Mostly lost and occasionally found yogi, teacher, artist, recovering yoga studio director, big-picture thinker, community builder, and all-round problem solver, I have always had trouble reading maps. I haven’t let this stop me from navigating. So, get in! We’ll figure it out together and have a big adventure along the way.
The Beginning of a Journey
Does this sound familiar? I had lost my artistic mojo. After a burst of creativity, sitting down to paint had been almost painful. Nothing flowed. I was just grasping for ideas that would fade before the paint reached the canvas. Occasionally I made myself complete a painting but eventually I didn’t even bother squeezing the paint on the palette, since I would lose interest and waste the paint. But I had my yoga, my family life, things to do. I was as empty as these dried seed pods. (I completed this painting during this time — it took me, no kidding, a YEAR. Every time I look at this painting, I’m amazed at how tortured it was for me.)
On the advice of some very wise people at Tranquil Space, I picked up Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, (Penguin/Putnam, 1992) and I am now recovering the joy and spontaneity that my creative life had been until I got in the way of myself. And I’ve come to see that to become found, you really must be lost in the moment.
I have also come to see all of my life as one big creative project.
Practicing art and practicing yoga demand that you turn yourself off — get yourself out of your own way. My art had become all about ME. What did I think? What did I want to say in this painting? What did I think was interesting? It’s just like how a pose becomes all the more difficult when I find myself thinking about what I look like or how much better I am at this pose now than I was in the past. The lesson is just to be in the moment.
Just practice. Come to the mat and find it.
I am treating myself this morning to finding and reading other blogs and I came upon your site. Lucky me. Will be happy to follow your journey.
Thanks, Thomas! I’m looking forward to exploring your posts too…M
Meg:
Belated thanks for bringing the yummy muffins to our last class.
I so appreciate all your good tips and help while you were teaching at Pengu.
Grace even told me Thursday how much stronger I have gotten and how I have improved since summer..so I push on.
Good luck and much success in your new ventures.
mtf
I miss you all like all get out, but I am enjoying this new phase of the journey. Please take good care of yourself and give my love to everyone.
Meg…ur pods may, in fact, b tortured, but they r beautiful. Such a great painting…i hope u r in love with it, for all great relationship reasons of ups and downs! Lol!
Thanks, Cyn! Miss you, babe. Hope you get you 18 in this weekend!
I heart that last paragraph! Such great advice! You’re awesome, Meg! I’m a big fan of your creative spark!
Peyton, you are such a sweet presence at the studio. Love seeing you there and look forward to reading many, many more of your poems.