creative being in a creative universe - a singular work of art

tuning in

• think of the universe as an eternal creative unfolding
• the world pulses with an energy that everything on the planet is also activated and powered by
• every manifestation of the unfolding is doing its own work on behalf of the universe - each in its own way - true to its own creative impulse
• the taste and beauty are in the eye of the beholder
• the universe functions on patterns and rhythms — none set by us
  • rather we are are part of the creative act — not in controlling it, being conducted
  • the artist on a cosmic timetable like all of nature
• if an idea is not brought to life by you, it finds its voice through another maker
  • the ideas time has come
  • in the great unfold, all creations exist in aether and ripen on schedule ready to find expression in the physical world
• as artist, your role is to draw down the info, transmute it and share it
  • translate the messages the universe is broadcasting
  • the best artist tend to be the ones with the most sensitive antennae to draw in the energy resonating at a particular moment
• often art arrives in movements and they might appear like waves with some artists able to read the culture and prepare themselves to ride the swell while others might choose to swim against it
• signals coming through are subtle and more energetic than tactile, intuitively perceived more than consciously recorded
• create a space so free it functions as a vacuum to draw down the ideas that the universe are sending out
  • the free space to receive the new ideas and internalizing it is instilled at birth
    • as a child, we accept new info without comparison to previous beliefs, we live in the moment instead of worries of future consequences, we are more spontaneous than analytical and curious not jaded
    • normal experiences are met with sense of awe
    • deep sadness and intense excitement can come within moments of eacho ther
    • no facade and no attachment to a story
• artist able to continually create great works throughout their life manage to perserve these child lilke qualities
  • practice a way of being that allows you to see the world through uncorrupted innocent eyes — frees you to act in concert with the universe’s timetable

the source of creativity

• a wisdom surrounds us and is offered to us indefinitely
  • we either sense, remember, or tune into it
    • not only through experiences but dreams, intuitions, subliminal fragments, or other ways which the outside finds its way inside
  • source is like a cloud that never truly disappears but changes forms — a circulation of energetic ideas — they may appear new combining differently each time they materialize — none 2 are the same
• when we are struck by a new artwork, it might resonate on a deeper level perhaps this is the familiar coming back to us in an unfamiliar form
  • or maybe something unknown that we didn’t realize we were looking for — a missing piece in a puzzle with no end

awareness

• the program happening and we are witnessing with little to no control over the contents
• the gift of awareness is that it allows us to notice what is going on around and inside ourselves in the present moment
  • to do so without involvement
  • observe the bodily sensations, passing thoughts, and feelings, sounds or visual cue, smells and tastes
• awareness is not a forceable state, but persistence to allow the presence and accept the happening of the eternal now
• labelling an aspect of Source, you go from noticing to studying
  • same with any thought that takes you out of presence with the object if your awareness whether analysis or simply becoming aware that you’re aware
  • analysis is a secondary function
    • awareness happens first as a pure connection with the object of your attention
• we can expand and narrow our awareness — experience it with our eyes open or closed
  • we can quiet our insides to perceive more on the outside or quite outside to perceive inside
  • zoom into something so close it loses the features that make it appears to be or zoom so far out it seems like something entirely new
  • universe is only as large as our perception of it when we cultivate our awareness than we are expanding the universe
    • this expands the scope not just of the resources to create from but the life we get to live

vessel and the filter

• vessel is a container within us that holds the sum of thoughts, feelings, dreams, experiences in the world
• we focus on data that appears essential or particularly interesting while tuning out the rest
• as artists, we seek to restore our childlike perception — more innocent state of wonder and appreciation not tethered to utility or survival
• our filter reduce source intelligence instead of allowing it to pass freely
  • as the vessel fills with these fragments, relationships are created with material already collected
    • these relationships produce beliefs and stories about who we are, people around us, nature of the world we live in — eventually coalesce into a worldview
      • find space for the vast amount of info that doesnt fit within the limits of our belief system — the more raw data we can intake, the less we shape it, the closer we get to nature
• the creative act is taking the sum of our vessel’s contents as potential material selecting for elements that seem useful and significant for the moment and re presenting them
• this is the source drawn through us and made into artwork and projects we choose to embark on — if we share them we can recirculate the source for others to use
• with training, we can improve our interface with the source and expand its ability to receive and store

the unseen

• what we create shares glimpses of our inner landscape one that is beyond our understanding
  • portal into the unseen world
• the spiritual world provides a sense of wonder and a degree of open-mindedness not always found within the confines of science
• the reasonable world is filled with dead ends while the spiritual veiwpoint is limitless inviting wonderful possibilities — truly unseen and boundless
• the practice of spirituality is a way of looking at the world where you’re not alone. There are deeper meanings behind the surface — the energy can be harvested to elevate your work
• you are a part of something much larger than can be explained — a world of immense possibilities
• the principle operates on faith — believing and behaving as if its true without need for proof
• faith allows you to trust the direction without needing to understand it
• pay attention to moments that take your breath away — sunset, unique eye color, moving piece of music, elegant design of a complex machine — if the work is allowing us to see something bigger than its spiritual component made manifest and we glimpse into the unseen

looking for clues

• when looking for a solution to a creative problem, pay attention to whats is happening around you — look for clues pointing to new methods or ways to further develop current ideas
• ex. a writer is in a coffee shop working on a scene unsure what a character is going to say next, the phrase might be overheard in the chatter from another table that provides the answer of a possible direction
• we receive these messages all the time, if we remain open to receive
• we might read a book and find a quote leaping off the page or watch a movie and notice a line that moves us to pause and rewind — the exact answer we’ve been looking for
• echo of an idea that keeps repeating in other places begging for more attention or affirming the path we are on
• look for clues and notice connections and where they might lead
• when something extraordinary happens, ask why? whats the message and greater meaning
  • we cant control the clues or when they reveal
  • have a strong intention to find a specific answer or confirm a particular path
    • other times letting go of the intention can help find your way
• the more open, the more clues you will find and less effort youll need to exert — you might think less and begin to rely on answers arising within you
• open any book and read the first line that finds your eyes — and see how it might apply to your situation — the resemblance might be by chance but you can also allow that its not all
• when clues present themselves it feels like delicate mechanism of a clock at work - as if the universe is nudging you with little reminders that its on your side and wants to provide everything to complete your mission

practice

• embody an approach to a concept
• supports us to bringing about a desired state of mind
• repeat the exercise of opening our senses to what is, move closer to living in a continually open state
• build a habit — one where expanded awareness is default way of being in the world
• deepening this practice is to embark on a deeper relationship with the Source
• reducing interference with our filter, we become better at recognizing rhythms and movements around us — allowing us to participate with them in a more harmonious way
• take notice of the cycles of the planet and choose to live in accordance with its seasons — something remarkable happens — we become connected
• we see our selves as part of a greater whole that is constantly regenerating itself — tap into this all powerful propagating force and ride its creative wave
• to support our practice, we might setup a daily schedule where we engage in particular rituals at specific times every day or week
• small rituals can make a big difference
• ex deciding to take 3 slow deep breaths upon awakening each morning — the simple act can set a course to start each day still centered and in the moment
• we might eat our meals mindfully slowly savoring each bite with appreciation
• take a daily walk in nature looking at everything entering our field of vision with gratitude and connection
• take a moment to marvel at the feeling of our heartbeat and the movement of blood through our veins before sleep
• the purpose of the exercise is not in the doing just as the goal of meditation is not mediating but to evovle the way we see the world when we’re no engaged in these acts
• building the muscle of our psyche to acutely tune in