Get ready… Daniel James is about to project some wellness wisdom into your eyeballs for your consideration.

A few months ago, I wrote about “igniting the inner spark” and I’d like to expand on that a bit. How do we maintain a creative flow of energy… especially when we’re feeling stuck? And why is this important to our overall wellness? I have a few thoughts on that…

the many faces of creativity 

First things first, we’re all creators. Humans are special because we’re all here to create! And that means everything from creating a sketch on a napkin to creating our reality and the life that we live. Creativity is paramount to our wellness because it’s a vital expression of energy we are tapped into that reminds us we’re alive! It feels good to be in the flow.

A common misconception I think people have is thinking creative means “artsy”. You don’t necessarily have to be able to draw cartoons or sing snazzy songs or dance sparkly dances; perhaps your creativity comes in the form of building things, or telling a joke, or cooking from scratch, or getting inventive with numbers while doing your taxes ;) 

I like to think of creativity as inspiration in motion. It involves opening up to an energy that we can’t really describe. And sometimes we’re not even aware of it… and that’s a big problem! If we want to be in the flow of energy we need to not only acknowledge it, but celebrate it.

making room for the muse

A couple weeks ago I had a profound experience that I’m still thinking about:

I woke up at 4am, unable to get back to sleep. I heard a song melody in my head that wouldn’t leave. Let me tell you, it’s been a long time since I listened to the music in my head – so many excuses: too busy, tired, blah blah blah.

But here I was, hearing music playing and sensing lyrics dancing in the ether. I grabbed my iPad and began to type out lyrics with one finger… in the dark… with one eye open… for 2 hours. When I finished with the flow of words (too many to actually fit into a song) I read the lyrics back, hearing the melodies in my mind and then it hit me like a Mack truck: I started to bawl my eyes out. 

No, not because I’m a musical narcissist and my own work touched me so deeply that I was moved to tears (though I am… and it did). I cried because I missed the feeling of creative flow. I missed “the muse” running through my body with such ease. It had been almost three years since I’d written a song… and I’m a fuckin’ songwriter!!… or at least I thought I was.

I am blessed to have a lot of creative outlets in my life (Vortex being a big one!) but I get reminded on a regular basis that music is the “it” factor for me – the feeling of literally creating something out of thin air that you can then sing along to is the thing I love most in this world.

But why did it take a 4am wakeup call where there was nothing to do but let the creativity in? Why had I been restricting that flow of energy?

let’s talk blocks

There’s a great philosophy from Abraham-Hicks that I’ll paraphrase: Your connection to source energy is like a cork in the water; it always wants to float. The only thing that can hold it under is us (silly humans). When we let go of resistance, the cork will always float. 

In other words when we’re blocked, it’s not because the Universe is withholding from us… it’s cause we’re in our own damn way! And while sometimes we’re actively focused on doing anything other than letting our energy flow, it’s not always a conscious effort to keep ourselves blocked.

The environments we spend our time in have a major impact on energy flow. This might sound crazy, but when I have an energetic block, I’ve learned I need to clean my house. If my side of the closet is a disaster, I recognize that’s an energy block and I need to tidy it (Steve, you’re on your own).

If I have writer’s block, I tend to organize my desk. Why? Because whether we like it or not, our subconscious is wildly aware of the sense of chaos and disarray, and we’re therefore unconsciously feeding an energy block like PacMan eating those tiny little dots. 

Think about it: if the spaces you exist in are a total f!@$ing mess, what might that indicate?

If you want more of something in your life, you have to make space for it.

Energy blockages can also manifest in our bodies. Sometimes it’s hard to notice stagnant or stuck energy because we’re so used to it. 

Here’s a good idea: move, baby! You don’t have to go full downward dog (though it feels damn good), but if you even roll your shoulders and neck, or even try dancing! Find and acknowledge the tension… breathe into it… and let it go.

reconnecting with the creative flow

If you’ve cleaned your whole house and done all the yoga classes and you’re still feeling blocked, there are a ton of incredible modalities that can help you get energy unstuck: acupuncture, massage, chiropractic work, reiki, and more!

These options are great when we literally have no clue where the blocks are coming from. It’s worth the investment to get back to your default setting of openness and receptivity.

For a more high-tech wellness approach, you can always try this cool place called Vortex. There’s actually a lot of fun stuff for creative stimulation, whether it be a TUNE session (which literally has a create setting), hopping in the Somadome for an immersive and energy-expanding meditation, or drifting into the beautiful state that NuCalm delivers to process and release energy in your system.

Whatever your method of connection to creativity, it’s important to remember that we all deserve to have creative expression in our lives as often as possible.

Now let’s break those blocks and get in the flow, baby!