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The best books on creativity and spirituality
I love a good book list, so this week I’m doing another roundup of the books that I can’t live without! Recently I did a post on my favorite books about Ayurveda, so this time I want to share my favorite books on creativity and being an artist. Specifically, all these books have a spiritual component. Then again – I can’t imagine a book on creativity that doesn’t, to some degree! The authors of these books know that creativity is a mystery. But that doesn’t mean that aren’t things we can do to welcome more of that mystery into our lives! I find so much inspiration in the pages of…
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Ojas: how to build resilience as an artist
One of the most beautiful concepts in Ayurveda is the concept of ojas. Sometimes called the body’s natural nectar or honey, ojas is the most refined essence of everything we take in to our bodies. After nutrients from our food are used to nourish all layers of our tissues, what’s left is ojas. Ojas is related to immunity and resilience. When our ojas is high, we are not so easily swayed by outer circumstances. We are strong mentally and physically, and don’t often get sick. If we do, our ojas will help us to bounce back fairly quickly. As an artist, building and conserving ojas is absolutely crucial to the…
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Ama: how to clear writer’s block the Ayurvedic way
If you’ve ever attempted to write anything, you’ve probably experienced writer’s block at some point. I’m having it right now actually, but I’m going to get through it… And in this piece I’m going to show you how I do it. I was recently listening to an interview with one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Phoebe Bridgers, on the podcast Song Exploder. Host Hrishikesh Hirway asks Phoebe if she’s ever experienced writer’s block. Phoebe laughs before replying, “Yes, I feel like I experience it 100 percent of the time.” Even the most prolific and gifted artists among us seem to suffer from this dreaded syndrome. Where do these blocks come from?…
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Agni: how to stoke the fires of your creativity
Digestion is considered to be a “sacred fire” in Ayurveda. The ancient Ayurvedic texts refer to this fire as agni. Attending to our agni is one of the best things we can do for our health. As my teacher Katie Silcox writes in her book Healthy Happy Sexy, “The best food on the planet can’t help you if you don’t have the digestive fire to transform and assimilate what you are putting in your body.” Addressing digestive issues is traditionally the first place you would start when working with an Ayurvedic practitioner. But be warned; this isn’t your typical article on ways to strengthen your digestion! What made me fall…
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Recovering from perfectionism
“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough.” – Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way On long summer days, is it easy for you to find time to relax and let the worries of the world melt away? Or do you find yourself working even longer hours at your computer, driving yourself to accomplish as much as possible? As the hot, sharp qualities of pitta rise in the summer, we may find ourselves getting more intense, judgmental, or critical of our own work. I’ve previously written about ways…
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How tuning into the natural rhythms of the day can support creativity
This week I want to give you another tool to support your workflow and creative process. Just as the doshas are present in different ways in each of us, the energies of the different doshas “rule” different times of the day. If we can work with this natural cycle of energy on a daily basis, rather than against it, we can start to feel like our work is unfolding naturally, rather than something we always feel like we’re pushing against. Before getting into this, I have to make a confession. I am one of those people who is obsessed with scheduling, and I always have it in the back of…
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What’s your creativity type? How the doshas can help you understand your creative process
What is a dosha anyway? If you know a little about Ayurveda, you might have heard of the doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha. Doesn’t ring a bell? Don’t worry, I’m going to dive into a little Ayurveda 101 here. Some people might think of the doshas as different body types, or body/mind types, but this is not exactly the best way to approach it. The doshas are a combination of elements that form energy patterns. These patterns are present in nature and in our own bodies. The doshas can cause things to go out of balance within us, clouding our true nature. But they are not inherently negative — understanding…
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Special Mother’s Day interview: a life in pursuit of creative connection
In my exploration of the relationship between health and creativity, I couldn’t think of anyone better to turn to for insight than my mom: actor, writer and teacher, Ethelyn Friend. I’ve watched her path as an artist and performer unfold throughout my life, and also seen her face addiction and other health issues as I was growing up. This interview gave me a chance to talk about some of this in a new light and hear how those challenges affected her creative work. When I was a young child, my mother created a one-woman theater piece, Songs My Grandmothers Taught Me, in which she explored the lives of her two…
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Keep the channel open – five cleansing practices to support creativity
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to…
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Five ways to spark inspiration when you’re stuck at home
We are all living different lives right now due to COVID-19. We are trying to adjust to the new normal. There are ups and downs. Some days, I feel like I’ve cracked the code on this stay-at-home life, and other days, everything feels like it’s falling apart and I don’t know why. I have to remind myself – this is not normal life! I’ve been keeping myself to a pretty strict routine, scheduling my work/meals/exercise for each day, perhaps to make up for lack of external schedules that I am used to. It had been going well, but the past week I found myself feeling drained and uninspired. This shouldn’t…