Understanding how to find flow in our daily life is like harnessing a superpower. It’s the holy grail for anyone who wants to feel and perform at their best.
When I am in flow, whether dancing, painting, swimming or doing yoga, all feels good in the world. Time seems to stretch and relax. I am energised and feel grateful, light-hearted and free. My body and mind feel powerful and in tune, delighting in the rhythm of the moment. The mood-enhancing chemicals that flood my whole system enhance my sense of well-being, leaving me glowing and happy.
And the super exciting news is that flow is something anyone can cultivate. It is not the purview of the few, of artists, musicians, elite athletes or extreme sportspeople. This state of being is possible for everyone. Rather than it being a mystical, fleeting or illusive experience, flow relies on a few preconditions that we can affect and even repeat.
The first of these is connection. Connecting involves deep, intimate relationships within and beyond ourselves. As we ground into connection with ourselves as spirit, mind and body we anchor into our personal values, significance and compassionate self-awareness. We become present to our environment, nature and our shared humanity with others. Connecting enables us to be mindfully present, embrace vulnerability, trust our intuition and show up in the world with authenticity. Creative flow relies on this centred, connected attentiveness and receptivity.
The second is curiosity. Curiosity is the ability to wonder and to be receptive to novel ideas and new experiences. It enables us to pay attention to our present moment, without critical judgement or anxiety. Curiosity is essential to play, problem-solving and embracing risk, lateral and divergent thinking. It enables us to feel ‘inspiration’ to be intrigued and feel motivated to create something unique in response to an experience or a challenge.
And the third is courage. Courage is an essential ingredient to creative exploration and innovation. It takes courage and grit to persist with creative processes that defy cultural norms of value based on utility. In the face of criticism, struggle or indifference, engaging in a creative activity that does not seem easy, financially beneficial or immediately useful requires perseverance, commitment to personal values and clarity of vision. It can feel tempting to trawl social media seeking validation, to draw unhelpful comparisons and listen to critics that ultimately don’t count. Without courage working together with connection and curiosity we can languish in procrastination or apathy, be caught in perfectionism, anxiety or even shame. It takes courage to face our fears of failure and uncertainty and to cross the threshold from the known to the unknown place of creative growth and innovation.
Over the past few years, my resolve to keep showing up as an artist has been sorely tested. Despite faltering, I have persisted. It has been both incredibly demanding and rewarding. I learned to better understand myself and the process of cultivating creative flow, amidst this challenge. I learned to intentionally engage in practices that set me up to be my best self in my studio.
Some of this you may already have gleaned from my other emails. However, I’d like to offer you more of my gold in person, at a 2-day retreat next month. On the 20th and 21st of May, I will be leading a retreat here, in my Lower Blue Mountains studio and the surrounding bushland. Combining all aspects of my practice, including movement, contemplative walking, journaling, breath work, poetry and of course painting and other artistic exploration. This is the first time I am offering this kind of immersive experience. I’m both excited and a little nervous to be stepping into this space as it’s right at the heart of who I am and what I value. Fortunately, my desire to inspire, motivate and equip you and others overcomes the fear that might otherwise hold me back!
If this piques your interest, I’d love you to give me a call or shoot me an email. The retreat will bring together a small group of like-minded people to explore, play, breathe deeply and dive into joy. I guarantee you will leave feeling renewed in energy, grounded and relaxed.
