Sparking The Fire Of Creativity Through Sound.

When I'm inspired creatively, words flow through me like the electricity lights the bulb, as if by magic. When I'm inspired, words light up the pages of my notebooks, my pen tapping to the rhythm of my inner poetry. But when I'm blocked, the page is blank, the ukulele collects dust and the songs lay dormant in my throat.

There was a moment recently where I let the page be blank. I waited for the spark to strike, and I thought to myself, when will this creative block end?

And then I started to sing. Without the spark, I just started to sing again because I knew it was the right thing to do. I started to sing  & write, and then I started to sing & write every day. The singing became the spark, and my inner pages lit up again with prose.

Sometimes we wait until the perfect moment to begin a project, to make something happen, or to be happy. Because of our conditioning, we are always waiting for something to come and make us happy.

When people say happiness comes from within, it is not that we're waiting for the day happiness crawls out of us like a sleeping giant, but when we feel unhappy, we can do the things that cultivate feelings of happiness. It takes practice. This is why Yoga is a practice.

Yoga teaches us that the only thing constant is change itself. So one day the sun is shining, and we're happy and the next day there is rain and so we're gloomy. The uncontrollable forces of nature seem to have so much control over our lives. But I don't just give away my power that easily anymore.

I know, as a creative life coach, and vocalist that singing scientifically produces the chemicals and hormones necessary for feelings of happiness. It's been proven in many studies that singing brings happiness. So why resist singing? What in us resists happiness?

We tend to hold on to certain conditioning. Our experiences shape us, they leave a lasting mark on our subconscious long after the experience has passed. In Yoga, these mental impressions are known as Samskaras. These mental impressions affect the neural pathways of the brain and habituate us to certain ways of being, and attitudes.

 Samskaras are like deep grooves that keep us walking down the same path. When you've gone on a hike that is well known and well hiked, there is a pathway or a groove in the earth from being walked on many times. This is the Samskara.

Sometimes we walk down that same pathway without awareness if it is even the best way to go. Traveling off the beaten path is a creative way to move, and takes bravery.  

Our past experiences have created patterns of behavior and as we continually walk those patterns we deepen the groove until we're walking in a ditch and can't see our way out. Do we stay in the ditch or do we ask for help? We do not have to stay in any situation or emotional state that feels like being buried. But we may need help in identifying our Samskaras, limiting beliefs and unhealthy habits that are preventing us from flowing freely in our creative nature. Sometimes we just need someone to sing with.

I understand that creativity naturally ebbs and flows. But for a singer, too long without singing is like a bird staying too long on the ground. As a human, as a creature of this earth, it is your divine right to both sing and be happy, and so why not do both. Why wait until you're neck-deep in the sand to decide to change?

 Ready to activate the spark of creativity within you?

Receive my free guided meditation for creative activation here and activate the creative centers in your brain in under 10 minutes.