Conscious Creativity – Slow Painting for Pleasure

Creativity is such a beautiful expression of who we are, of our energy, imagination, thoughts, ideas and being. In my book, I name creativity through the arts, as a ‘Language of the Feminine’ as it’s a form of expression that communicates ‘more’ of ourselves in often non-linear ways.

“…the soul has a myriad ways of transmitting its knowledge” – Aphrodite’s Daughters – Jalaja Bonheim.

Our knowledge can be transmitted through our words, through a look, a gesture, a building design, a painting…in every movement – we express something about who we are and what we know.

Conscious creativity means channelling that creative energy into a deliberate project that results in something tangible – it’s the marriage of masculine and feminine when we create something that ‘contains’ or ‘holds’ the energy of what we wish to express.

My own conscious creations and expression of ideas and imagination have been born through the arts; writing, music, painting, dancing and movement, courses, workshops, jewellery and 3D design.

Some of these creations come quickly from idea to expression depending on the form, and some marinade for a while, or return after some time. My book took 4.5 years to write, edit and design and some of my jewellery design pieces took 2 hours from concept to creation. The point is, that our relationships with different creative projects and mediums require a unique form of relating and attention from us, just as our relationships with each person that we know do.

Body-Connected Creativity

I like to have a few creative projects on the go at one time that combine body-connected creativity (when I use my body in the creation, like painting, making, movement or hosting a workshop with others) and energy/imagination/mental creativity (like writing a book, or a blog post and expressing thoughts).

One such form of body-connected creativity, I have named ‘Slow Painting’ and ‘Slow Art’. This involves working on one or two paintings over a long period of time, and often synced to the rhythm of my menstrual cycle (I’ll be sharing more on creativity in relationship with our menstrual cycles soon:-). 

The story of each painting begins with a vision and then slowly emerges over time. There’s no rush, or immediacy; it’s a story, and stories take time to tell. Time to weave the detail, to take pleasure in the slowness, the surprises and sense of completion.

What creative stories have you been weaving over time?
Are your body-connected forms of creativity balanced with the mental forms you create? If not, think about how you can weave a tactile and slow creation process into your daily living for the pleasure and joy of it.