Let's talk about creativity, a subject that is so omnipresent in my personal life, from my love relationships to friendships and as a workshop facilitator. But to be fair, it wasn't always this way. Creativity wasn't always present or the main focus in my life. Throughout my life, I have buried this creative life force deep inside me, and it took me until my early 20s to re-discover it. It felt like I found a precious diamond, that was only waiting for me to explore its infinite depths. All its edges reflect a whole universe, where I can get lost inside to rediscover different parts of myself. This is a story of bravery, as it takes courage to gauge inside your own shadows, feeling your suppressed emotions, and underlying traumas and understand the subconscious conditioning.
All of it is for the rediscovery of the most precious thing of all - your beautiful self.
Creativity is the pulsating life force, the energy within all of us, and not only this- it is everywhere around us! Look around you, the wind in the trees, the movement of the ocean, the clouds passing by in the sky. All of these wonderful shapes around us, are like us, a part of this creative life force, the underlying architect of all that is. But also for the non-holistic people who read this article, creativity is in your mind. It is how we see and define things and interact with this world. For example, you can be with 10 people in a room and look at the same picture, yet no two people see things the same way, even if they're looking at the same object or scene. Everyone's perception is unique, and this is what fuels their creative expression
Being creative doesn't necessarily mean you have to sit down and make art, you can be creative in infinite ways, there are no boundaries - the only boundary is the one that we create in our minds. We don't have to be active to be a creator, we can passively enjoy creativity and let our imagination play with it. Most of us enjoy music, yet not everyone is a musician. However music can help us to get into a flow state, the essence of a creative activity. We will explore the flow state in a later chapter of this blog post, but for now let's say it's the state where we are flowing, the timeless moment where you feel like you are in tune with the whole universe. When you are creating, it is like you are opening the channels to receive whatever comes through, without restricting yourself to the limitations of your mind. Creativity is purity, it is something that is beyond definition - it is neither good nor bad, it is an in-between state. It is like the dew on a cold morning on the leaves of the plants or the grass, appearing seemingly out of nowhere and disappearing without even noticing it. The fleeting moment of lovers gazing into each other's eye, the eternity created in this moment. There are many ways to harness this energy, to open ourselves up to it and let it into our hearts, so it can transform and heal us and be a healer for humanity. To be creative doesn't restrict or define, it simply is - which in itself is a beautiful metaphor for life, because we are conditioned to believe, that we need to be somewhere else than here right now. Especially in a society, that drills us to be productive and high achievers, we need to understand that there is no rush to be anywhere else than in this moment. No evidence suggests that you are not right on time. It is so beautiful to know that this creative energy is always within, waiting for us to explore it.
We are always where we are supposed to be.
What does it mean to be an Artist?
Have you ever stopped and asked yourself this question? In one of our recent workshops "Art on the Dancefloor" we asked this question to our community and discussed it in a partner exercise, followed by sitting in a circle where we would share our insights. What we discovered is that creativity isn't just about making art—creativity is a way of living your life, it is how you approach every day, how you interact in conversations, and how you shape your daily routines.
You can harness your creative energy in countless ways, whether experimenting in the kitchen with new recipes and ingredients or thoughtfully designing a space that feels right for you. Creativity is about mindfulness—it’s about diving into what you love and allowing yourself to be fully absorbed in the process. It’s not about the final product; it’s about expressing yourself in a way that feels authentic to you. Tap into your individual creative energy and express it in whatever way suits you.
Being an Artist means viewing the world with a sense of wonder and curiosity. We need to observe the world around us carefully and become aware of our emotions and feelings, as Art is a reflection of those observations. Be explorative and ready to make mistakes along the journey, learning from them and integrating the lessons you've learned into your life in meaningful ways creates wisdom. We are all part of the creative pulse that birthed all of existence. How we view, interpret, and experience life through our senses is art.
There is no one answer to this, Art is everything that feels right for you
Journal prompts:
How do you express your inner Artist?
Reflect on the different ways you tap into your creativity. What activities allow you to feel most connected to your artistic side?
In which moments do you feel the most creative?
Think about the times or environments where your creativity flows most easily. What conditions inspire your creative energy?
How can you incorporate more of these creative moments into your daily life?
Now that you've figured out in which situations you are most creative and the environments that trigger your creativity, how can you integrate them mindfully into your daily schedule?
Flowstate - the timeless moment
Have you ever experienced a moment, where time doesn't seem to exist? You were in the zone and enjoyed the process you were in, and it felt like you had become fully immersed in the process. I guess we all have experienced this state in one way or the other. In this so-called flow state our mind clears, our mental chatter quietens and we are able to perform at our best. It is almost like a trance-like experience, which mostly happens if we do something challenging, which is a little bit out of our comfort zone, meaning we have to stretch ourselves a little to reach it. Yet it is not too difficult, otherwise we'd lose the motivation quickly and would quit. As we push past our familiar boundaries and explore new creative paths, we find ourselves in a flow state, where we get fully absorbed in the moment.
It is a fleeting experience where you perceive oneness, time stands still and you are completely focused on what you are doing. Your mind, body and spirit work harmoniously, which allows this creative energy to flow freely through you and create effortless momentum.
As we drift into this state, it is almost like our ego dissolves. There is no I or mine involved in this present moment, which can be a very liberating experience. We allow this creative energy to flow freely through us. Be grateful that we can connect with this pulsating force. It is precious to find such a beautiful moment, where you can be in harmony with life. There are no distractions, no place you'd rather be. If you have meditated you've noticed the similarities between a flow state and a mindful exercise like meditating. In meditation this state is called "No mind", a state where you are in the present, you don't identify with any thoughts, and you are experiencing oneness in the present moment. There is no attachment, no ownership, you are a vehicle of the Divine passing through you.
The Flowstate is a moment of purity, unification of the creative energy and detachment from all mental distractions, you are in sync with the rhythms of nature.
What can we do to enter a flow state?
Create an environment without distractions. Cleaning your workspace allows your mind to be more present on the task ahead. Turn the notifications off your phone and put it in a different room. Wear noise-cancelling headphones if you are easily distracted by sounds.
Practice mindfulness: As meditation creates a similar experience as in the flow state, it makes sense to practice mindfulness. Not only is it calming and gives your mind time to process, you are training your mind to be more resilient, and become more aware and clearer about your intentions. With a clear intention, you can navigate through your life with more purpose.
Being open to challenges: As Einstein quotes:"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Try something new, if you are at the gym try a bit more weight or new exercises. If you paint, experiment with colours that you have never used before or when you make music or practice an Instrument, try out new scales and if they are too complex, break them down into small steps.
Have no expectations: I believe that when we try to push towards something, it seems like we are getting attached to a concept in our minds. As a flow state is a mindless, effortless action, you want to give yourself time to ease into it. Embrace curiosity and allow it to happen naturally.
Do things you love: This is a bulletproof way to get in the zone. Focus on doing what you love, and you’ll naturally find yourself in a state of flow. When you’re truly passionate about something, your mind locks in, and you become fully immersed in the task at hand without even trying
How does creativity improve your life quality?
Art is therapeutic, through engaging in a creative task we are connecting with our highest self. We strip away all the conceptualised themes that we are telling ourselves and engage with the presence of this moment. Art can help you to work through negative events in your life. Several studies have also found that expressive writing, which requires participants to narrate an event and explain how it affected them — can help people to overcome trauma and manage negative emotions. Writing about traumatic, stressful or emotional events has been found to result in improvements in both physical and psychological health.
In my personal life, I have found that through writing I can broaden my perspective and zoom in to events that triggered my emotions. It helps me to understand the mechanics of my mind better and learn to sense the emotions that were brought up. When we stay objective and do not identify with these emotions, we can feel the energetic impact that these emotions have on our bodies. Through meditation, we realise that everything is impermanent, and through not reacting we can release this energy from our body, which breaks the karmic chain of action and reaction.
Through creativity, we can express our emotions and break out of the cyclic nature of our thoughts. In our daily life, we are doing a lot of tasks on autopilot. That’s our brain’s way of making life easier by reducing the effort needed for routine tasks.
The problem is, if we are making our decisions on autopilot, we give our power away to our habits. But here comes the trick; by engaging creatively in a task, we allow our brain to form new pathways, also called Neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to reorganise itself by forming new neural connections.
By pushing our comfort zone and engaging in a creative task that might seem difficult at the start, we are priming our brains to grow in a positive way!
Through engaging collectively in a creative task, we create a sense of unity, working together with the same goal of pure expression. Creative pursuits such as Writing, Drawing, Crafting or music-making have been linked to improved mood, and cognitive performance as they require problem-solving skills and flexible thinking. Sharing this experience in a safe container is one of the gifts we are able to share in our workshops.
I hope that this article is useful to you and you find ways to express your inner artist. It makes life so much more colourful. I am grateful and feel honoured that you took the time for yourself to read this article and you may share your ideas with others. which might spark their creativity too.
With love & gratitude
Yannik
Comments