Jahna (http://jahnamusic.com/new-page-1/) is a singer, certified mindfulness coach and dear friend. One area of interest for her in mindfulness is its benefits for creativity. Jahna and I did an eight-week course of mindfulness meditation focused on creativity remotely via Skype as she lives in Pacific Palisades and I live in Mill Valley. The meditation included techniques for opening one’s thinking to enhance creativity. After the meditation sessions, which were about 30 minutes long, we each scheduled time to pursue our respective creative endeavors individually, Jahna singing and I painting.
After these mindfulness meditation sessions, I found that I became very aware of that “limiting” voice in my head admonishing me to follow a teacher’s guidelines or instructions about what “should” be done while creating an oil painting. These “shoulds” included instructions like the ones below.
- Start the painting with a red wash to give it a warm undertone
- Paint dark to light in layers because it’s easier to go lighter than darker subsequently
- Distribute the paint colors in various areas of the canvas as you paint so that it appears cohesive rather than like “paint by numbers”
- Put the brush down and step back to really “see” what needs to be done next so you don’t get enamored of the painting experience and continue working to the detriment of the visual result
- Only allow yourself twenty strokes to finish an element so you don’t overwork it
- And ironically: Rules are helpful but limiting to creativity so don’t pay excessive attention to them
These are all good instructions and techniques that serve me well from a technical perspective. However, I’ve learned through years of yoga that it’s easy to hold on to a teacher’s very useful instructions beyond the time that they may be supportive or relevant for the level of the student.
I realized after the meditation how much these rules to which I was attached were dominant during the process of painting. The awareness of this voice in my mind provided me with the gift of choice: to select whether to pay attention to it rather than being in the moment and present with the energetic and emotional flow that gives life to a work of art. There is a balance between technique and flow and the mindfulness meditation assists in experiencing that more clearly.