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February 22, 2019 By Marisa Moks-Unger

Gratitude Gently Grows Creative Flow

Creative Flow Grows From Gratitude

Gratitude increases flow.
Gratitude is an attitude that when practiced daily can grow creative flow even in harsh conditions.

Gratitude is a shift in attitude. It helps any situation become more bearable. How? First, gratitude helps us realize that there are silver linings within all situations. Also, gratitude makes what little good that is present seem to be enough. Finally, gratitude is a mind shift that not only helps ourselves, but anyone we interact with once we make the shift.

Take this heart I found on a sidewalk in New York City. It radiates warmth, care, and concern. Maybe the warmth came from the pink chalk? And, perhaps the care came from the symmetry of the rays coming from the heart? While I did not meet the artist, I did sense a sending out of these good pink heart vibes of concern for all passing.

The Art of Counting Blessings

Simply naming or listing the things we have going for us grows flow with gratitude. As the saying goes, it is better to light a candle than curse the dark. This intentional listing helps us move from a place of scarcity to abundance. Start with the basics creatives have: shelter, food, and clothing. Expand with the contacts, both personal and professional, experience, including education, and inspiration gleaned from it all. Finally, list the silver lining to the situation. Maybe wanting studio space is out of the question right now. The basement or garage provide adequate room to create. And, money is saved until the time comes to move into a studio. If that times arrives at all.

Your Turn

Take out your journal. List 10 situations that do not seem to be going your way. Choose one. Then, for 15 minutes brainstorm all the ways you can flip that situation. For example, if you think you need a studio to produce artwork, then rethink in your journal. Perhaps the kitchen table could be used a few times a week? Perhaps you live in a climate where you could set up outside. (If not currently, then when Spring arrives.) Describe to yourself on paper what an ideal studio looks like. Then, create a list of items you have and add a note to buy things you might need. Once the focus is turned towards what can be, then possibilities begin to arrive. Follow those leads. Be open to creating wherever you are.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: #creativity #flow #prompts, #flow, #gratitude, #grow, #mindset, #positiveattitude, #selfcare

February 15, 2019 By Marisa Moks-Unger

Music’s Rhythm Rolls in Flow

Roll with Music’s Rhythm for Flow

The Rhythm is gonna get'cha!
Take a music break to find flow through rhythm.

Music’s rhythm is a great self-help tool. Creatives can easily put it into practice. The spontaneous drum beat, rattle shake, or chime ping finds flow. How? There are a few reasons. First, movement is forward reaching. Each sound created resonates into the future. Next, the strumming, tapping, or jiggling is a pleasurable physical sensation. The action moves us outside the current situation. And, the rhythm is comforting. Finally, music and other art forms re-enforce the experience. Bongos patted during an enhanced poetry reading is an example.  A synergy heightens both the drummer and the poet. And, that interaction influences anyone listening in a positive way, too.

The Sound of Music

Having assorted instruments in an office makes it easy to take a music break. Then, when tension builds over a looming deadline, a few minutes spent plucking a juice harp can help. And, of course, a guitar or miniature xylophone, or even the soothing sound of a metronome, can do the trick. The point is to find sounds that feel reassuring. Or, satisfying, to listen to or create.

Your Turn

Over the weekend, take time to dig out your harmonica. Or, find the bugle that is in the attic from marching band in high school. Polish up the instrument. Need to buy one? Look at thrift stores or music shops for used triangles, tambourines, or other small-scale instruments. Put them on a shelf in your office. There they will be at the ready for a spontaneous jam session. Work out any block with ease. Realize that the music literally lifts your vibration internally and externally.  As Gloria Estefan and The Miami Sound Machine reminds us: No way, you can fight it every day/ But no matter what you say/ You know it the rhythm is gonna get’cha…. Want the whole song? Click here to watch after the ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-INTCDod2TA

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

 

Filed Under: #creative tool, Alternative Therapy, art, Creativity, Self-Help Tool Tagged With: #chimes, #drums, #flow, #gloriaestefan, #miamisoundmachine, #movement, #music, #rattle, #rhythm, #selfcare, #soothing

February 11, 2019 By Marisa Moks-Unger

Tears: Self-Care Tool Most Avoid

Self-Care Through Tears

Dogs lead with compassion.
Dogs help us to remember that there is always room for kindness.

Sometimes self-care is something we avoid, because it involves tears. And, many folks perceive a good cry and as weakness. If anything at all, tears are a sign of surrender. First, they allow bottled up emotions to find a safe escape route. Second, they help us realign with our inner-strength. Finally, tears help us to move beyond keeping up appearances to make others feel comfortable when a good cry is needed. For these – and so many other reasons – tears are an under-appreciated self-help tool.

Surrendering to Present Emotions

Tears sting. Why? Because they remind us that pain has found a way to escape our hearts through a cry. And, just like others, I try to avoid crying at all costs. Yet, I find myself surrendering to tears more and more as situations warrant them. For example, my dear 14-year old dog, Savannah, is winding down. She has late-stage kidney failure, which was diagnosed over a year ago. While she has been taking a bite or two of food and a few sips of water over the last week, she has lost her zest for life. Sleep, rest, and recovery from the simplest walk outside to relieve herself, consume her days.

She has struggled more lately with keeping her balance as she moves.  As a result, she fell into the deep end of our swimming pool. Luckily, my husband rushed to lift her doing the doggy paddle, wet and shaking, onto the walkway at water’s edge. Soaked, she shook it off as her instincts dictate. Later, sitting on the floor of my office, I read to Savannah from Margaret Atwood’s book of poetry called, The Door. And, when I got to Dutiful‘s second stanza, my voice snagged in my throat and tears flowed as I read: Still, why do I feel so responsible/ for the wailing from shattered houses,/ for birth defects and unjust wars,/  and the soft, unbearable sadness/ filtering down from distant stars? And, yes, for the poolside mishaps of my aging, furry friend, too.

Your Turn

Open your journal and free-write for 15 minutes on any unresolved issue that causes pain. And, by pain I mean anything that hurts emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually. If a mix of the four tumbles out of your pen, then that is fine. Reread what you wrote. Make time in your week to give yourself the room and space to cry. You can tap into them in a variety of ways. Look through an old photo album or in your cell’s photo stream. Watch a sentimental movie, like My Dog Skip. Listen to some soulful music, or, like me, read some poetry aloud. Then, write in your journal about how that felt, too.

Here’s to gently growing your flow,

Marisa Moks-Unger

Filed Under: Alternative Therapy, Creative Writing, Creativity, Self-Help Tool Tagged With: #change, #cry, #dogs, #flow, #release, #selfcare, #tears, #writing, journaling

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Scrabble Words for Flow

Create a Word Bank from Scrabble

Word Lists from Scrabble
First play the game, then get writing from your curated word list.

Sunday afternoons find my husband, mother-in-law, and I playing Scrabble. This ritual helps us to pass the time during the pandemic. The games usually run one to two hours. We have taken these games to a new level by anticipating them each week, then carefully crafting our word choices. It helps that all three of us are avid readers and come up with a variety of interesting diction. 

Also, the game gets my mother-in-law’s mind off of the local paper’s with its teeming death notices of Covid-19 victims – most from local residential living facilities.  And, she is now interested in the fact that I am using these word lists to write from professionally.

Next, free write for a few. Make a list of the words developed during the game. Then use the list as a springboard to write a creative piece using as many of the words as possible. Play with long and short lines. Add some rhymes. Look for alliteration. Give yourself about 10 minutes. See what images appear.

Then, select a genre or two to carry through. As a theme arises from the free write of the word list, follow the lead. Perhaps a poem rises up. Or, a one-act play. Or, both! Choose one genre knowing that you can come back and create more works from any single topic. 

Now, it’s your turn! If you have a Scrabble game somewhere hidden in a hall closet, it is time to get it out and try your hand at this writing tactic. It employs procrastination by allowing you to blow off writing at first by playing a game. Then, you are rewarded for the time you invested in the game by writing a piece from the words you and others generated.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

 

TGIFF – Thank God It’s Friday Flow

Cliché Finds Flow on Friday

Grow flow on Friday with gratitude.

Congratulations, you’ve made it to Friday. And, at the workweek’s end, there is time to find flow. But, where do you go to find flow? First, realize that flow can happen anywhere at anytime. Need proof? Look at this past post on finding flow in a card and party goods store. Simply click right here: https://wewriteitright.com/visit-flow-in-a-party-goods-shop/

How Gratitude Leads the Way

Use grateful eyes to take in the world around you. Then, instead of planning to hit the bars and clubs when the clock strikes 5:00 PM, other options present themselves during these times of pandemic. Why not take a virtual tour a museum? Or, take a walk or bike ride through a park? Or, spend an hour working on a poem, and essay, or a blog post. When you are grateful for the options you have – even if you are working from home amid shutdowns – then that is enough.

Your Turn

Playtime creates greater flow.
Spirographs, Etch-a-Sketch, and Slinkys are just a few ways to re-enter flow through playtime. What was your favorite activity as a child? When was the last time you tried it as an adult?

Think back to grade school, junior high, or middle school. Think about the electives that you took that helped round out your schedule. Did you take dance or music classes? Weight training? Or, perhaps, like me, you did candle making. Whatever it might be, try to reunite your lost teen with your adult self. Take time to write, dance, sing, paint, or play with your Spirograph!  You’ll be glad you did!

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

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