Do Emotions Impact Your Creative Vibe

Last week I had a bit of a blah day.  I woke up with the gnarlies, the dirty old black dog, and was ready to throw in the towel.  I picked myself up, threw some Stevie Nicks style ju ju around and got on with the job. Today, I encountered another royal clanger of emotional baggage and it got me thinking about how emotions affect our creative vibration and what we can do to keep making magic through the tides of daily life.

On the first day I persevered for a while, but couldn't get anything to work. Like, the universe really poured it on thick man. I spilt paint all over my studio,  broke the scanner,  dropped my coffee, cleaned my paint brush in the next coffee I made. Notice I blamed the universe but truthfully it was all me baby. You name it. I did it. The energy I was carrying was dusty and my head was full of all kinds of mischief.

It's the stuff you don’t  normally see in people’s feeds but it’s my reality. Not every day, but some. And I’m guessing it’s the reality of more than a few others out in the land of the common people. Maybe I'm wrong. It's hard to tell between the thirst traps and #too blessed to be stressed aesthetics. To be perfectly honest, I don't usually post about the negative stuff either because, well, who's got time for that kind of self-indulgent rot hey? Not me, that's for sure. It messes up my feed. Although it could more likely be ego keeping the flow light and breezy, 'cause that's the kind of chick I (want to be seen as) am.

In true Sunshine and Pineapples style our little crew set our tools down, hit the water, soaked up some sun, and let it wash over...everything. The next day I was still a bit wobbly but I picked up tools again. I created from a place of love, from my heart space. Not to create something beautiful for someone else, just for me. She was pretty dirty, filled with poor technique and many will definitely not understand the subject matter or downright loathe the grungy 'punkness' of it, but it felt good to me. It got my hands and heart back in rhythm.

Today was a different story entirely. Today was about disappointment. I didn't get picked for something I wasn't even sure I wanted to do, but damn straight knew I deserved. Such a strange thing to be disappointed about I know, but that's how my brain works. It spins into the not good enough spiral, not worthy, not enough.....It infects my core. The grief I'd experienced in the days prior seemed so much easier for me to shift out of. 

I found myself resisting my art. Not being able to put pen to paper. My creative practice is usually like my breath. A daily ritual that is undeniable, non-negotiable. Today it was a struggle. A low down dirty fight.

So how do our emotions affect our creative practice and what can we do to harness that dirty diva?

Research about emotions and creativity started in the mid 80's and since that time we've collected a fair bit of information on the topic. According to the The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity and Emotions  by Zorana Ivcevic, Jessica D. Hoffmann and James C. Kaufman, we now understand that positive states such as happiness enhance creative thinking but this serotonin buzz  is short lived, suggesting there is more to the role of emotions in creativity.

There is now reliable evidence that positive moods  do enhance our ability to generate creative ideas by allowing us to broaden our attention. In other words, our minds are not filled to capacity with the daily grind so we have more capacity to explore and imagine.  On the other hand though, research also also tells us that negative moods, such as anger or sadness, can equally strengthen creative thinking. As humans, we inherently look for solutions or ways to reduce negative experiences which can then stimulate exploration of passionate ideas. 

Think about some of the great works of art inspired by social injustice such as the Gordon Parks Photograph - Department Store Mobile Alabama. It's one of my favourite pieces, not simply because of the colours and composition of the photography, but because it invokes a sense of experience and emotional connection in me due to the way the subject matter is explored. I feel the indignation and that need to drive social change when I look at it.

According to Amanda Lundberg's article, What is the Connection Between Art andand Depression emotional regulation is emerging as a key factor in maintaining effort and persistence in creativity. Understanding where your blocks and feelings are coming from may be a big step in harnessing the potential of this very human experience.

Unpacking the polarity of my own two experiences,  it's about the place the emotion is coming from for me. My grief actually comes from love, the heart space, and love is the space I create from. It resonates in the vibration of colours and lines and flow. Of beauty. I almost feel my heart shivering and humming when it's in that state of love and creation.

Disappointment, for me, is often ego driven. The head space. It's unmet expectations, usually of myself at the core. It has a low, guttural vibration from the pit of my stomach. The ego space is definitely not where I create from. Or at least, nothing good ever comes from it. 

With this in mind, here are five steps I take to get my groove back.

I have a real leaning towards avoidance, particularly in terms of my emotions. Laugh at it, box it up and pack that junk away is my usual approach. The trouble is, it then simmers under the surface and tends to prolong the experience. I seem to procrastinate, mulling over the worry rather than getting my groove back.

If I can find a way to think it though with a little bit of detachment, to see where the emotion is sitting in my body and why, then I seem to flow through to the other side with more ease. I do this through journaling, meditation or catching up with a trusted mate. Over the years my bestie and I have developed a bit of a conversational short-hand when it comes to mental wellness. It makes for a softer entry point to explore the things that can be hard to talk about.  'I'm feeling a bit wobbly' is a perfectly acceptable conversation starter for us.

It's really useful to consider where you create from and understand there is no wrong answer. Do you love the magic sparkle space where you are singing and grooving to your tunes or are you someone whose muse is inspired by darkness and the dirty grime of reality? What are the glimmers that raise your energetic harmony? Understanding your flow means you can harness its full potential. Find what works and find a healthy expression of that path for creative longevity.

I would say the biggest lesson I've learnt is to give myself time and space. Time to reflect. Space to say today is not the day for this, and loving myself enough to support that choice. Do this for as long as you need but make sure you then love yourself enough to show up for your art again once you're ready. Know when it's time. Picture you're supporting your best love and treat yourself with the same kindness and care  you would give to them.

Don't forget, you should be your greatest love story. Give yourself a hug and ride the next wave. The world always needs your kind of beauty in it.

#suicideawareness #beyondblue #discoredpyjamapants