Finding Pleasure with Your Creative Expression

There is a marvelous phrase in the post polio community coined by Dr. Richard Bruno, chairman of the Post Polio Task Force about vampire bait no more. Everyone can have a tendency to become vampire bait; we learn to become people pleasers in an attempt to feel whole and worthy. It is difficult to say no and a challenge to not take on other people’s problems believing in our own omnipotence and need to control. We allow others to suck on our life’s energy derailing us from our own hopes, dreams, desires and ability to take good care of ourselves.
I am experiencing a flare up of a disc/nerve condition in my cervical spine, Exploring why this area is vulnerable I realized that the area of my neck affected is where a vampire would bite to drain life’s energy. I went for an MRI and am working with Western medicine to bring about the best possible outcome. I need to be incredibly kind to myself understanding why this area is vulnerable, using visualization, meditation and prayer, and to allow my ‘master magicians’ (God and my physician) to help me with healing. There are steps I need to take to put distance between myself and others’ drama. I can be loving and supportive but it is crucial that I protect myself from being bitten by the fangs of the drama vampire. While I cannot rescue another, I can surround them with loving prayers. If I am feeling resentment about what ‘they are doing to me’ (and in fact it is not they who are doing something but how I allow their behaviors to affect me) then I am not free to love them and express my gratitude that they are giving me the opportunity to grow. I am grateful for the challenge they present in my life because it allows me to shed the beliefs which no longer serve me and to choose a higher path for myself. It is a blessing to move from vampire victim to fullness of life. With love and faith we can be pulled out of the muck and mire of vampire drama into God’s love and light.

The MRI

Pounding, clanging lying still
Eyes closed and shallow breath
A time to move toward light with God
or fear impending death?
Ego wants to win the flight
Panic GET ME OUT!
Spirit knows let go, let God
Release all fear and doubt.
Transcend the tube all limits gone
The Spirit flying free
Beyond all wild imaginings, the best is yet to be.

Mary McManus, a post polio survivor, Boston Marathon finisher and author of “New World Greetings:Inspirational Poetry and Musings for a New World” can be reached via her website at www.newworldgreetings.com. Mary generously donates 20% of book proceeds to the Spaulding Rehab International Rehab Center for Polio and Post Polio. Finding Pleasure with Your Creative Expression18880Finding Pleasure with Your Creative ExpressionThe creative urge lives within us all. It rumbles and bubbles up often like an underwater spring feed stream. When we say YES to the impulse the urge to do something with it, you will already have taken the first step to play with your creative self. That my friend is the first practice in becoming more creative and probably the one most overlooked or under valued. The response is to say yes to the urge and watch what happens.

Help your creativity flow by watching and listening for your internal bubbles of brilliance and say yes to keep it flowing.

There is no perfect or magic formula and there are ways to practice. Here are five playful practices to move you closer to your YES.

Set aside time each day to tap into your creative self. Yes, it sort of seems counter intuitive that you would have to schedule creativity time and you do. So mark your calendar and set aside creativity time for yourself each day to make sure that it happens. Write, dream, bake a cake, build a snowman, draw a picture just start somewhere, and tap into the place inside of you that wants to make something new.

Give yourself permission to make a mess and screw up. Oh how many artists could attest to this one? Creativity is messy. Let go of your inner critic and make room for not getting it right. Whatever right is?

Give yourself over to the process. Your inner muse wants to have fun. Let the dance of creativity start and stop and begin again sometime incorporating the mess and sometimes with a new page. There is no perfect answer…just keep trusting your daring spirit inside of you.

Follow YOUR natural instinct to create and play. This often means that you have to tune the outside world out. We can get stuck trying to do theproper thing and follow the guidelines of the outside world and we end up trying too hard to fit in and create some one else’s way. This leads tomore of the same old same old, how boring. With this sort of response going on we can start to feel tired and bored. Colour outside of the Lines!!

LISTEN to the small nudges that your creative self gives you and respond with a YES. We all have those little nudges and we can tend to dismiss them and not listen or respond. Our inner creativity goddess is always offering up suggestions to how she would like to be in your world.

LET go of any expectations. This practice makes space for having to get it right. Give that up before you start and see where the process takes you. More importantly tap into your feelings along the way. Are you engaged? Are you having fun? Has time sort of stood still? Is there a smile on your face? Is your body relaxed and enjoying itself too! Is your breathing deep and relaxed? All these are great signs that you have said yes to the process and not to any rigid expectations.

When you fall in love with your own creativity and creativity process the world falls in love with you. YES!

We all find pleasure in very unique ways when it comes to our creativity. What matters most is that you continue to say YES to find more pleasure through your creative outlets. This will be the source of filling your bucket more positive energy your way. Kind of neat actually, the more fun you have with your creativity the more pleasure you will derive. And the more you will create and give out to the world.

Teresa O’Neill, CPCC, PCC, the founder of Become A Women Soaring, champions and supports hectic yet successful business women to claim their own personal pleasure point. When you work with Teresa you will learn that you must mix business with pleasure. Her motto is “Play powerfully, Work with Ease, and Feel the Flow”. Teresa has empowered many women to celebrate their success and create even more space for their personal pleasure while running their business. Learn more at http://www.womansoaring.com