This weekend I had a  little getaway with some friends.  Every year a group of us gather to adventure around different spots in Ontario on our bikes. This time we stayed at someone’s cottage near Georgian Bay.  It was lovely to be out in nature though the first day there was still a chill in the air (and ice washing in from Georgian Bay, pictured above). Luckily things warmed up and the sun came out in the second day.  Aside from gathering with friends who are like-minded (they are also helping professionals), taking things at a slower pace, made a world of difference. Conversations centred around the importance of simplifying life, and the weight of expectations on our happiness.

The ideal seems a dream, however, pieces of surrender to nature and creativity is the path.

Little steps add up. Neuropsychologist  Rick Hanson talks about savoring the happy moments to retrain our brain to fous on the positive.  I think we often take vacations or have getaways for this purpose to refresh, recharge, and get back on track.  However the reality is that if we don’t maintain this practice of savouring those happy moments on a daily basis, our bias to seek out what’s wrong can take over (this is the negativity bias that we have as humans). Negativity bias means we learn best from our negative experiences, so that is what we focus on.  It happens at a cost however, the cost of missing out on taking in fully our positive experiences.

It is so easy to get pulled into all that has to be done, planning for future instead of enjoying the present, thinking of one day things will be different.  However we have the power to use our creativity as a point of focus for life’s bliss. As creative beings we can create our lives in the moment through trusting the process, playing with art materials, creating visual stories and expressions of self.  Engaging in our creativity we engage actively and joyfully in life.

Though I love getaways (and the next one we have planned will be an art weekend with friends), the importance of incorporating a more regular practice of joyful engagement is something I feel is sustainable through creative practice. When I take time this way with my art expression such as art journaling, I notice that it spills over to other aspects of my day.  I look at the world through my creative wondering eyes more: I slow down and notice the beauty around me: butterflies flitting by, the sound of birds singing or calling, the colours of buds peeping through the ground and the sculptural arrangements of old trees, logs and vines. I savour the beauty around me more when I take time to play with my creativity.

We have choices. Choices about our focus, and some actions we can take. While we cannot go back in time and change what has already happened, it is nice to know that we can impact our present moment, and even future moments  by what we focus on.

And you, creative one, what ways can you maintain a balance?

Join me for some Art Journaling  as we gather with other creative souls to unconditionally savour the bliss of being our creative selves!