EXERCISE
TO FOCUS YOUR CREATIVE ENERGY
Find
a time and a place where you can spend an uninterrupted period of time.
Make yourself as comfortable as you can. Provide yourself with what you
will need to write as soon as you feel ready. Those who meditate will
find the next step familiar.
Allow
yourself to feel yourself sitting; feel gravity holding you, your seat
on the surface, hands and feet. You don't have to work to relax. Sitting
quietly, it happens for you. You can feel the sensations more if you
close your eyes. Notice that it doesn't get dark. There is a pleasing
light that filters through.
If
you listen you can feel more relaxed again, knowing that whatever sounds
surround you, for a moment at least you are at rest, relaxed and
untroubled. The sounds become a background on which to build. Finally,
in this initial exercise, take in a long deep breath and as slowly, let
it out. Let your shoulders droop.
Do
it again and allow your whole body to relax. As you let the air escape
you can imagine allowing any tensions leaving you. Rest in the moment
and enjoy the feeling of having cleared yourself of distractions. What
is left is your own clearer energy.
The next step toward learning to focus and increase your creative energy
is to allow yourself to visualize a place or an event. Do the exercise
above again so that you are the more relaxed and let your mind go to a
moment that interests you. You could ask yourself "what is my
earliest memory." You could ask"what is my favorite
place."
Don't feel obligated to stay with one thing. Let your mind wander where
it wants. But when you find something that feels right, stay with it,
picture it, feel it, remember the details. Build the recollection by
asking yourself:
What
season do I remember, the time, the temperature, the light, the aroma,
if there was a sensation of warmth. Were you inside or out, with others
or alone? Were you dressed a certain way, holding or carrying something?
Look
more closely at yourself, what age you were, what color and style your
hair was, how you carried yourself. The more detail you can muster, the
more sensations you engage, the stronger the moment becomes, the
stronger the energy.
Let
the moment become as real as you can, and when it feels as if you are
really there, reach for your pen, turn to the keyboard and write what
you see, write what you feel. Let it all out. Write quickly, in any form
your writing takes. Allow the energy to flow and enjoy your own creative
power.
