Rebalancing Your Creative Spirit
I’ve been waking earlier each day thanks to the little birds chirping with the late spring sun. It’s so wonderful to begin my day like this. The peace of the early mornings sets me up for the day. While I’m working at my desk, I love watching the little birds, piggy birds I call them, feast on the seeds I’ve left them that morning. (It’s wild how much they eat in a day! Plump birdies indeed.) The reality of being a photographer is that you’ll spend most of the time behind your computer, not your camera. Even if you’ve been traveling and are anxious to dive right into editing your images, you’re still glued in front of a screen for hours on end sometimes. While it’s part of the job or comes with the territory of being a photographer, it can zap your energy and creativity. When we are so focused on a task, be it editing or invoicing clients, there isn’t much room for our minds to wander. Of course, all these things are necessary if you want to create a thriving business or produce good work but I’ve found that dedicating time during my work day to allow my mind to wander, instantly refuels me and allows me to process, dream, and a discover a fresh perspective I hadn’t considered before. “Stepping away from screens enables your mind to wander, leading to unconventional connections between ideas and a surge in creative thinking,” as quoted by a study done by Flaunt Digital. If we are constantly at our computer, stuck at our desk, moving from one task to another, checking off all of our “To Dos,” there isn’t much space or time for us to rebalance and return to our natural state as a living being. Humans are not designed to be sitting for eight hours a day. Our bodies are not built to be slumped over, sitting on our bottoms! We are in fact, meant to be active, engage all of our senses, and experience the natural elements. We are living beings meant to interact with the living natural world. We are a part of nature herself, we are not separate from her. We must protect and cherish our true living essence.There is no life at our desk or in front of the computer, so I love having fresh-cut flowers or even just greenery at my desk side. How amazing the power of a simple cut flower is. It’s something beautiful and lovely to look at and it changes my mood instantly. Because let’s be real, being in front of a computer for hours is soul-sucking and drains our energy and our overall feeling of well-being. Our spirit within is not in harmony or aligned when we are so engrossed in being “productive” or days upon days of being in front of a computer screen….a human doing rather than a human being. The more disconnected we become to not just ourselves but to nature itself and how we participate with and in it, more we fall out of alignment to our fullest, highest selves. So what can we creatives and entrepreneurs do? While we do have to edit, invoice clients etc, all that is essential to running a creative business, we can deliberately set time aside to be 10 minutes or even 5 minutes to spend outside in nature to rebalance our psyche and body. I’ve found that even on my fullest days, taking little time outs in nature immensely helps my productivity and reinvigorates me to keep moving forward. We all have the time to do it. There really is no excuse not to! If you have a minute to scroll through Instagram or read your email or reply to texts, we can make time to spend a few quiet moments in nature.
These are some of my favorite ways to revitalize the spirit and step back into alignment after being in front of a computer for an extended period:
Meditate in a peaceful spot outside for 5-10 minutes. Maybe under a tree, on a park bench, in a garden, or on your porch…anywhere you have a bit of peace and quiet.
Find a grassy area walk barefoot for a few minutes and then sit and reconnect to yourself and your emotions. I know it’s a privilege to have access to a lawn, but any bit of grass, sand, dirt, or mud even is suitable. Grounding is a practice to rebalance our magnetic field to the Earth’s. It’s the way we lived for thousands of years and it's having a moment under the wellness spotlight now.“The idea is that the Earth has a slight negative charge and an abundance of free electrons, which the body absorbs and equalizes with. Some say that these electrons can help improve function and reduce inflammation.” Healthline
Cloud gaze. Lay out a blanket in your yard or nearest park and lie back and watch the clouds for 10 minutes. It seems childlike but I swear it literally opens up your entire vision, your world literally opens and you see things, your problems, issues, etc in a completely different way. It literally expands your mind to see the big picture and instills a deep sense of possibility, and optimism, reigniting a zest for life and all its beauty and your divine place in it. You may start to see shapes and “this imaginative process of cloud gazing can increase mindfulness and stimulate creativity, providing mental health benefits” - Wild Coaching.
Talk a walk with a friend or your fuzzy friend in nature. (No phone allowed!)
Have a cup of tea or coffee outside without your phone and listen to the natural noises around.
If you have access to a natural vista, spend a few minutes gazing into the horizon. This naturally relaxes your eye muscles which can become overly strained and tired after hours in front of a screen.
With your eyes closed and your face towards the sun, do some breathwork outside to rebalance your nervous system.
By no means is this everything, but just a few ideas to help you recalibrate to your natural state after a long day or morning in front of the computer. I take several breaks throughout the day when I need it without feeling guilty. I usually work in 3-hour batches, which quite frankly is an arbitrary number, but it’s what my body tells me when it’s had enough of sitting in one spot with a screen. I think these simple habits and little rituals can dramatically impact how we feel about ourselves, and how connected we feel to our work, and improve our overall well-being. They are simple and free, they cost nothing and for the majority of us we have the luxury to practice them in some fashion. I hope they help you rebalance back to your center and realign with nature so you can continue on your fruitful path with purpose, joy, and vitality.
Alanna
