The Fertile Unknown

Interview with Thrivable World about Creative Practice and Emergence

I am delighted to have been interviewed by Michelle Holliday of Thrivable World - and author of The Age of Thrivabilty - about creative practice and emergence. It's the first of 4 conversations with various practitioners in her series on Creative Practice. Interview here:

https://thrivableworld.mn.co/posts/interview-with-michelle-james-the-center-for-creative-emergence 

We are so much more than human thinkers; we’re human be-ers, create-ers, and engage-ers.

Giving Your Creative Gifts to the World in the Face of Fear, Doubt, or Envy

"If you give your gifts, people will be envious. The ones who are envious are the ones who are not giving their own gifts." ~ Micheal Meade

This theme just came up in a coaching session with a client last Friday (who has a family member having a hard time with her emergence) and is one of the things that can happen when you cultivate your creative source and start to bring your unique soul's gifts into the world, so it is worth mentioning here. The truth is some people in your life may be envious of your creative process unfolding as you begin to create and produce what's yours to do. That's only because they not in touch with, or fully expressing, their own unique gifts and path. Or, they may be used to relating to you in one way, and now are unsure how to connect with the more "vibrant" energized you. It's really not personal, even though it can feel that way.

When someone is not using their own gifts, they may criticize, belittle, or otherwise negate yours to try to bring you down, even pull away from you, or just feel bad around you without knowing why. At some point in every emergence process, someone you know will be uncomfortable when you follow your aliveness, and how they act depends on who they are and how their own inner feeling of disconnection or fear is related to why they're not cultivating and using their own gifts.

This may bring up feelings in you of sadness, anger, guilt or some way of contracting to try to make them feel better - some people even block their own creative process. The best thing you can do for that person - and  yourself - is to bring forth your gifts anyway, no matter what, because most people you know won't feel bad or envious...they'll be inspired! Seeing you create and produce something new in the world often inspires them to bring out their own gifts. So don't focus on the the nay-sayers (which creates contraction energy), but instead focus on those you serve or desire to serve (which generates expansion energy) - those who will benefit - by you bringing out your creatively unique gifts into the world.

And if you ever find yourself feeling envious of anyone else, take some time to delve into why. Listen underneath the uncomfortable feelings for the real longing of your inner creative voice. The cure for that discomfort is to find and cultivate what is uniquely yours to give and offer in your unique way. In that, there can never be a comparison, and therefore no reason to feel envious. Your creative source contains what's unique to you. It needs you to not focus on the other person, and just focus inward into yourself. You can turn any feelings of envy, doubt, or fear into a creative invitation to focus on your own aliveness.

It's never too late to bring your magic into the world. People need that more than ever. And people you don't even know yet will come out of the woodwork and will be grateful for what you have to offer. There is no short cut, but you are worth the time, space, and attention for the journey of your creative self and creative soul.

Michelle James ©2020

Life as Improv: Opportunity for Creative Discovery as We Go

Creativity for Staying Grounded in Uncertainty and the Unknown

In times of huge unknowns, with much we have no control over, one of the things that lightens the intensity is creatively focusing on the things we CAN control...like getting out in nature, creative arts and crafts, drawing, painting, moving our bodies to music we like, watching funny videos or comedy specials, meditating, journaling, cooking, playing games, online improv, designing business offerings, or anything we like doing that we're able to do that lightens us up. That will be different for everyone, but we do have agency and at least some things we can choose into and control in the midst of uncertainty.

While that may not change what's happening outside of us in the world, it can help shift our energy and internal state to feel more solid, grounded and centered within it, especially in periods of long-time unknowns. Instead of just waiting for the unknown to pass, we can use it to focusing on what we CAN control and create that is alive for us helps to better be with the things we can't control, or being with long time unknowns. We can change our energy and our way of being with it.

 

Michelle James ©2020