Ever since I can remember, I have loved cats. I resonate with their purring, relax when watching them groom, laugh when I find them in unexpected places or poses, take photos when they are being particularly ‘cute’, learn from them about stretching, napping, scampering and how to have fun with whatever is in front of me. Cats rock.
Cats are awesome teachers about creativity. Once I decided I could embark along the path known as the artist’s way even though I wasn’t an artist, I began to see everything with fresh eyes. The snow caped mountains in the distance suddenly offered ideas for a talk, the visiting puppy’s wagging tail, an idea for a presentation and the cat’s way of being a template for how to lead a life in support of my (buried) creativity.
I spent a lot of years being afraid. I got really good at hiding out. I learned how to be anonymous. After playing around with the concepts I found in Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way, I realized that I don’t have to be a professional to acknowledge my creativity. Doing more research and discovering SARK’s work in support of the world of creativity, I finally got it that each of us is creative in our own ways no matter what we label ourselves, no matter what our career, no matter how we use our free time.
The energy of creativity is built in to each of us; we’re hard wired with it and it is as unique as our fingerprint. Wow! How do you respond when you read that sentence?
For me, the first time I heard it, I resisted cuz I was pretty certain I didn’t have it.
After years of training and experience in my career, however, I am absolutely convinced that it’s a FACT. Yes it is. All we have to do is to be willing to say, ‘yes’ to it. I’m preparing a series of articles in support of your discovering your own version of your own creativity I hope you’ll find them useful and I welcome feedback. Whether you are officially already on the path of the artist’s way or just beginning to test the theory, you will find some tips and suggestions to make the journey more joy-filled. How ’bout that idea? Walking along the path of the artist’s way with joy and ease and support!
If you are a pet owner, set aside some time to just observe how instinctively pets are creative. That little wad of paper becomes a ball, that piece of string, something to drag around and hide that paper clip a cause for leaping. If you’re fortunate enough to have a cat to hold, notice how you relax and more easily go into reverie when in the resting cat’s presence. It’s a version of ‘use what you’ve got’. If you’re jot a pet owner, consider an outing to the dog park or the rescue shelter to connect with the specialness a domestic animal can offer to boost your energy of creativity.
