30.4.12
29.4.12
DAY 188
| given blessings: creativity II Everyday creativity is based on the assumption that we are all creative. It's not synonyms with artistic talent or professional skills, indeed is part of our true nature as we need to be creative and innovate in order to survive. So we can use this gift when we need to heal our lives by opening ourselves up to our inner voice As I said we´re all randomly creative (this is part of our adaptability) and also we can develop this proces intuitively, but if we want to do it more consciously, whe should taking into account the following issues: Choosing a medium. Even we are not talking about training as an artist, but about using our innate ability to create with the aim of knowing ourselves better and becoming clear about what´s going on our lives, we must see ourselves as creator. If we have made art before, this won´t be difficult, but if not, we should explore our memories and feelings Having what you need to start your practice. Time, a space where you can work, a storage place, and materials are basic. You won´t need full-time dedication, a big studio or lots of expensive stuff, only the essential and this will depend on the medium selected. Quite often, a few hours per month, just a simple table, a good lamp if we are planning work at night, and a box where to store our materials are enough Orienting ourselves to this new task. We all need inspiration and support, so if we are planning to start to create as part of our inner work, both things will be fundamental. Looking for books, web sites, on-line communities, taking a class, or sharing our interest with friends could be helpful Taking the first step from a place of trust, acceptance and non criticism. You are looking for inner peace, not for perfection. We have to go with the flow of our creativity, and let the process develops by itself. Instead of trying to control it or starting to analyze what we are creating, we should appreciate our performance in terms of clarity and wellbeing and mainly, witness its messages of change and transformation |
28.4.12
DAY 187
| given blessings: creativity I have talked about the idea of creativity as a healing practice before. Indeed, creating have been a powerful healing tool along my journey. According to my own experience regarding this issue, the creative process works in a double direction. When we start to heal, we change our vision, trough the change of our inner patterns. But, we can also redefine our inward scenery, changing the way we look at the world In both cases, creativity can play a basic role. First, helping us to improve self-knowledge, to go deeper into ourselves and to illustrate our finds. Second, helping us to train our gaze in order to make it much clearer and allowing us to give expression to a more sensible and healthy perspective that can be use as a "guide" or a way to feel inspired When I first started to use creativity during my healing process, I thought I could be useful as a breakout of a complex work, but soon I understood that it could be also a powerful way to clear my head and my emotions I have discovered that creating can have incredible benefits. No matter if I write down my journals, make collages, update my blog, take photographs, alter or restore furniture or develop a crafty task... I always end up not only revitalized, but also much more aware of what happening around me and inside me. It increases my relaxation, but mainly my discernment Along the years I have found out some ways to make this process even better, so now I have a good foundation from which to begin creating with a "healing aim" in mind. And even when a more informal approach is quite useful, this one which is more organized, is not complicated to learn or to carry on, either |
27.4.12
DAY 186
26.4.12
DAY 185
| my camera and me (a love story) When I look around through the lens of my camera, I find things that usually go unnoticed, things that I am not able to perceive sometimes because my everyday life is too hectic, so I can´t take time to notice subtle details, and often, because my mind is not only busy, but also filled with preconceptions about what is important and what is not. So, it allows me to: find beauty in the ordinary things realize the magnificence of life itself without additives or adornments marvel at the unexpected appearance of things become immerse in unknown places of my inner scenery become aware of my uniqueness claim my feelings develop reverence In short, it helps me to stay in touch with the present moment, to keep things in perspective and also, to represent them in a way that is true to my inner self Somehow, my camera mends my vision and makes it wider and due to this reason, it complements my inner work. I had started a healing process which included changing the way I look to world and life before I started to take photos, but I have discovered that this is an awesome way to go into it in deep and reinforcing its results. So now photography is part of my daily practice, indeed is a sort of meditation And as any other form of meditation, it helps me to look at things carefully and also, to focus my mind for self-consciousness purposes; it enhances my energy, develops my intuition and provides a sense of peace and joy. How couldn´t I love my camera?... |
25.4.12
DAY 184
24.4.12
DAY 183
23.4.12
DAY 182
22.4.12
DAY 181
21.4.12
DAY 180
20.4.12
19.4.12
DAY 178
18.4.12
DAY 177
17.4.12
DAY 176
16.4.12
DAY 175
| highly sensitive I have prayed for being a bit more absentminded most of my life. I´ve always had the sense that I have the ability to see , perceive and remember too much and don´t forget easily... which causes me the feeling that I am too sensitive to my environment and internal states The answer to my prayers came in an unexpected form. My journey hasn´t led me to be less perceptive, but to learn to focus my energy in the right direction, so I can be receptive without being so susceptible, vulnerable and prone to distortion Now I know that my ability to be responsive to subtle clues is indeed a gift even when my experiences and my own story, that have affected my personality in major ways, have turned it into something apparently problematic during some stages of my life. Once I understood that fact, I started to deal with my strong feelings (softening the negative emotions and empowering the positive ones) and to see myself in a more appreciative way. This has allowed me to realize that I can use this ability to achieve a higher degree of excellence in my work and personal life In fact, it makes me facile to evaluate things like mood of others or changes in my environment and act accordingly and, as I can be more accurate in my perceptions and I am not so easily affected by biases caused by a stereotyped way of thinking, I can also act strategically without problems So finally, I have found the positive side of the deep processing of what´s going on: intuition, efficiency, creativeness and conscientiousness note: If you think you can be a highly sensitive person, this link could help you |
15.4.12
DAY 174
14.4.12
DAY 173
13.4.12
DAY 172
12.4.12
DAY 171
| practicing patience II As far as I am concerned, patience has to do with our ability to focus on life as it is and, therefore, is also about staying present and giving things mindful attention. These are things that help me to cultivate it: I make “unproductive” activities, in particular I spend time in nature and I observe how nature takes its time to complete its own cycles I am learning to slow down, this is making easier to appreciate and honor the present moment… the moment where life occurs I devote myself to creative projects (like this blog), and I let them grow without rushing them. I enjoy watching how they evolve, the process, instead of being eager to finish them I am learning to give other persons (either my students, my husband, or my relatives and friends) space to unfold creatively, following their thoughts and feelings and making things their way. I try not to criticize or reprimand them sharply when they are wrong or simply, are doing things in a different way than me. This is quite difficult as I am prone to rebuke, but I say to myself, this is not the way I would do this, so what? I live with two cats. Pets are great patience trainers (like children), not only because they put our tolerance to the test, but because they show us how to be truly unresentful and benevolent I take photographs, and lately I am thinking about deliberate compositions which demands certain light and I don´t move forward too fast Last, but not least, when I am doing any of these things and I notice that I am becoming impatience, I ask to myself: what´s the hurry? and remember that patience allows me to seize the present moment |
11.4.12
DAY 170
| practicing patience Even when I am a persevering person, I steadfast in my aims and I don´t get frustrated easily, which could suggest that I am patient, the true is that patience have two sides, one related to our ability to keep on going no matter the circumstances and other one, which is much more related to the acceptance of life as it is I don´t know if every person who is good at the first one, is not so good at the second one (and vice versa), or this is only my case, but I´ve been dealing most of my life with my resistance to accept when perseverance haven´t given me any problem at all Indeed, I´ve had to work hard to learn to tolerate everyday setbacks, which make arise impatience, and the annoyance which often come with it, and prevent me from experiencing a true sense of serenity This work has allowed me to act more mindfully and mainly, to improve my relationships with other persons and with myself. This happens because when anger is turned off, the demanding attitude turns out tempered, and a wiser and compassionate side of me is enabled to come to light As usual, this has demanded a regular practice: Of course, the proverbial advices about this issue, consisting of counting to ten or going to another place, usually work well. When we are impatient is important to step back from ire and hostility, and this is a good way to do it, because we dissociate our impulse from our actions But it is much better to train ourselves to become less impatient. If we do such thing, we will observe changes in our behavior and as time goes by, the decrease of the triggering circumstances for anger. Therefore, we have to start to do things that call for our patience and keep on trying, till we get better, this is, till we be able to be present while we are doing (if not, it´s a false patience) . It can sound simple or paradoxical, but indeed is a good way to own and transform our difficulties In my case they are things that help me to deal with my tendency to want life to be different right now and don´t let it develop following its own pace |
10.4.12
DAY 169
9.4.12
8.4.12
DAY 167
7.4.12
DAY 166
6.4.12
DAY 165
5.4.12
DAY164
4.4.12
DAY 163
3.4.12
DAY 162
2.4.12
DAY 161
1.4.12
DAY 160
| circling around creativity This is my photo-heart connection of this month. I love taking photographs, this is a belated love which constantly oscillates between my fondness for everyday themes and random photos from inside my home and my need to explore the outdoors world (in particular, nature) and even myself This photo illustrates this swinging love: old books and shells coexist peacefully in my house and surround me, proving not only my tastes, but the way I like to live. It manages to portray my mood and feelings. And it has also an extra ingredient: it shows an incipient liking for still-lifes that involve a more studied composition I´ve been done this for a some time now, but lately I have started to feel more confident while I am creating compositions that are more deliberate and consciously done, where I arrange items, I look for certain light and mood and I play freely with symmetry, proportion, balance, harmony and so on... My love for photography has allowed me to portray my life in a way that I wouldn´t have ever imagined. Photos are complementary to my writings and allow me to go through my feelings and thoughts, indeed they enhance each other. But this new phase in this process of development is allowing me to connect with a dimension of photography that I haven´t investigate in detail before which is much more related to artistic creation itself I have the feeling that this close a sort of circle... because now I can not only depict the world as it is (or as I see it), but I am also aware of my capacity to recreate a new world of my own |
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