Contemplative Creativity
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Creative activities such as painting, knitting, crochet, needlework, playing music, pottery, wood working, etc. can:
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A single session of creativity has benefits, but studies have shown that consistent engagement on a regular basis has far more positive impacts overall. (See study: How do artistic creative activities regulate our emotions? Validation of the Emotion Regulation Strategies for Artistic Creative Activities Scale (ERS-ACA)
A 2018 study showed that engaging in a new creative activity--regardless of skill level--helps in regulating emotions and improve wellbeing.*
What is Contemplative Creativity?
Meditation and mindfulness is not limited to just sitting still and watching the mind and body. There are many ways to incorporate the meditative and mindful practices of being present and aware. Sitting meditation is a practice of stillness. Meditation and mindfulness can also be a practice of movement. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches walking meditation, washing dishes meditation, or gardening in which the body and the senses are observed as they perform an action.
Contemplative creativity involves creating in a particular way that combines meditation and mindfulness with the preparation and creation of a work of art or a craft. Often the technique of creating helps to induce a contemplative state of mind, which is a mind that is focused, calm, and fully present with whatever is with or before it.
Contemplative creativity involves creating in a particular way that combines meditation and mindfulness with the preparation and creation of a work of art or a craft. Often the technique of creating helps to induce a contemplative state of mind, which is a mind that is focused, calm, and fully present with whatever is with or before it.
[contemplative practice is]...any act, habitually entered into with your whole heart, as a way of awakening, deepening, and sustaining a contemplative experience of the inherent holiness of the present moment.
~ James Finley
Zen art is a form of contemplative creating in which engagement with the creative process helps to quiet the mind, which allows spiritual insights to be freely, and spontaneously, expressed. Familiar disciplines of Zen art include Asian brush painting and calligraphy, bonsai, flower arranging and poetry. (To learn more about Zen art check out the Zen Arts page.)
Not all contemplative creating has to be spontaneous, however. There are always repetitive practices in creative work, both in the preparation of and the execution of a piece. A lot of the techniques used in creating are repetitive and require focus and concentration. These techniques can be used as entry points to meditation and mindfulness. For example, Asian brush style painting often emphasizes gracefulness, effortlessness and spontaneity in its execution, but the process preparing the paper and ink is repetitive and can be a contemplative activity. Many arts and crafts require a lot of preplanning and preparation of materials before the creative work begins and utilizing meditation and mindfulness during those activities can help strengthen focus and engagement during the creation of a piece.
When engaged with a particular task within the creative process, the creator can focus on the breath and the motions of the body while engaged in the repetitive actions of preparing and creating a piece. For example, when knitting or crocheting a stitch, the mind can be focused on the making of a stitch, while it is being made. If the creator's mind wanders off from making that stitch to thoughts about the future or the past, or judging thoughts about what is being made, the creator pauses, notices the breath--just where it is at that moment. Then, with the mind focused on the body breathing, the creator continues creating, repeating the process whenever the mind wanders away from the task.
Not all contemplative creating has to be spontaneous, however. There are always repetitive practices in creative work, both in the preparation of and the execution of a piece. A lot of the techniques used in creating are repetitive and require focus and concentration. These techniques can be used as entry points to meditation and mindfulness. For example, Asian brush style painting often emphasizes gracefulness, effortlessness and spontaneity in its execution, but the process preparing the paper and ink is repetitive and can be a contemplative activity. Many arts and crafts require a lot of preplanning and preparation of materials before the creative work begins and utilizing meditation and mindfulness during those activities can help strengthen focus and engagement during the creation of a piece.
When engaged with a particular task within the creative process, the creator can focus on the breath and the motions of the body while engaged in the repetitive actions of preparing and creating a piece. For example, when knitting or crocheting a stitch, the mind can be focused on the making of a stitch, while it is being made. If the creator's mind wanders off from making that stitch to thoughts about the future or the past, or judging thoughts about what is being made, the creator pauses, notices the breath--just where it is at that moment. Then, with the mind focused on the body breathing, the creator continues creating, repeating the process whenever the mind wanders away from the task.
Contemplative Creativity Mentorship
Get one-on-one guidance in transforming a creative activity into a practice of meditation and mindfulness for personal discovery and wellness. Contemplative creativity mentoring includes:
- Learning how to turn a creative hobby into a meditation and mindfulness practice
- Learning a new creative activity for personal discovery and to enhance wellbeing
- Using creativity to reduce stress and improve emotional regulation
- Practicing creativity to help process grief, manage depression or anxiety, and to enhance self agency
Mentoring rates:
Initial Consult: $90 (~90mins)
Regular Meeting: $50 (50 minutes)
Check-in Meeting: $30 (up to 30 minutes)
Initial Consult: $90 (~90mins)
Regular Meeting: $50 (50 minutes)
Check-in Meeting: $30 (up to 30 minutes)
Photo by Castorly Stock from Pexels
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Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
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*Source: Crafts Council / BBC Survey commissioned by UCL, 2018