Solitude: Creativity's Best Friend

 

“Solitude is creativity’s best friend, and solitude is refreshment for our souls.” ~Naomi Judd

In her 1992 groundbreaking work, The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron speaks eloquently about her relationship with the divine, the muse, spirit, the universe, God—whatever name you wish to give it. Cameron is unapologetically convinced that all one has to do is show up with an open heart and an open mind, and the creative process will unfold in magical ways.

I have unfolded and flown on creative wings enough times to endorse Cameron’s claims. Spirit can and will move you to create if and when you allow it a place of honor in your life. But it won’t reveal its secrets when you're flitting from one Saturday errand to the next. Nor will it feel welcome when you're belly-up to a bar surrounded by loud patrons. You must make welcome this mystical experience.

Originally used by the Quakers, the phrase, "When the spirit moves me," acknowledges an active relationship and reliance upon a higher power. Quakers believe that they do not need a mediator, a priest, pastor, or the eucharist or water baptism in order to interact with the divine. Theirs is a hotline straight to God. Back to Cameron,

"We are, ourselves, creations. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being creative ourselves."

How to access this wellspring, this fount of creative genius? Allow yourself quiet, uninterrupted time. Stop. Stay. Listen. Allow yourself to be moved, to be whispered to in unimaginable ways. You will hear a still small voice beckoning you to follow, to explore, to stretch, to reach, to create. Don't deny yourself the magical connection between you and the divine. Some days when I'm tempted to give my muse short shrift, I imagine her sitting in a corner watching me, waiting for me to notice her, waiting for me to pull up a chair. If I dash out the door without honoring her presence, I imagine her smile fading as I once again deny her existence, her generous offering. 

"But Carol," the pushback begins, "I don't have a creative bone in my body. I don't paint, dance, act, write poetry, or make music." Dear hearts, your life is your masterpiece; your very existence warrants creative vigor and expression. We are all gifted; don't be one of the people who never opens their package.

As the late metaphysician, Wayne Dyer, once said, "Don't die with the music still in you."

(Curious about the practical benefits of meditation? Join me on Sunday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm EST and Friday mornings at 8:00am EST. https://www.heygo.com/the-footloose-muse)