
Encounter Flow with Walk at Dawn
Taking a morning walk is part of my daily self-care routine. Wailing helps me to focus. First, it improves my attention on my surroundings. Then, the joy I find spills over into what I am trying to achieve with business, which includes much writing. Finally, it helps me process my life in general. Moreover, I look to experts on creativity for a continual source of inspiration. Let’s take a look at two of them below.
How Experts Walk Towards Creativity
Creativity expert, Julia Cameron’s diamond-like fire is found in her creativity. Her brilliance flares in her work. She is a playwright, poet, movie critic, composer, and fiction writer. Furthermore, she a forerunner in creative awakening. One of the tools of The Artist Way, a self-paced or group 12-week course created by Cameron, is a daily morning walk. Cameron believes that walking is half of a communication set. First, she advises her readers and students to write three stream-of-conscious pages by hand. She coined the practice, Morning Pages. Then, she says to take the walk. Here’s why: The first asks questions or renders prayers to God. Then, the other allows us to receive directions and flashes of insight, she explains in The Artist Way. Cameron appeared yesterday in The New York Times. There she discussed her take on living a creative life. See the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/02/style/julia-cameron-the-artists-way.html
Another expert on creativity is my friend, Kelly Dumar. She, like Cameron, is a multi-facet jewel of a literary artist. She’s a playwright, fiction writer, author, poet, lecturer, and creative workshop leader. And, a fine and caring friend. She frequently encourages me and many others to write daily. In her daily blog, #NewThisDay Writing from my Photo Stream Daily Blog, Kelly gives her readers ponderings of family life, travel, and work through the prism of her nature photography. These photos are shot during her morning walks – often with her faithful dogs, Charlie and Suzi. She leads a full and busy schedule, which is anchored in her ritual of early morning walks. To see more of her intriguing work and learn about her workshop schedule, look here: http://www.kellydumar.com/blog
Your Turn
Make a commitment to walk this week. Whether it is first thing in the morning, as recommended above, or at different times of the day. Try a variety of routes. If you need inspiration to get started, see this week’s blog posts for cityscapes, beach strolls, and walks in the woods. You never know what you might find when you actively seek creative flow.
Here’s to growing your flow,
Marisa