A Simple (and Fun) Process for Tapping into Creativity as a Spiritual Practice

What is spiritual practice?

Spiritual practice is something you can do to facilitate and open your awareness of your connection to your divine source. We’re always connected, but life throws countless distractions on our path, which can make us feel disconnected.

Those on a spiritual journey are often on the lookout for ways to slip into that nurturing connection with their divine source. Some well-known examples of spiritual practice include:

· Meditation

· Prayer

· Chanting

· Yoga

· Journal writing

· Labyrinth walking

· Singing

I want to share a simple process for using creative expression as a spiritual practice to go deeper and connect the part of you that is infinite.

I am an artist. I paint beautiful paintings with oil on canvas, Acrylics and watercolors. I want to remind you that everyone is capable of creative expression even if you don’t identify as an artist or think you have any artistic talent.

If you think you don’t have a creative bone in your body, or if you think you’re not good at making art, please hear me out. Sometimes, it’s necessary to take a moment and forgive those people from your past who may have injured or wounded your creative self. Maybe a teacher had something unkind to say about something you drew or painted. A sibling or classmate could have belittled your artistic talents. I’m inviting you to forgive all of that and turn a new page. I also invite you to forgive yourself for allowing those situations from the past to steal your joy in the present.

Let’s tap into our creative essence

The process I’m sharing with you is one that I learned as a child. My mother would take a piece of paper and draw squiggly, looping lines on the paper with a black marker. The she’d give is the paper and tell us to color in the shapes.

I recently saw on Youtube that someone has created a whole process around this practice and named it neurographic art. You can do some research and find lots of videos with complicated instructions for this process. I’ve done my best to simplify it so it can be accessible without learning a bunch of rules and jargon.

I created a video to walk you through the steps to creating your own piece of doodle art, but the point of this exercise is to enjoy the process with zero attachment to the finished product.

First, gather your materials.

· Paper: You can use paper from your printer, but watercolor paper works best if you plan to use paint.

· Watercolor paint or magic markers

· Fine tip black markers

· Something round to trace such as a drinking glass, a can or a jar

· Painter’s tape or masking tape. This is optional. I apply tape to the edges of my piece to define a clean edge for framing. Feel free to skip this step if you don’t have tape.

I’m going to show you how simple doodling—making marks on paper with a pen—can help settle your body, calm your mind and allow you to tap into the wisdom that lives within you.

While I’m doodling, I like to listen to soothing instrumental music playing softly in the background. I sometimes light a candle and brew myself a cup of herbal tea. This doodling, art-making session is an excellent form of self-care.

Once you’ve got your supplies together, and you have a clear surface to work on, stop and take a breath. Take three good, deep inhales and exhales to center yourself right here and now.

Set an intention for this session. Do you have a dilemma that you need an answer for? Are you struggling with something? Is there someone in your life that you are concerned about?

Bring the issue to mind. Hold it gently. Breathe through your awareness of it. Mentally picture yourself gathering the thing that you’ve been holding in your mind. Now, imagine what it would feel like if the issue were resolved. Stay in the energy of that feeling. Set the intention that you will receive an answer or a resolution, that you will find peace about the issue.

If you are going to use tape on the edges of your drawing, apply painter’s tape at a quarter of an inch from the edge of your paper. I tape my drawing down to the table I’m working on.

Take your fine tip black marker and start from one edge of the paper and slowly draw a squiggly line across the paper. Allow your hand to go where it wants to go. Hold your wrist loosely as you allow the pen to glide across the paper.

Draw lines in this relaxed manner while you are breathing slowly and intentionally, keeping your mind clear as you focus on simply drawing lines horizontally, vertically and diagonally. Once you’re satisfied with the lines you’ve drawn, it’s time to start drawing circles. Trace around the base of the drinking glass and draw circles in a few places on the paper. Allow your intuition to guide to as to where to place them and how many to draw.

Next, you’ll round the edges. Take your black pen and round the edges where the lines intersect.

Now, it’s time to add some color. Use the colors that speak to you. Add color wherever you feel like adding it. Lose yourself in the creative process. Follow your intuition as you move the pen or paint brush across the page and add color.

When you are finished and your artwork is dry, you can gently remove the tape from the edges. You are finished! You should be proud of yourself for completing your drawing. Hopefully, you were able to find a space of quiet and calm and get into the flow.

Think about the issue you were holding before. Did you receive any insights? Has the way you have been holding the issue changed?

I hope that through moving through this exercise, you have created yet another to access the peace and wisdom that is already within you. It’s available whenever you are ready to tap into it.

If you tried the doodle exercise, please take a picture and share it with me. Or just let me know if the process was as helpful to you as it has been for me.