Blocked creatives spend a lot of time thinking about all the things they want to do but can’t. In early recovery we begin to think of all the things we want to do but don’t. In order to recover as a blocked artist and make it last, we need to alter the way we think. ‘We need to move out of the head and into a body of work (Julia Cameron).’
To be creative, we need action, which must be physical, but also meditative. This is when exercise comes in to assist us on our journey of recovery. Twenty minutes a day is all that is required. You may walk, run, cycle or workout. Keep in mind the goal is to give the mind a workout rather than the body, so find an exercise that works for YOU.
Personally, I find going to the gym or a bike ride works for me. It is a time when the working day has finished. During this period I can relax and clear my mind of the days events. In between workouts, I often gaze outside the window into a beautiful view of snowcapped mountains in winter, or rust colored leaves in fall. In this time, my mind is wandering, creativity is reborn every time, and problems are solved.
As a result of exercise, you may find yourself left with a natural high, leaving you feeling energized and ready for creativity. ‘From stagnation to inspiration, from problem to solution, from self-pity to self respect. We do learn by going. We learn we are stronger that we thought. We learn to look at things with a new perspective (Julia Cameron)’ That is the gift we receive from exercise.
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I read this same passage this morning after I mused in my MP that I hadn’t been looking at the tasks for this week. With pleasure I noted that I had started going to the gym about the same time I started the TAW course and in just the past few weeks have started a water workout, something very new to me, a non-swimmer and thus, slightly water-phobic. But long before any of that, I’ve been a walker up at the local middle school around the football field and at home on my treadmill. I called it my walking meditation and I often spent the time either sorting something out or developing some really wonderful daydreams. It’s amazing how physical action can silence the babble in your head and allow something much wanted through.
I find walking really helps. Really, long rambling walks. I did a four hour one with my two-year old (he was in a “baby-jogger”) the other day and that was great. I wandered into a small art galleryI always take my camera with me and because time is at a premium for me, I consider these my artist’s date.