Inspirational Source

 

When I first stumbled into the concept of a Creativity Closet, I had no real idea of what I might be getting myself into. As I said, in my last post, it was a spontaneous image and I could have just walked away after playing with it for a few minutes. Being me, that would have been difficult to do.

Imagery is symbolic and comes from the sub-conscious and thus, it holds all sorts of clues and messages. For instance, when I first entered that imaginary closet, it was filled with beautiful scarves of every conceivable color and design. Many were silk or silk-like, but others were wool, and even brocade. Scarves are obviously a fashion accessory, but they are also meant to protect the throat and the head from inclement weather.

That suggested, to me, that I needed to find a way to protect both my thoughts and expressions. At the time, I was keeping a journal and also submitting some of my poetry for publication. I had also discovered that my own feelings were often my biggest barrier in moving forward. I call it internal resistance to change, but you might want to define it for yourself in your own terms. We are most often, our own worse judges and enemies.

The closet was small because of my own experience with physical closets. I knew I needed more room to just move around and explore that space. I pushed back the walls to create a very large and open room and added lots and lots of windows for sunlight and access to the outdoors. I discovered two things in the process of doing that. The first one was that idea for the need to protect this space, and the second was that there was another backdoor in that room.

I have already written about the creation of my Personal Mythology. You can find an introduction to that in an earlier blog titled A Tiger Called Pain, and another of my blogs, http://intuitivepaths.wordpress.com. I had created, in my imagination, doors that allowed me to move in the four main directions: East being spiritual aspects, South for my Inner Child and Emotional Levels, West for the Unknown and Future, and North for the direction of Wisdom and Knowledge. I now asked four of the wild creatures from my Mythology to act as guardians and sentinels at these entrances to my Creativity Closet.

Each of those wild creatures has a name and a specific purpose and they were chosen with all of that in mind. Katherine, a Golden Eagle; Raffi, who was a solitary black Wolf; Tui, an imp of a Dragon with sparkling green and gold scales; and far from last or least, Jacob, an incredibly sensuous black panther. Outside of the windows were a constant flitting of Dragonflies. They are the Guardians and Keepers of the Dreamtime. In my mind, an absolute necessity for continuing creative flow and inspiration.

Once that was all in place, and it only took a few moments, I was free to go and explore what was on the other side of that back door. Another room, wood paneled and with a stone fireplace always lit with dancing flames (symbol of creative fire), several desks with writing tools and art supplies, and walls lined with books, a quasi-bibliophile’s greatest and deepest fantasy. And most important, yet another door to another room.

And so it went, each room led to another and another. Some were filled with hats that reminded me to stay mentally open and inquisitive, another with cooking utensils, and yet another with books that contained mental puzzles. One was filled with paper of different textures and patterns, an endless supply of source materials. Another with maps to all of the places I’d like to travel and visit.

That was thirty years ago and I am still exploring and hope that will never cease. That is what a Creativity Closet is meant to do and be, a constant ongoing source of inspiration, limited only by the imagination of the individual. Which means it can be, and is, limitless. It’s boundaries are only what you allow them to be.

It is also, I believe, a source of synchronicity, that energy that brings disconnected things and experiences together in the physical realm and let’s us know that we are on the right track. As I said in the preceding blog, my students often came back to tell me that they had ”happened upon” physical objects that they had first encountered within the Creativity Closet they had explored within the original classroom exercise.

One of the rooms, I explored, was filled with Tarot decks of different sizes and shapes, each with different images and creative expressions of those classic archetypal energies. That wasn’t a surprise to me as I had already begun using those images for self-exploration, rather than divination.

Within only a few days of that imaginary experience, I was at the new/used bookstore I managed, and a woman brought in a box of books she wanted to sell. Nestled at the bottom of the box was a boxed set of Tarot cards. It was done in Native American imagery (a deeply personal fascination), and intended for, or aimed at, the feminine gender. But the best part was that these cards had obviously never been used and were done in black and white, leaving them to be colored by the individual owner. Of course, I bought the lady’s books and took the Tarot cards home for myself. Oh, it also included a large book of explanations for each of the cards.

A much more recent example of this happened as I was writing this blog. I have recently been able to start thinking about going to the local University for classes. I can audit them as I am an alumni of the University and have wanted to do that for two years, but have not had the transportation necessary to accomplish it. That hurdle will be met within the coming week.

This morning as I was sitting here writing, I recieved two phone calls. Both were wrong numbers. The first, was a woman wanting information about continuing education classes. The second one, about forty-five minutes later, was a recording from the Continuing Education Dept. telling me the number I had to call to get the information I was seeking, lol. I haven’t requested any such information, but I certainly believe I am on the right track.

Creativity Closet

 

When I was teaching, I would often ask my students to breathe deeply, then close their eyes and visualize their personal Creativity Closet. The visualization came about because of something that had occurred to me spontaneously, one afternoon while I was alone. I found myself, in my imagination, standing at an open closet door. When I entered the closet, I discovered there was a backdoor and upon opening it found a world of wonderful color and a variety of objects. This imaginary closet didn’t seem to have parameters, it went on forever. An endless space, with room after room to explore and discover.

The first time I did the visualization with a group, one man in the audience said that he couldn’t see anything when he closed his eyes, it was all darkness. I told him this was in his imagination and that there, he could reach out his hand, find a light switch and flick it on. He did so and was inordianately pleased with what happened when he turned on the light.

The response to this little exercise was always varied and full of surprising experiences. One woman said she could not get past the doorway because there was no floor to her closet. We discussed the fear of falling and failure. Another gentleman saw himself enter the room and promptly sit down and fall asleep. We talked about denial and our personal responsibility to see that we stayed on our journey, alert to what life was offering to us. Most people were amazed at the diversity of objects and activities they found inside that imaginary closet. We would discuss the world of possibilities and what to do with all of that.

I always had them write down as much of their experience as they could remember immediately following the exercise. Most people were stunned at the size of the space they discovered within themselves. Only a very few found cramped dark places. When they did, I would encourage them to use their imaginations to push back the walls, creating a space that was comfortable, but still felt safe and secure.

What I found fascinating was the endless variety of what they wrote and listed after doing the exercise. And each one was uniquely individual, tailored to the person who created it. Some found animals or birds, others found a room filled with hats, or coats, scarves of variegated colors, or desks with writing and drawing tools ready to be used. One woman found several different types of sewing machines and an endless supply of fabric in textures and contrasting colors and laughed delightedly when she could see herself spending time in such a space. Some found open space, no walls, but somehow protected from bad weather.

The eagerness to explore this inner space was highly contagious and just plain fun to participate in. After exploring and writing about it, we would always discuss staying open and going back to that writing as often as possible. Those feelings remain attached to the words and are not difficult or hard to recapture. And I was quick to point out that the exercise was one that could be repeated at will. Things, conditions, realities change and that would change perspectives and perceptions, but also give rise to even more possibilities.

I am personally, still exploring my own creativity closet. And even though I have been doing so for many years, there is always something new to be found and worked with. Writing them down, not only anchors them into memory, but also often suggests even more connections and activities. Which, of course, also need to be noted.

Another activity, which I used to encourage further exploration, was a collage of that inner space. Finding images, even objects to put together as a whole image. On more than one occasion, students would come back and tell stories of how they actually found, or encountered, those very real things and activities within a short space of doing the collage.

One gentleman actually started gluing images on the inside of a physical closet door. I thought it was fantastic and when I was allowed to see it, he had already glued images on over half of that threshold. It was beautiful and he spoke of when the door was completely covered, how he intended to move on to the walls and maybe even the ceiling. By the way, this was the same man who found only darkness when he closed his eyes.

Having repeatedly written about how creative energy is also healing energy, his very real closet door was a constant source of encouragement to my own person. The awareness of just what openness can accomplish when allowed. After he showed it to me, we discussed the C.S. Lewis story about The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. How each of us had read the story many years before and how it related to the ease of imaging our own Creativity Closet with all of its contents.

Here, I am constantly trying to emphasize how a journal can be many things, but most importantly it is a source for discovering ones own creative possibilities. In a very real sense, it is another kind of physical Creativity Closet. All one needs to do is open the door and walk through it.

Show and Tell

 

Am back. Was given the opportunity to take a brief vacation. Traveled back to the city where I lived for almost forty years. It’s been two years since I moved from there. And yes, a great deal has changed, yet much remains the same. The best part? There were many of them. One of the first that comes to mind is the fact that I did the driving. Whew! It has been way too long.

I stayed with a friend and the first morning I took her to work and had the car for several hours. It was confusing. The trip came about spontaneously and very quickly. As I drove through my old home town, I felt as though I were caught in some sort of warp. I had to keep reminding myself that I was here, not there, and then try to figure out how to get from point A to point B. The two cities are very similar with many of the same or similar street names, so I ended up doing a lot of backtracking.

I did get to see most of the people I wanted to see and one particular individual that I had not seen face to face for twelve years. Was a bit nervous about that, but the moment we connected it was like the twelve years vanished and we talked none stop for several hours while revisiting a few old haunts from former days. That was great and deeply soul satisfying.

Also had a brief visit with my youngest daughter and granddaughters. That was more normal feeling than most of the rest of the visit. Familiar and comfortable all at the same time. Lots of talk, hugs, laughter, and even giggling.

I was able to get together with the writing group that got started in the classes I used to teach. They are going strong and had just completed a rather daunting project and allowed me to celebrate with them. It was really good to see how vital that circle has become and how much it has continued to flourish. Felt a bit like watching a ping-pong tournament. At least three conversations going on at all times amidst teasing and laughter. I was decidedly exhausted after that one.

While at my friend’s home, I had the opportunity to explore a new (for me) type of Mandala. It is done in what is called Zentangle style, which is completely free form and wholly impulsive. It is made up of repetitive patterns chosen by the artist as the circle is filled. If you are interested in knowing more, visit http://www.zentangle.com/about-what-is–1.php
I am only a beginner and still in the process of exploring and discovering, so my explanation would not be a very complete one.

However, I do have some images to share. I did the first Zendala yesterday, and although it doesn’t completely conform to Zentangle style (the intersecting circles are not free form, they were traced from the circumference of a water glass), the style itself promotes crossing boundaries and creating whatever pleases ones fancy.

Intersection

 

Here are two more, squeezed onto the same page. I really do need a smaller sketch book. Because the patterns are made up as they are created, a full sized page can be a bit daunting with all of that white empty space.

Twofers

 

Needless to say, I brought a great deal more home than I had taken. Some delightful memories, lots of echoing laughter, new creative ideas, a brand new Pendleton jacket, and a very satisfied soul. Not bad for an impromptu outing.

The day after my return, I also got some new pieces of furniture, including a new (to me) computer desk. Which means I will be about the business of digging this current one out from under the mountain of paper and paraphernalia it is buried under. At the very least, the trip did energize me and I may even get the task done somewhere in the coming months. I think you may already have guessed what I’ll be doing during my break times.