Creating from Your Core

The wisps of an idea settle in because I’ve let myself turn inwards and hear the sounds around me. The air inflates my belly and pushes my ribs outwards past their natural stance. I’m no longer looking frantically at anyone else’s work or words. I’m peering down a hall dimly lit towards my own self.

Here is where I find my own golden pools. The ideas that ripple gently outwards because authenticity colors the waters.

I see the already painted landscapes of what I’ve been longing to create. I take note of all the colors and try to hastily script some notes. But as soon as I start to struggle my vision begins to fade. I begin to scramble even more, but then remember to pause, and let everything flow. Only then do I see the colors dabbed and brushed back into place.

I forget so easily that this is where I need to return. A place, which can seem miles away, but is truly only a few breaths and stretches from my outstretched hands. Instead I sit with tense shoulders turned inwards, and thoughts racing as my chest becomes tighter and tighter. The truth I’m after floats in a haze past my mind’s eye and won’t bring itself to life in this ruckus. It knows I would squeeze the life out of it here. But I know the idea is there because I saw it dancing past, and so I struggle harder and harder until something snaps me from my pursuit, and brings me softly back to myself.

•••

Some of you may know I’ve been working on some behind the scenes kind of projects lately. A book. Relaunching this space so it looks and feels like the community we are creating. Designing new features for the coming site. Planning a wedding. Grad school. Work. And you know, life.

I love every single one of these projects. (And don’t you worry, I will be tellin’ you alllll about them soon enough!) But here are some fun facts about Caity: I’m an INJF and 1w2 (MB & enneagram). In other words, I’m an introverted, creative, hardcore perfectionist with the shorter end of the patience stick. Yes folks, I am a real treat. The point though is I know how hard it is to stay in the creative feel good zone (rainbows and unicorns OH MY) and out of the holy shit this is never going to come together and if it does it’ll never be good enough zone. Delicate balance and all that.

Why is this important?

Because none of us create good content out of an overwhelmed frantic state of mind.

I’ve done it. Pushed through the racing thoughts and shallow breathing to simply get it done. But I’m never happy with the end product because it didn’t feel right and it didn’t come from my core.

And honestly, this doesn’t just apply to us awesome creatives in our dingy little writing hovels. Just kidding, my room is totally cozy. And littered with coffee cups. But I digress. This goes for people in the 9-5 (or however late you torture yourself) world as well. People aren’t doing their jobs, and you’re behind on a million things, and holy shit have you seen my inbox count? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

And so now you’re like gee, thanks Caity for pointing how overwhelming all of our lives are! You are WELCOME! But here’s the cool part, it’s so easy to bring ourselves back into focus. You know how your mom used to tell you to count to ten, and you were like mom go away I don’t want to count to ten! Well this isn’t like that. Much less annoying.

So you’re sitting at your desk, and you’re going to place your feet about hip/shoulder width apart. Firmly root them on the ground. Let your shoulders drop and stop trying to shove them into your ears. (maybe that’s just me, whatever guys) Now breathe in through your nose, and fill your belly (extra points if you can fill up through your lungs and push the lungs out horizontally). Now hold it people. Okay, now let the air flow back out through your nose. Rinse and repeat.

Okay okay. I know this isn’t groundbreaking, but that’s kind of the point. This is yoga 101 for a reason. It seriously will immediately lower your heart rate and calm your body though. You can even learn to turn inwards (mentally) as you do it, and hot damn you’ll be doing great.

This my go to trick – what’s yours?