Intro:

Welcome to Part 8, the last six weeks of Creative Self Exploration, a year-long experiment I publish every Saturday (damn near) solely following my intuition/inspiration.

In Part 8, we will be using our body as the tool of our expression. Each week I propose a theme, a particular emotion for you to seek out through the week, and when you find yourself feeling it, I ask you to use your body to express it. Much like choreography but doesn’t have to be a dance move, it can be just a small movement with your pinky. What’s important is that, you catch yourself in the moment of your such emotion and with the movement of your body you jump into the present.

Come Alive, right where you are
Into the Immediacy of the Moment

In case if your mobility is restricted in any way at the moment, please do instead make a movement in your brain/with your thoughts – as our brain is the one who gives the rest of our body commands to make any part of it move. You can still send signals, whether your bod responds with movements or not. I think that’d get you there.
Same goes for situations where you are not able to, or very difficult to, actually move, such as at work conference, on crowded train, etc.

I hope the idea excites you, I think it will be a great Quality Fun.

Please Be Noted: If, at any point, you feel overwhelmed or get other strong responses, please suspend the exercise and proceed with suitable self care measures. Read more in Introduction page – scroll down to “Few Important Notes”.

( in reverse chronological order )

Week 48: Let Sorrow Be Your Inspiration

November 30, 2024

This week, we are going to venture into another territory of our emotional state: please welcome, the Sorrow group.
Sadness. Grief. Melancholy. Include versions of defeat, disappointment, despair. A sense of loss, and its preceding state, disbelief. How sorrow creeps in while still bargaining with reality…

Oh wait, don’t leave without giving the following a try…

Spend this week being mindful of your feelings. Look for moments you feel Sorrow.
When such moments arrive, *dive into the depth of it and express the way you feel using your body.

*Weekly ‘caution note’ time:
Please also be mindful if you feel overwhelmed in any way. In such case, I strongly suggest you discontinue this exercise and tend to your needs.
Also proceed with this exercise only when it is safe to do so, that no one – you and/or other creatures – will be in danger because of it.
Different versions of this ‘caution note’ as well as instructions can be found in previous posts, just scroll down further to get to them, they are short and fun to read (I think).

This may or may not be true for you:
when you allow yourself to feel, in this week’s case, sorrow group emotions, even the ones from possibly long past may surface.
I am writing this, in case you are conflicted about “re-experiencing”, as in digging up the past discomfort from years prior.
My wish for you is that you deem the surfacing as an opportunity, that you as a whole know what has been stored inside, that is ready to be befriended, integrated, or perhaps released. Please give the benefit of the doubt that, the timing may be just perfect.

Do you know a song “Drown in my own tears”? What I am recommending this week is a swim instead – through the use of easily applicable creative actions.
As if to swim out into a lake made of your sorrow, feel into it, savor if possible, then express the way you feel with your body**.
You can then bring the experience of the ’swim’ to your creative pursuits, like a fruit to the kitchen table. Nothing gets lost that way.

**As mentioned earlier, more instructions on this I wrote on previous posts. Please do check them out by simply scrolling this page further down.
Just quickly tho, “feel into it” meaning, does it feel sharp like a knife, cold like an ice, engulfing or localized, heart aches, chakra collapses, etc. etc.
“Express with your body” means allow your body to move almost on its own, flow into movements, enough just for a few seconds, of course longer if you wish.

As we all know, Life can take us to very many places, some of them no doubt, would leave us with psychological discomfort. Creativity has a habit of turning those experiences into potent assets, as if to say joys and sorrows are both equally welcome.

Swim in a lake of your sorrow

Sunlight dances on the surface
will show you the way to the Shore

Wishing you a fruitful week ahead!

Week 47: Fear as an Opportunity

November 23, 2024

Fear. Anxiety. Nervousness. Antsy. Edgy. Panicky. Tremor, terror, horror.
This week we are going to positively experiment with the Fear group of our mental-emotional states.

Before going further let me re-emphasize the following:
if you find yourself overwhelmed in any way during this exercise, please stop right there and take a good care of you. No point in pushing when the timing isn’t right.
Remember, ‘not now’ doesn’t have to mean ‘never’.

This week as you walk the world, pay close attention to the way you feel.
When you find yourself in fear, feel into it and express it using your body*.

*As I wrote last week (in other words allow me to repeat again), please do make sure you are not a danger to yourself and/or others when you do this. Longer “caution” note is just a scroll (down) away, from last week in small letters just like this, right beneath the blue-background short paragraph, like the one above.

So, the fear-anxiety spectrum of feelings/states. I would like you to catch yourself in low-key background anxiety as well, not only in fear that is usually louder.
When in one of those states, feel into it as if to examine the texture, or to swim into a lake of it.
Where in your body do you feel it?
Back of your neck where they say your hair stands? Is there a butterfly in the pit of your stomach?
Not to label the feeling, just dive into it when opportunity arrives.
And allow your body to move in ways it wants to, let your body interpret-express the feeling, and flow with it just for a few seconds.

This exercise is not aimed at overcoming/solving/fighting against fear. It is to drop such intentions and flow with your fear, either right when you’re feeling it, or when you have time/space to do so.
How does it feel? Let your body speak freely in response. Exaggerate a bit perhaps. Suspend any self-criticism if any (e.g. this is ridiculous I look foolish…) and go ahead, steal a moment of freedom.

Lovingly, Life Pulsates
In the Ocean of your Unrest

Thanks for coming by,
join me again next Saturday.

Week 46: Anger, the Ultimate Dynamo

November 16, 2024

Been angry before? If you are a living human, probably have (so you know how it feels).
This week, I propose an idea to you, to utilize anger as follows:

Spend this week looking for moments when you feel angry.
When you catch yourself in anger, feel into it and express the way you feel using your body*.

*Needless to say perhaps, but on internet, playing it safe may be preferable:
only proceed with this exercise if you are safe to yourself and others. If you need to defend, flee, call for help, focus on task at hand, etc. please do so.
Also, using your body to slap a person in anger, for instance, is not what is suggested here. This exercise does not condone no violence, physical or psychological, unless absolutely necessary for your safety/survival.

Angry. Agitated. Frustrated. Displeased. Indignant. Triggered. I loosely group these psychological states in the anger category.
This week, I want you to feel into the sensation of anger. No need to spend too long. Just gently, playfully perhaps, dip into the emotion/reaction of anger.

How does it feel, is it anger, agony, discontent? Does the feel of it change as you go deeper?
Which part of your body feels it the most, how strong, what is the sensation?
Then, using your body as a tool of expression, express the feeling with the motion of your body. Like choreographing your anger.

Circumstance may not allow you to go full-on ballet dancing but perhaps, you can sneak Swan Lake a sec and gesture your hands without no one noticing.
Another example, if you feel your anger in your heart, and as you dip into the feel of it it starts to morph into agony, then perhaps, clutch onto your heart with tightened fists, but make it quick so to avoid paramedics turning up for you.

I think it’s best if you can do this the moment you feel it, but it may also be preferable to wait until you are alone in your room so you can really get into it. You know which is better for your specific situation.

Anger can be quite uncomfortable, but when you see it as an opportunity to feel Creative Energy flowing through you, it can be experienced quite differently. Often considered “negative”, anger can be seen as a transformative, life affirming experience, that gives you deep insight into your internal landscape.

Anger is an expression of Dynamic Energy
flowing through All in Celebration of Life.

Thanks for joining me,
and see you in a week!

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Intro:

Welcome, visitor!

You arrived at the start of Part 7, of the year-long project/ exercise/ experiment named Creative Self Exploration.

I conduct-facilitate this by almost entirely following my intuition/inspiration and letting the whole process unfold.

In Part 7, we are using our voice as the creative tool of choice.

General method is this: I will pose a theme each week, and ask you to voice a word or possibly a short phrase/sentence relating to the theme – in a way feels right to you in the moment, and be present with your reactions to the sound of your voice.

We are embarking on an internal adventure. Emphasis is on letting your truth surface, letting it arise from within the depth of you.

If you have your vocalizing ability suspended for any reason, or cannot find a place to be alone, I recommend you use alternate method such as voicing it in your head, in a form of imagining, which is just as potent. Since this is about experiencing the way you sense-feel, that should totally suffice.
This is also about…

Set your Truth free, into the Vastness of Fequencies.

…and see where the experience will take you to.
Ready? Let’s begin!

Please Be Noted: If, at any point, you feel overwhelmed or get other strong responses, please suspend the exercise and proceed with suitable self care measures. Read more in Introduction page – scroll down to “Few Important Notes”.

( in reverse chronological order )

Week 45: Your Sonic Delight

November 09, 2024

Welcome back, Visitor!!

This is the last week of “Frequency and You”, Part 7 of a year-long project/experiment “Creative Self Exploration”, where you vocalize the word of the week, and observe your reactions. I tried this for last 5 weeks and quite surprised at how it stirred me in unexpected ways each time.

If you just got here for the first time, please scroll down to the bottom of this page and read your way up. That sounds like an awful lot but they are written in short and (intended to be) pleasant manner so it wouldn’t be too painful.

So this week, we are going to conclude the Part 7 in an imaginary round table party mode. What I mean by that is the following…

Imagine, you are sitting in a gathering with others who also did this exercise, chairs placed in circle facing each other perhaps.

You decide how many people, how things are set up, etc. Everyone gets to talk about how the experience was. That includes you, too.

First, prepare in your mind what you are going to tell everyone about the first exercise “Week 40: Sound of Your Name”.
Boil your story down so your talk would fit in 5 minutes time frame.

The following is what I’d say if I were sitting there with you. Kept much shorter than a 5 minutes talk, I share this with you as an idea.

I always felt self conscious about my voice while cautious of inflating my sense of self-importance. Not knowing how to hear my name in my voice, at first I escaped into an unfeeling place. Gradually though as I repeated the exercise, a giggle then smiles, and ended the week with a healthy sense of self-importance, which was needed to closely attend to my reactions in following weeks.

Now, prepare your 5 minutes story about “Week 41: Let Beauty Linger”.

I want you to focus on your experience with the “Beauty” exercise that felt most significant to you. If you are to not hold back, what would you be telling everyone?
Time limitation would force you to crystalize your story into a substantial gem, although you may not feel that way, at least initially.

Next, what would you say about “Week 42: Love and Resonance” in 5 short minutes?

Again, if you do not hold back, if you let go and be full-on vulnerable for 5 minutes, what would you say about your experience?
It’s an imaginary gathering of those who also did the exercise. Think camp fire story time or group therapy of sorts. No one is trying to fix you, everyone is there to bring to the (round) table their story. If you go most honest, closest to your heart, what would you say?

What about “Week 43: Freedom Soundscape”? What would be your 5 minutes story?

Here, I share mine again:

I’ve had conflicted feelings about the word and concept of “freedom”. So when I said the word out loud in my room the first time (in my native Japanese btw), it was in mere whisper. I didn’t want no one to hear it, that included myself. Then a moment later, as if in response, heard a distant crashing wave. I heard it with every cell of my body.

The last but not least, “Week 44: Peace Vibes”. What would you share in five minutes?

I am aware that the title of this week, “Sonic Delight” can give an impression that ideal is to be surrounded by beauty filled with love, free as a bird and enlightened serene. What I mean is a bit different. Allow me to explain.

When you bring you at your realest to Creativity, It has a tendency to alchemize your experience even when it’s not so sunny. May still not be so sunny when It does, but it becomes meaningful. Your life, experiences. Your existence.

Substance of your Soul
It speaks through Creativity

It tells you don’t wait to sing until you feel better.
It tells you to as you are, at where and exactly how you are.

Well friend, this concludes the Part 7. Thank you for accompanying me on this experimental journey this far. If you can believe this, the next up is the last but not least Part 8. We will be using our body as an expression tool.
So be sure to be back in a week, it will be yet another quality fun.
Sincerely.

Week 44: Peace Vibes

November 02, 2024

Dear Visitor,

It is my delight to welcome you back once again.
If you just got here for the first time, Welcome!! Please look around and join me in this exploration adventure in just the way that suits you.

For this week, I was inspired to choose the word “Peace”, another word we’ve all heard too many times perhaps, with plenty ton of everyone’s ideologies wishes hopes and disappointments attached to it, hence I think would provide us with unique challenges.
When you are ready…

Gift yourself a moment and get real cozy within.
When you are quiet enough, speak the word Peace.
Feel the sound of your voice vibrates in and outside of your body.
While the sound lingers, observe gently what surface from inside you – what you remember, think, feel, imagine, dream…
Repeat this simple exercise through this week, try in different tones/volumes, etc. and further observe your responses.

Please know, that I intend to present the word Peace in absolutely unflavored way; so, for example, if reading all this gets to you as if getting smacked with a yoga mat, then possibly you’re having a reaction of a personal nature. And if so my friend, that is a gold nugget, an invaluable key to your internal landscape, your history, your psychology.

Also.
I wrote “gently observe”. By that I meant, like a kind hearted, most observant white coat assistant following you around taking notes while totally in your corner. That’s the image I often have which may or may not work for you, but you get the idea.

Even if you find yourself having a rather un-peaceful reaction upon hearing the word from your mouth, I recommend you acknowledge that with utmost kindness*.
For sometimes, focusing on a word/concept like “peace” brings out from a person what is not. Like a road block highlighted to be removed.

*Because on internet, playing safe is oft. preferable: acting upon such “un-peaceful” reactions/feelings/impulses, etc. ain’t good, as in, smacking someone with a Buddha statue would hurt everyone: smacker, smacked and Buddha. If you feel that level of reaction rising up, please take it seriously and get any help available to you soon enough.

So go ahead, take a moment and get real cozy within, and listen until you recognize…

The Frequency of your Truth
Even through the thunderstorm
Sails you Home to your Self

I’ve written many more instructions in previous 4 weeks, so if interested, please scroll down further and read them all. Won’t take too long and you may not hate what you find.

The next week we will conclude Part 7: Frequency and You.
So make sure to come by and join the quality fun.
Til then!

Week 43: Freedom Soundscape

October 26, 2024

Dear Visitor,

Hello (again), good to have you (back) here. This week we are continuing with this very simple but quite potent (I found it so) exercise, of using the sound of your own voice to tap into the depth of who you are.

The word I chose for the week is “Freedom”.
Let’s start.

Take a moment and get tranquil within.
When ready, speak the word “freedom”.
Listen, feel the vibration of your own voice.
As you do, give full attention to what arise within you – e.g. memories, thoughts, feelings, sensations, ideas…
Acknowledge them without analyzing them.
Repeat this exercise as many times as you desire throughout the week, and see if/how your responses/reactions progress/shift.

Hearing yourself speak “freedom” (in this context) can be a stirring experience. As have been last 3 weeks, I recommend that you gift yourself a generous, accepting attention – at best of your ability’s more than good enough – and notice what comes to your awareness as the word vibrates and lingers.

You probably hear with your ears as well as feel the sound internally. What do the sensations do to you, your senses, your mind, to the core of you?
How do you experience yourself while the sound lingers? As one whole consciousness or in more compartmentalized way (e.g. as heart, mind, body, etc)?

Do you like settling into yourself and listening, sensing, noticing, tending….to your self this way?
I personally hope you do, though such hope I work to set aside.
Each week, I do my best to present a theme open-endedly.
Meaning, you take it from there, to where your experience wants to go.
This is out of respect for your process, ever unfolding.

As for the word, do you hear it as an individual, or in alignment with your, example, lineage? Or, through books/films/songs you identify with?
Does it anger, sadden or gladden you? Do you mind staying with your feelings for a second and experience them like a fine cheese?

Can you accept all your reactions-responses-recollections as they are as of now?
I actually kinda beg you to because I find this to be true….

Embrace where you stand; that’s how you
Flower into your own.

That’s it for now. We got one more word to go before concluding the Part 7.
Hope you have a great week and see you next Saturday!

Week 42: Love and Resonance

October 19, 2024

Welcome/back Visitor!

This week, we experiment with the word “love”.
No doubt one of the, if not the, most (over) used word in this world. So it’s a bold choice, so bold of you to give this a try.

How we go about is the same as the two previous weeks. If interested, please scroll down further for more instructions, it’s a short read.

Find a few quiet moments.
Settle within yourself, and when ready, speak the word “love”.
As your voice resonate, notice your responses/reactions.
Repeat as many times as you wish through this week, and observe how/if your responses shift.

Pay generous attention to the way the word makes you feel. Reminds you of. What comes to you – senses, awarenesses, thoughts…
What surfaces from within you, when you hear your voice speak the word “love”.
What do you really hear, who’s voice, idea, interpretation of the word?

Does the word sound more noun or verb to you?
Do you like the word?

This is not a psychoanalytical exercise. It’s a dipping-into-the-well-of-your-consciousness-simply-for-the-sake-of-knowing-you-more exercise. “Let’s tap into the depth of you and see what you find” exercise. Let’s do all that through a simple use of creativity and make it a quality fun while at it, thing.
Because I suspect…

You are the one you’ve been longing for.

It’s about you understanding you, first and foremost, deeply, try to, even if it may feel at times, like attempting to grasp the bottomless mystery.

Lastly, this exercise can be a bit heavy on you, so as always, please go gentle with yourself, e.g. if overwhelmed, quit for now and take care.
For, as always, not now doesn’t have to mean never.

See you in a week!

Week 41: Let Beauty Linger

October 12, 2024

Hi and Welcome back, Visitor!!

How was the last week’s exercise? Hope you gave it a try. Simple as it is, I found it both meaningful and fun, rather surprisingly.
This week, we are going to do the same but with a word “beauty”, so please get ready…

Find a moment you can safely focus on yourself.
Center yourself in enough calm, and speak the word “beauty”.
Listen, let the word linger. While staying in the sound wave, gently observe how you feel.
Continue to seek moments like that through the week, and repeat this quick exercise as many times as you wish.
See if/how your responses/experiences change.

For this week, I got inspired to pick words that are used probably too often in the world, that have strong definitions-ideas attached to them already.

In a nutshell, I suggest that you:
hear your voice speak the word, listen with your whole self (your best would suffice aplenty), and tend to your responses/reactions to the sound. That’s it.

What the word means to you, how does it sound to you, what comes up within you, upon hearing the word spoken in your own voice?

I am posing the word to you from an absolutely neutral place, simply relaying the idea. You go ahead and let it unfold in your own way.
Any memories surface? Emotions, thoughts, recollections….
What are they, and their intensities, depths, impacts?
Do you like the word, the sound of it?

As always, these are not heady / intellectual questions. Rather, I ask you to ask yourself, and let your answers surface from the depth of you.
Also as always, this is not an analytical practice. It’s about intending, then intuiting. Trustingly waiting for your own answers. Ultimately, to…

Let the sound linger, let it unfold your story,
written only once in all of history.

The rest of how’s are the same as the last week, I say this to spare you from more of “as always” bit.
I’d call this exercise a “quality fun”. Hope it sounds true to you, too. Either way, more on the way, so be sure to be back here in a week.

Ciao, til then!!

Week 40: Sound of Your Name

October 05, 2024

How do you like your name? Do you fancy your own voice?
Whether you went yay or nay, this week we are using both your name and voice, as the tools to explore our creative depth.
Let’s dive in.

Secure a few moments of solitude and get quiet with yourself first.
From the place of internal calm, speak your name and listen to how the sound of your voice settles in your consciousness.
If comfortable, say it with melody, rhyme, rhythm.
Find such moments throughout the week, and notice any changes in the way you receive the sound of your voice/name.

By solitude/quiet here it means, you let the dust settle internally for a moment. Life can be chaotic but if/when you can, detach from all and retreat into your inner sanctuary. Dedicate all your attention to this experiment, just for a short while.
If you are not by yourself, you can voice it inaudibly.
Please do not multitask whether operating a blender or airplane – it only takes a minute or two.

Say your name in the way you want, and listen. Sense. Feel.
Give yourself a full attention, on the way you be moved emotionally, thoughts pop up, your physique responds. Visions, memories, ideas. Remembering, recalling, ripple effects…

Does it sound sweet or abrasive? Warms your heart or clams you up?
In any case I urge you to appreciate (as in welcome) your response.
This week’s exercise is not focused on analyzing why we respond the way we do. If something comes up, such as memories / issues, please take notes and return to flowing with your “voicing-listening-sensing” process. And as always, if you feel overwhelmed for any reason, please discontinue the exercise and proceed with suitable care for yourself.

Repeat the process as mood strikes throughout the week. If you feel like putting a melody to your name, either from existing songs or make one up as you go, please go right ahead.
Or say it like reading a story, making a statement, saying a prayer… Do so just in the way you want, you won’t be harming the environment with your creative freedom.

Swim in the Mystery of your Existence,
until the Depth of it becomes your Freedom.

Have a wonderful week, and see you next Saturday.

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Intro:

Welcome to Part 6 of a year-long exercise/project “Creative Self Exploration” where, I conduct weekly experiments, by (pretty much) solely following my hunches/ inspirations, playing it by my intuitive ear.

In this section we are going to use our imaginative faculty and dive deeper into our internal landscape, in search of a treasure chest packed with what make you special, come alive, irreplaceably … you.

To those of you who already have good grasp on what those things are – may I, humbly, propose you give this a try anyways, as there are always more about our self, to be discovered, unearthed.
Something new, some things we grew out of, things that may surprise, shock or delight you – even just for the sake of asking, conversing with our self, for…

Your attention to self is like a gentle rain upon a seed
in the vast continent of Potentials and Possibilities.

The next 6 weeks’ exercises are not designed to produce creative works (unlike Part 3, 4 and 5), however, if you’re so inclined, please go ahead and record your discoveries about yourself in any ways that thrill you. I’ve shared quite a few tools here suitable for that purpose, so please make use of them if you may.

Please Be Noted: If, at any point, you feel overwhelmed or get other strong responses, please suspend the exercise and proceed with suitable self care measures. Read more in Introduction page – scroll down to “Few Important Notes”.

( in reverse chronological order )

Week 39: Revere

September 28, 2024

Welcome back!
This week we are going to conclude our Treasure Hunt adventure inward.

How was the last week’s unboxing/big reveal? Hope you liked what you found.
Let’s begin this week’s exercise.

Find a place/time you can be alone with your imagination for a while.
Go over the list from last week, of the treasures you found inside your box.
Anything you can implement into your daily life this week?
Find one or more of that and spend some time this week with it/them, in manners symbolical or actual.

Here’s what I mean by implement.
Example.
If the treasure has a scent, e.g. if a garden with fragrant flowers and a seat to sit, marvel and write your novel is one of your treasures, find a thing with the scent – the very flower, essential oil (pro tip: if in straits, drop store sample on your wrist), scented bath beads…and carry it with you to a seat that resembles the one from your treasured vision.

I think you get the idea. I am suggesting you live this week in the feel of what makes it a treasure. In case of the example given above, it’s the way you’d feel sitting there, typing. Slip into the feel/vision and imagine with the whole of yourself, how you’d feel in the garden with words flowing out of you onto a paper.

This is not a “manifestation” exercise so please don’t strain yourself trying to make it happen – it’s not the aim of this week’s exercise.
It is more about appreciating, as in acknowledging the vision/treasure, for, if it was in your treasure chest, it’s there for a very good reason. It’s about inviting your treasure to the table, sit with it quietly together like you would with a very special friend.

I don’t know what would happen if you did. That’s between you and you, and I deem it sacred. I have a sneaking suspicion however, that something very special will result, if not right away, sometime in the future.*

*I’ve said this before but allow me to repeat:
sometimes, emphasizing on what you envision/want can bring you to a possibly painful awareness about things within you that counter it.
In case of the example above, reason(s) why you cannot permit yourself to write.
If you feel ready I encourage you to go into/through the awareness but if you feel overwhelmed, please do not force yourself, for timing may not be right. Not now doesn’t have to mean never. You know you, your wisdom, how to care for yourself.

I began every week of Part 6 with a line “envision with me”.
Envision together for starter, for encouragement perhaps, I said it knowing that your visions are very personal to you. They so often ask you to withstand a particular variety of solitude, to contain your visions within you and validate the weight of them yourself.
I’ve been calling it Creative Solitude. What about you, how would you term it?

Creativity Cocoons;
Your Visions Grow Wings in the Lightless.

Creativity, as in, What turns a very large body of water into an ever-shifting sculpture you can swim in. Lightless, symbolically.

Hope it was enjoyable and somewhat meaningful to you.
Next week, the Part 7 launch. More quality fun ahead.
Til then!!

Week 38: Discover

September 21, 2024

Envision with me.
You are standing face to face with a treasure chest, belongs only to you.
Unlocked it last week, and this week, the moment of big reveal awaits you.

Imagine, lifting the lid of your box.
How does it – the lid, the experience – feel to you?
Take a moment and be present, as you face your treasures for the first time.
When ready, dive in and greet your treasures.

As has been during this Part 6 Treasure Hunt, I ask you to imagine the scene with you as the star of an unfolding story, and while at it, ask questions such as the ones posed to you here in this writing.
And wait for your answers to arise from within the depth of your existence.

Can you see yourself in front of your treasure chest, lifting the lid?
Can you feel it in your hands?
How’s the lid, its edges, the weight of it, the hinges… does it make any sound, does the task require both of your hands, or need lifting only one of your pinkies?
Does your heart sing or sulk, racing, tranquil … can you accept your reaction(s) in any case?
How’s the environment in which your box is situated? Is it supportive of your task, or is it a struggle?
I suggest you notice your such reactions without going into analysis as to why.
Acknowledge, then set them aside – and continue with the imagine-intuit “tango”, as in envisioning the scene, ask the questions and wait for your answers.
I suggest you flow with the process of it gentle and steady.

Then as you imagine, shift your focus on what is in the box. Your treasures.
Please take a moment or two – as long as you need – to admire* your treasures.
Imagine the scene as you soft-focus on the way you feel. Sensations, emotions, anticipations and expectations…
Be present in your imagination, and be there for you, however you feel.

*Worded, with full awareness you may not feel that way with all your treasures, all the time. Not as a sarcasm neither (I don’t do nasty here). It’s more about my fundamental attitude towards the concept.

Then comes the fun part: dive in, examine your treasures!!
Please spend enough time (e.g. the whole week) indulging in the process.
Whether it be delightful or disappointing, be present as possible in the unboxing of your treasures. I ask you to treat them as such – treasures – no matter how you currently feel about them.
If you like, write down what you found. And perhaps, your reactions to them as well.

As for me, I had a marvelous time last week, imagining me unlocking the box. I thought of sharing the experience with you but decided against it at least for now, for I don’t want to chance influencing you even in a minuscule way.
I decided to stick with what’s been my aim through the year so far: I write what feels right, and leave the rest up to you, how you hear and experience all this, and to the magic and magnificence of Creative Consciousness.
It is also out of respect for the Uniqueness of you, your self, your journey. I write with all that in mind because I’ve come to believe…

Uniqueness Invigorates Universality.

Embracing uniqueness of each individual does not shatter the collective. I think the effect would be quite the opposite.

Next week we will be concluding the Part 6 Treasure Hunt adventure. In other words, quality fun ahead.
See you then!!

Week 37: Unlock

September 14, 2024

Envision with me.
You got your treasure chest waiting for you. It’s filled with what make you special, your life meaningful, more so than ever. Your potentials, abilities, qualities, known or to be discovered.
You got the location. The key. Got everything set up to travel to it.

Imagine yourself traveling to the location where the treasure chest waits for you.
You are standing in front of it with the key in your hand.
Zero in on the moment you unlock your box.
How is it like to you, how does it feel?

This week, we are focusing on a few moments when you come face to face with your box, insert the key and turn it.
I want you to follow your internal responses as you imagine the scene.

What do you anticipate?
Excited? Scared? Of what?
Disappointment, or responsibilities – of getting what you hoped for.
Overwhelmed? Underwhelmed?
Do you feel guilty or grateful? Both simultaneously?
The deal is always the same as the previous weeks: ask yourself questions as you imagine the scene, and wait for your answers to surface from within you.

Becoming more can be difficult, even if it is only in your readiness for it.
To accept the gifts meant for you – the contents of the treasure chest – can mean changes in how you/r life has been.
It also can reveal to you, how you have been seeing yourself as. How your life could be. What you feel are allowed to be. A sense of limits imposed, walls of an invisible cell, weight of a ceiling…

Life’s circumstances vary. We may not get all our potentials fulfilled in this lifetime. Maybe it is more about us being grande, and less about life sucking merciless.
In any case, anyways, we can acknowledge them in our hearts. Our longings, aspirations, what we intuitively “know” about ourselves, how potent we are.
May come with possibly painful awareness that some of them may never be. One lifetime may not offer us enough resources. But we can still acknowledge the treasures in our chest.
And watch, witness, where that awareness alone can take you to.

Own Your Light:
Your Soul Blossoms in Delight.

Wishing you a week of you delighted in your own company.
See you next Saturday!!

Week 36: Venture

September 07, 2024

Envision with me.
You are planning a trip. To the place where your treasure chest is.
You got the location in your mind, a key in your hand, this week you are going to plan your trip to where the box is.

Plan an imaginary trip, as if you are taking off at the end of this week.
What would you need, for you to get to where you can stand in front of your treasure chest?
What do you think it would take – risks, expenses, investments, commitments….
Can you simulate one element from your imagined adventure into your “real” life this week?
How do you really feel about the trip?

As always, I am asking you to ask yourself questions like the ones above, and wait for your answers to surface from within you.

Plan in detail like you really are departing later this week.
Can you get there with a boat, a plane, a drone, a….space ship?
What if your treasure chest actually sits in your living room? In that case, what would be the “distance”?

If it’s on the ocean floor, you may need a specialized gear, or a way to turn yourself into a fish.
Invent a compact submarine for one (it’s a private mission) to get you to the challenger deep?
At what point you plan your transformation to a fish person, on the beach or on a boat?

Imagination can get you to places, where you can extend the boundary of your mind, stretch your wings and soar in the limitless sky. No, you won’t go crazy*. It trains your imaginative muscles as it tickles your creativity fancy.

*Needless to say but on internet, playing safe may be preferable: unless you indulge in practices that mess with your mind, to forcefully alter your perceptions – not what I recommend. What I write about here in this whole website, is about using our imagination, gently, naturally, respectfully – to maximize our creativity, because…

Everything Comes Alive Only in Creativity.

Now, if your answer happens to be ”it will take a decade to get there”, then please appreciate your answer as it is. No worries: practicality is not a hindrance in an imaginative practice like this one.

Can you bring one element from the trip to the box, into your actual life this week? Example, wear trousers to work that would be perfect for a trek to the tallest mountain top where your box sits, moving things out of the way in your living room so you get a clear view of your chest, carry with you a compass you’d need to find your box in a sand dune (camel kind), go for a swim and practice becoming a fish…

May have mentioned this in the past weeks but allow me to repeat: I suggest you keep all this to yourself during the Part 6 weeks. Why?
Your answers make sense possibly only to you, and part of strengthening creative muscles, at least I found this to be true time and again, is in holding your truth close to your heart, whether people in your life gets it or not. Imaginative visions oft possess tender/vulnerable qualities especially in their initial stages / when they emerge.

Speaking of tender and vulnerable, the last question, how do you feel about the trip?
Ridiculous? Would you mind asking yourself why? And wait for the – your – answers?
I surely hope you don’t feel that, but if you do, I hope you accept your answer with utmost respect.
What I really hope is you give this a try. I am not writing all this just to be silly.
I am not asking you to value my words (though that would be nice).
I am asking you to value yours.

Wishing you a fun week!!

Week 35: Weigh

August 31, 2024

Envision with me.
In your palms, there is a key. It is the key to your treasure chest.

How does the key feel in your palms?
Weight, texture, temperature, size, color, design….
What does it symbolize to you, initially, and at the end of the week?
Imagine placing it in your pocket/purse/etc. and spend this week feeling its presence.

So last week, we located our treasure chest. We at least sorta know its whereabouts. We are not traveling there yet though.
(Needless to say but let me; all this – chest/key/travel – take place in your imagination.)

This week’s focus is on the key to your treasure chest. Let’s assume your treasure chest has a keyhole and you got the key to it with you.

While imagining ask questions like the following, and let your responses arise from within you.

Is the chest locked? Do you know if it is?
Can you make copies of your key? Do you want to?
How does the key weigh in your hand? What are the look, the texture, the stories behind it?
Maybe made of iron, hand crafted centuries ago, maybe something ancestral about it. That’s a different kind of “weight”…
Or maybe, it’s light like a tiny feather, ready to fly away out of your grasp.
Is it made with technology that doesn’t exist on Earth just yet?
Or, so intricately crafted a tiniest spec of dust in the key hole may ruin your chance at opening the box?
If it’s a plastic card easily duplicated, does that feel convenient or vulnerable to you?

Is it weighing on you, the responsibility to look after your key, or does it get you delighted, like a ticket to freedom?
(Either way’s better than the other, what matters is that it is your answer, that you welcome your honesty.)

Now, I want you to spend your week carrying the key with you. In your pocket, in your purse, feel its presence, the weight, the way it reminds you of its existence…
Also, please make sure to pay delicate-relaxed attention, to see if there’s any shift in the way you feel about it.

Last week I touched on an intuition-imagination tango.
(Scroll all the way down to last week(wk34), right beneath the line in fancy big text “There’s always…”)
Alternately in simple math, the tango can be translated into something like: Intuition x Imagination = Inspiration.
Inspiration vivifies everything it touches. That’s what takes us further, to where we have never been before.

Imagine. Intuit. It takes two to Tango;
Your Self, in Tune with Creativity Itself.

Wishing you a beautiful week with your imagination.

Week 34: Search

August 24, 2024

Envision with me.
There is a treasure chest in this world somewhere. May look like the one from a pirates film. Or more modern like a locked safe. Let’s not go into details of the box for now though.

Imagine, it is filled with what make you feel excited, get you out of bed in the morn, fall asleep dreamy at night. Qualities, abilities, experiences… that make your heart do a happy dance. Make you feel like it is fantastic to be alive.
But it is not time for those things just yet.

What I want you to get into this week is the following:

Imagine, somewhere in this world there is a treasure chest that belongs to you, you alone.
Where do you think that would be?
How far / close it is from where you are at?
Is it easy or difficult to get there?
What kind of environment / surroundings?

Please don’t “think hard”. Instead, ask these questions and wait for the answers to arise from within you. This is meant to be fun.

Is it in your backyard? Basement, or even in your living room?
Or in the ocean, if so, how deep? Cold or warm? Hazards like sharks and crocs, or whales guiding you to it? If there’s a Godzilla sitting on it, is he guarding it for you or from you?
If in the forest, is it tropical or taiga? How far into the forest and how difficult getting there? Can you ride into it or do you have to hike?
Do you feel it is on another planet? Can you locate it at all?

Whatever the answer you get from yourself is THE answer for you at this time. No worries even if your answer is “outer space”.
Please do yourself a favor and receive it as it is. Because…

There is always a high chance you know way more about your self than you give yourself credit for.

I suggest, not get into analyzing as to why it’s so hard to get to it or it has been serving you as a foot rest.
I am suggesting you ask yourself a question like “where is it?”, wait for the answer remaining open to your self knowledge, then enjoy imagining details (godzilla!!) while still asking yourself “is it like this, or more like that?”

I am suggesting an intuition-imagination tango. I think some call it creativity.

Hope you’ll have fun. See you in a week!!

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Intro:

Welcome to the Part 5 of Creative Self Exploration. Can you believe we are already at the halfway point of the year?

In this section, we are going to dive into yet another aspect of who you are: your memories. This time, instead of visuals, we’ll use words as the creative-expressive instrument.

Each week, I will propose a theme, an angle to focus. You then dive into the ocean of your life experiences and bring back to present, what is the most significant/applicable memory/experience, and describe it in one word.
You can describe in emotional quality (e.g. happy, sad, sulking, smiles, tears, etc…) or something related to the memory (e.g. violet, Vienna, windowsill, exhaust, zoology…). What is important here is that you choose the word that stands out in your mind/awareness the most. Not what’s pragmatic, presentable, proper, but what appeals to you the most, even if it doesn’t make sense to you, let alone anyone else.

This is, has been in fact, an exercise to generate fun, as in a form of spirited energy/state perhaps, requiring mostly only your self. In other words, this is not an exam, hence you cannot “fail” it.
It’s you following your creative hunch and initiating the process, then letting the results happen.
Repeat this interplay of effort and letting go and you may soon find yourself strolling through…

Infinity is a Meadow where every imaginable flowers bloom.

Let’s make a bouquet!!

Please Be Noted: If, at any point, you feel overwhelmed or get other strong responses from you, please take care and discontinue / choose easier memory instead. Read more in Introduction page – scroll down to “Few Important Notes”.

( in reverse chronological order )

Week 30: Your Life as a Poetry

July 27, 2024

Welcome back Dear Visitor!!!

This week, we are concluding the Part 5 of a year-long project “Creative Self Exploration”, run by myself, Yuko Nagai, who has been (pretty much) solely following her Creative Hunches/Intuition/Inspirations.
As of this writing it is already Saturday July 27, 2024 at 4 minutes past 3pm. Finally got to sit and start writing just about now (read: running late). Few minutes ago I hang a sheet of paper with 5 words on it, from the last five weeks’ exercises.

So why not suggest that you do the same. Please…

Bring out your 5 words written down on a special place/sheet of paper.

Lay it in front of you, pin it on a wall facing you, etc….

Allow yourself to take a moment, take in the words, memories, experiences.

If you can let yourself feel “it/them” on a deep layer of you, deeper than emotions/thoughts, than where we are usually at as we go about our day-to-day lives.

Please if possible, take time as you (relaxedly) focus.

…As these words are there to represent aspects of your life. Your story.
Any word(s) stands out more than others? Any that you want to look away?
Do you see a pattern? Theme?

How does the whole thing feel to you? Can you put it in one word?

Example: the whole thing feels “Beautiful”.
Write the word you just came up with and now you got 6 words.

Perhaps slowly, put the words into a short poem, like a haiku.
Write on the same place/paper as your 5/6 words.

You can either do it (turn them into a poetry) with 5 words or include the 6th word.
Or, go with the 5 words, with the overall impression in one word you just came up with as a guide to feel your way into it.

In fact I just made mine, made with 6 words, added an extra “to” and “-“ (hyphen not emoji) so it flows. It is now 3:29pm. Do I like it? In fact I do. A lot.
I may or may not show this to someone, but I see it – as a trace of my footsteps, seeing it from an angle that is new to me.

Ideas:
You can look at some or all words as characters (e.g. “beautiful” is made of 9 alphabetical characters), disassemble the words into characters and put them together into another word – in such case the 6th word comes in handy – to keep the “feel” on the track (e.g. play with words freely but stay on the overall feel of “beautiful”).

Please feel free to experiment in ways you see fit. No-one is coming to grade nor downvote.

If you find yourself unliking your masterpiece, and if it is too loud you cannot ignore you, jot down what you have to say as criticism somewhere, acknowledge your voice that you heard it, and set it aside for now if you can / as much as you can.

Creative Freedom (CF hereafter) isn’t always easy or accessible, but you have it within, your potential for it calling you, especially if you are giving these exercises a try (I feel honored – Thank You) . Especially when you are Longing For It*.

*CF not limited to what is conventionally considered to be “creative” – can be like the Original You calling out for you, the part of you that is the one and the only, once in the history of the Universe…you.

Unlocking your CF** may require some undoing, maybe in near future, may take some time undoing, but the process of which will soon become so fulfilling on its own, every step towards your CF becomes your beautiful story, unfolding as you travel forward.

**My take on this is that, you can unlock your CF enough to create freely for instance, but there will always be what counters CF within oneself – which may be what propels a person to CF to start with. Just my five yen thrown in to say, no perfection required.

For now though, if you can set aside your own counter force (that wants to give you a downvote) for a moment and put together a poem for yourself – I think you can do it – and take notes of all the criticism you hear within yourself for future references (they are giving you hints), I think you’d come up with a poem that makes you smile, if not this moment, maybe even very soon.

After all, I don’t know how your experience would/should be like. I am here only to act on my hunch and write down as inspired/instructed. That being said, I want you to know this:

Your Life like Unfolding Petals,
of a Beautiful Blossom no one has ever seen.

Now we have concluded the Part 5: Past. Present. Poetry. It has been a pleasure writing these exercises to you. And an invaluable learning experience.

Next three weeks we will have a Summer/Winter Break. I have no clue as to how to proceed after that (kinda like how I started this week :) but will come up with something interesting and new. In a few days I will post some “homework” ideas during the break. FUN ideas, possibly to enhance your summer/winter.

Til then, and Thanks again!!

Week 29: Restore

July 20, 2024

When you hear the word “restore”, how does it sound to you? How do you define it?

According to Thesaurus, “restore” can mean:

rebuild, reestablish, revitalize, rescue, recover, renew, revive, redeem, refresh, retouch, rejuvenate, reintroduce…….. (there’re more at thesaurus.com)

This week, the last of the Part 5: Past. Present. Poetry., I first ask you to choose the definition that clicks with you. When you’re ready…

Find a place/time, where you can be peacefully focused for a while.

As we have done last four weeks, go over in your mind, your life experiences seeking for ones that make you feel want to restore.

Choose one memory/experience that feels, perhaps, especially lit within your consciousness.

Next, choose one word that is perfect to assign/dedicate to the memory.

Write down in the way you want, the word you chose on the same special place you’ve written down the preceding four words.

Choosing, in this case, is not an analytical process. It is more about requesting yourself a memory/a word, then let the answer arise from within you.

Nothing wrong with “analytical” – just not the focus of these Part 5 exercises.

I talked about this too many times in previous weeks, so I touch on it lightly as a reminder.

“Restore” got an interesting flavor: restoring what was lost, destroyed, missed. What went wrong.

What didn’t connect, didn’t materialize. What had slipped through your fingers.

To hunt for a word to match your memory can be like fishing in a pond full of emotions, especially so this week.

You may or may not feel that way, but if you are about to be overtaken by your emotions, I recommend you try the following while working on this week’s theme:

blur your focus on the way the memory makes you feel, and continue to wait for the one word to surface from within your consciousness. You are neither pushing your feelings away nor letting yourself submerged in them.

Instead, as if listening to cicadas sing, you acknowledge them being there or may even be feeling them, but do so with a certain distance while keeping your focus on the deep pond of your consciousness, waiting for that one word coming up from the depth of it.

I am suggesting an experimental approach here (hence, “Creative Self Exploration” ;). If some of your memories make you feel you wish to “restore” them, then there is something ‘active’ about the memories. Nothing wrong with that. However.

In this exercise we are not trying to resolve/ forget/ heal them. Instead, attempting to crown, as in honor, it – your memory/feeling/wish – with a word of your choice.

Restore, may be the most “ambivalent” of all Part 5 themes, quite poetic, perhaps. That is also quite perfect because, next week, we will be concluding the Part 5 with a really fun experiment using all five words we have chosen. We are writing a poem!!!

That will be the poem of your lifetime, however long you have been on this planet.

The lifetime that happens only once in the history of the Universe.

I conclude every week with a line or two of statement in a large fancy font.

I write them as an encouragement, for looking within can require extra oomph.

Not meant to be self-worship tho, but more self appreciation. Respect.

It’s a reminder, in case someone needs it, that…

You Alone hold the Key to your Treasure Chest;

Trust, Dare, and Greet the Jewels of your Existence.

Don’t forget to come by next week, it will be a blast!!

Week 28: Recoil

July 13, 2024

recoil (verb)
to draw back; start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
—dictionary.com

This week’s theme can be a bit challenging; we are diving into our memory bank fishing for what makes us recoil.

(Allow me to repeat) I recommend you take on this week’s exploration only if you feel able to handle it. In other words, nothing wrong with taking a break as in skip this week’s work, or choose milder memory of the sort.

Ready? Let’s get started!

Find a calm moment alone with yourself and begin, scanning your life experiences for the memories you feel you recoil* from.
Perhaps gradually, narrow them down to one that stands out to you the most.
Ideally without getting into specifics about the memory, ask yourself what would be the one word to give/dedicate/assign to the experience.
Let the answer / the word surface from within you, and when it does, write on the special place you’ve written the previous three words on.

*Recoil – also can be, avoid, deny, ignore, push away…

Let bygones be bygones…is a saying I’ve learned fairly recently. In other words, I am not at war with the ‘bygone’ concept. Then why suggest we dig up the discomfort from the past???

Many of you may agree, life as a human in this society can be quite wounding, at least at times. If you still have the “recoil” reaction to a specific memory, then quite possibly, what made you feel that way has not been fully resolved**. Unresolved experiences that make you feel that way, have tendency to affect you in ways that are hard for you to detect.

**Resolved – as in, made peace within yourself regardless of what goes on outside of you regarding the matter at hand.

If the memory like that, is eager to make itself known to you this week, then it may be the sign it is ripe and ready to be resolved – so you can travel this life with a lighter stride. Since this is a “Creative Self Exploration”, I am recommending a simple exercise to possibly remedy-shift some of it through the power of Creativity.

One more time, that is if you feel ready to tackle. Not to scare you but if you proceed, there may be some remembering for you to do*** after this week’s exercise – which can be painful. I ask you to pay close attention to how you feel about the memory – even a subtle sense of overwhelm, such as heavy-heartedness, consistent unsureness, etc. I beg you not to ignore.

***Just to share with you one of the tools I’d use: EFT (emotional freedom technique / tapping on acupuncture points), utilizing the power of our neural networks, known to effectively shift/solve phobias, complex/trauma, etc..
You can do it anywhere, easy to learn on your own and get results (ton of free resources online), also many options to hire practitioners if you prefer. From my experience, oft. enough effect be felt relatively quickly, although is not an instant magical cure.
I am not sponsored by no one / this is purely a suggestion – in case you be left hangin’ with your emotions.

On the other hand, if you feel nervous but eager, and you feel consistently sure-footed, I’d say it’s a good sign but that’s me talking from where I am at. I cannot know where you are at. But You Know You, your limits, readiness. After all, that has been the theme of the whole thing (of “Creative Self…”) to start with.

So…is pain bad? Is it better if all is sunshine and smiles on fluffy clouds?
When contemplating the subject as such, I think of what I learned from practicing photography:

Light and Shadow Together, Create a Beautiful Picture.

Creativity has a habit of doing exactly that; to turn your suffering into a powerful asset, your life into a solid canvas.

Hope this week’s exercise haven’t repelled you much – have a fab week!!

Week 27: Remember

July 06, 2024

This week, we are going to find a life experience to remember, and a single word to dedicate to the experience.

As we have done in previous two weeks….

Find time/space to be, that’s suitable for reflecting on your life.

As if to type in search words, ask yourself for memories/experiences you either know you will, or you wish to, remember.

Choose one that feels most significant to you, and without getting into why it is so, request from you a word most suited for the experience.

Write down the word on the same special place as the last two weeks.

The experience can be a delightful one or otherwise. If it is particularly traumatic for instance, I urge you to make sure you feel able to handle the feelings associated with the memory.
(I talked about this in length previous two weeks so I keep it short here.)

As for the word – it can be the word best describes the experience, a perfect match for the experience, you are naming the experience like giving it a title, etc. etc…
All this may sound vague but basically, what I’m suggesting is you ask yourself ‘open’ kind of question such as, “what would be the one word I choose for the experience?” – and sense your answer rises in your awareness like a surfacing submarine.

By the way…

The Part 5: Past. Present. Poetry. is not about “dwelling in the past”.
It is about exploring our consciousness as a super computer – super wise, super kind.

I wouldn’t know why you’d pick a particular memory. But you might.

Or you may not understand neither but the word surfaced from within you may make sense to you in a way so unexpectedly perfect, catch you by nice surprise, even if the memory itself isn’t exactly nice.

You see, there’s something about asking oneself – and receiving a response from within.
A memory. A word. Emerging from the depth of you like a whale in the deep would.
(I find it wondrous I hope you would too)
In any case…

Possibilities are limitless when you

Befriend the Mystery Within

and you’ll soon discover, you got an ally, loyal for life.

Have a wonderful week!!

Week 26: Re-Do

June 29, 2024

Are there life experiences you wish to re-do, if you could?
This week we focus on such experiences.
We’ll go through the same process as we did last week.
Please refer (back) to it if/when needed by scrolling down a bit, it’s a short read.

Get quiet within yourself, and scan through your past experiences/memories for what you wish to re-do.
Select the one that stands out to you the most.
Get real quiet and find one word that best represent the experience.
Write down the word on the same special place as you did last week.

Re-doing what you had, doesn’t have to mean, you regret.
Can be that you are more curious as in, “What if?”. Or adventurous. Eager, to experiment.
Re-doing here means, to revisit and do it differently.
Either a little, or a whole lot diff, but you wanna do diff, alter the experience some.
How you’d like it to be instead, is not the concern of this week’s exercise. That’d be too long a story, but mostly because I am suggesting we bypass the rhyme/reason and tap into what feels right.

Re-Doing may not feel as fun as the last week’s Re-Living.
May make you feel more hesitant, heavy-hearted, possibly.
I’d say, little bit of such discomfort would be alright. As long as you feel you can handle it.
(Please be honest with yourself; sometimes courage means admitting to yourself you have limits – at least for the time being.)
Name the experience through your discomfort. Crown it with the one word you’d like to dedicate to.

One suggestion I just came up with, regarding the writing down of the word(s).
It doesn’t have to be written in order, tidy like a list. Unless that is what you want.
You can write like you are drawing, upside down against each other. Perpendicular, if you prefer.
No need to write in same size, same language, same style with same pen each week.
Do it just the way you want, allow yourself as much freedom, write with your fingers, elbow, foot!, use a twig esp. if the word is “twig”…
No need to be readable to anyone other than you.
No fairies will be harmed during the process.

Get Real Quiet within;
witness your Creative Freedom blossom.

When you choose your one word, you are giving a name to one such blossom.

Best Wishes to you, from me and the fairies!

Week 25: Re-Live

June 22, 2024

Do you have a past experience you want to re-live, over and again?
This week, we are going to pick one memory/experience that makes you feel exactly that.

Find a place secluded enough to sit with yourself for a while.
Scan through your life experiences and ask: what is the experience I’d like to re-live*?
Ask, get quiet and wait for the answer to emerge from within you.
Without analyzing** as to why, ask yourself another question: what would be the one word that best describe the memory/experience?
Again, wait for the answer.
When you get the word, write it down on somewhere that feels special to you.

*“Re-living” here, means, you want to re-experience as it exactly was.
**This can be hard, but doing your best is enough. If something is very loud, e.g. “the reason why I wanna re-live is because I wanna re-do what happened, I feel incomplete til then!!”. In such case, please kindly hear your voice and jot down what it says, and go back to this week’s asking & waiting business.

The memory doesn’t have to be (unless it is, of course) the usual happy ones, like the best vacation, sweetest romance, biggest windfall, etc. (My suggestions are kept emotionally neutral for this purpose.)
The word can be descriptive of the way you feel, or what is specifically significant to the memory.
The wait can be 10 minutes, 10 hours or a few days. Please do not feel rushed though, if possible. Good enough answers will most probably arrive within the time frame of this exercise. Nothing has to be perfect. Emphasis of this exercise is on asking, waiting/trusting (enough) and listening/hearing your answers, not on getting them perfectly accurate.
As for listening and hearing, the volume of your response may require your delicate attention. The replies to these questions may arrive like a feather.

If you are like how I used to be***, you may feel nervous about mishearing the answer. Or not getting them within a week, or not getting them at all. If that’s the case…..

If ‘misheard’, so what. That then is your memory/word that is right at this time.
If answers are late, that then is okay too. That’s how things are, for now.
Leave them blank, if they didn’t come to you at all. What’s blocking you from your answers today, may be wanting to make itself known first.****
In any case, it is way more important that you asked you, and waited for you.

***I said, “I used to be”, not to talk at you from a high horse. My skill improved over time, much better at it now although never perfect – but I do remember the struggle.
****If it feels too overwhelming (I know I’m repeating myself but hey, allow me!), do not push yourself and seek self care measures ( that include help from others). My experience is that I become aware of such (what blocks me, etc) only when I am ready to resolve it. I shouldn’t and would not speak for everyone though.
I have a sneaking suspicion however, that there’s a high chance that you’ll know what you need.

Never underestimate the Potential of your Creative Intelligence;
It knows the way, to Infinity and back.

Lastly, you may ask, what’s this “somewhere special” business?
Save your answer like a password, is what I meant to say.
For it kinda is, to the deeper layer of your existence.

Hope you’ll enjoy this week’s exercise.
See you in a week!

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Intro:

(You) Imagine from the Seat of Your Soul.

Let’s do something different.

Welcome to the Part Four of this year-long play date called “Creative Self Exploration”, where I, the initiator, facilitate the whole thing by following (nearly) solely my creative hunches.

Last 12 weeks (Part 2 and 3) we’ve done separately, the imagining and introspecting (Pt. 2) then drawing / painting (Pt.3).
For the next 6 weeks, we will combine the two part process into one and to make matters simpler, bypass the introspection part altogether.

I will ask you each week, to pick a creature you fancy, and draw as you imagine how the life would be being the creature. For each week (from Wk.19 to 23), I pick a category grouped by their mobility.

Please prepare a drawing tool, choose from either a pencil – colored or graphite, or crayon/crayon pastel. This is because I am going to ask you to close your eyes while drawing as a human, imagining how it’d be like.
And a sheet of paper a week, so just 5 total is perfect – if not possible or if you so prefer, one large(-enough) sheet will do, too. No “extra paper in case” needed – because you will not be making mistakes.

So be ready; more quality fun ahead!!

( in reverse chronological order )

Week 24: Conclusion – You, the Guest of Honor

June 15, 2024

First of all, if you got five drawings from last 5 weeks, I thank you for giving this a try. I’m honored that you have.
This week, we are going to ‘pretend’, to have a gallery opening party for these drawings.

Presentation

(In this section, I am suggesting that you actually decorate your wall in your physical space.)

Do you have a wall space where you can pin all five drawings to? Or tape them on a window with the light coming through like backlight?
Nothing has to be perfect, but please do find a space.
Unless you really cannot. In which case, you instead imagine how you’d like to do it, in just the way you want.

How would you like to present your drawings?
On a white wall like most art galleries, or some other color that would be considered unconventional?
If you actually can modify the space a bit (e.g. a large paper in your favorite color on your wall to decorate your drawings on), please go ahead and do so.
Important point is that, you do what feels right to you, if you have a choice/means to do so. If you don’t at this point, I suggest you acknowledge-appreciate your idea(s) anyways, and imagine / visualize how you’d like them to look.

Invitation

(In this section, I am not suggesting to actually invite /send invites to people.)

To whom would you like to send invites?
It can be someone you cannot meet in person.
(e.g. a relative who passed, yourself as a kid, a teacher you lost touch with…)

I recommend you pick people you really want to show your pictures to, like introducing the part of you that is new to them, which also possibly is new to you.
If you only have a small number of people in mind, worry not. This is not about you being social. What’s suggested here is to be honest with yourself, as much as you can (for this can be actually kinda difficult).

Now, can you invite you as a critic?
If you are like me, you may have heard from yourself a criticism or two during the last 5 weeks. (I share mine, to give you examples: “this is ridiculous, no one would do this” / “oh look, the drawing sucks, you really an artist?”)
Can you imagine you as a critic? Let’s invite the critic, your alter ego.
How would you the critic be like, walking into your show, dressed in what style of garment, body languages, demeanor, vibe, expressive or silent – of words, opinions?
Converse with the critic, if you may. If you want to avoid the critic, then observe from safe distance. Ask questions, defend yourself, possibly befriend. How well do you think you two would get along?

Celebration

(In this section, I suggest that you plan, prepare and host a gallery opening party for yourself in your actual, physical space.)

Now let’s congratulate ourselves, shall we?
You, the host of the show, get to decide how you’d like to celebrate.
Coffee, champaign, cheese and crackers? If tight on budget, no worries.
Decorate the space with flowers you pick from the sidewalk. Better yet, the plant you chose in Week 23 (if suitable, of course – if it was a tall tree, collect leaves if possible). Please do what you can, in ways you would like, to present your drawings in the best possible way, best, as you see fit.
Because they are part of you, those pictures you drew, they came from who you are.

And as I’ve said in preceding sections, if you cannot do all this in actuality at this point, please hold the party in your imaginative mind.
This matters so very much. Do so until it feels exciting, until you feel proud of what you did (if proud already, stay with it and make it stronger).

Last but not least.
Sit/stand by your gallery wall (or lay the drawings out in front of you if you are opting for imagined party), and be present with your drawings. Give your work on the wall a precious gift of time and attention.
Be alone with them a while. Take your time, take them in.
After all, you are the most important guest at your show.

It’s the Creative in you
that fills the hole in your heart.

You may decide at one point, to actually invite someone to view your drawings. That is not within the scope of this Creative Self Exploration exercise/experiment hence I am not to opine on but.
But let me say this in case you get disappointed by the person’s reaction (happens sometimes): how you feel about your pictures is the sole focus of Part Four: Let’s Pretend. Said this not as a statement about the quality of your work, which is difficult, if not impossible, to objectively gauge. If someone gets it, great, but that is considered in this exercise, to be just an icing* on the already rich, delicious, magnificent cake.

*Reason: putting more importance on this icing may hinder your creativity/imaginativeness, especially if shown too soon since drawings are created or if you are new to this form of practice. This suggestion’s made as a practice in creative freedom, and is not intended to isolate you in any way.

Well thank you again, for sticking around this far and giving this a try.
(If you haven’t, I invite you to.)
Come back in a week, for we will be venturing into Part Five, the world made of words and emotions. More quality fun ahead.
Til then!!

Week 23: Planted

June 08, 2024

Have you wondered about a tree, its root planted in the earth, solid.
Wind. Rain. Sleet and storms. It stands there taking it, swaying with it.
And wears countless pearls of raindrops as the sunlight returns.

This is the last week of the Part 4: Let’s Pretend!, and our focus is on our friends in the “plants” family.
Let’s begin by gently, focus on and mull over any and all that are in the category.
What plants are the ones you feel the most pull towards?
Ask a question as such and see how your answers arise from within you.

When you are able to narrow down your picks to a special few….

Find a place / time to spend some grounded, relaxed (enough) moments with yourself.
Settle in with a sheet of paper and a drawing tool of your choice.
Choose the plant most fascinating to you, and start imagining how it’s like to be the plant.
Let your imagination take you to a place where you exist alongside the plant.
When ready, pick up your pencil/crayon, close your eyes and start drawing* as if your imagination’s set free on paper.
Continue until you feel done.

*As repeated in previous weeks, “drawing” here can be in any form but I lean toward abstract, as in, not focused on getting the actual shape of the plant “right” – unless you feel compelled to do so. Done as freely (as possible) like children’s doodles. I shared mine here for reference.

Muse upon what fascinates you about the plant of your choice.
Colors, scent, seasons, blossoms and fruits, its favorite climate, how tall, how small, how fast it grows.
Delicate and/or dynamic, strength, elegance. Quite possibly, all at the same time.

How it swings in the wind, leaves twirl in the breeze. How does it feel when a bird perched on it sings?
Or, is it actually the plant, who sings through the bird (and tips the bird with its fruits)?
Imagine how would it be like to not have a say in its own fate, or is it actually manipulating the mind of a human with a hacksaw when it wants a trim?

Imagine, until you feel
Wondrous. Spirited. Free.

As we all know…
The best kind of Freedom happens in one’s mind;
that’s how we come alive in Creativity.

Join me in a week, we will be concluding the Part Four.
Til then!!

Week 22: Finned, Gilled, Scaled.

June 01, 2024

In Part 4 of Creative Self Exploration the creatures are grouped together by their mobility.
This week’s creatures – with fins, gills, scales – include:
fishes, snakes – a bit different but loosely fit, some mammals like dolphins. Dugongs, seals, sea lions. Entire family of fishes – except for jelly fishes, octopuses, squids – you get the picture.

It can be scaled without gills, got fins but not scales – they are the ones without limbs / wings, but manage to move about quite dynamically anyways, using mostly their ‘core muscles’ – think dolphin strokes, how we swim simulating their movements.
This week’s creatures are the ones with that movements.

Let’s start.
Make a little space in your mind, to mull over the creatures of the week.
Which ones come to your mind?
Let your thoughts/ideas surface from within you naturally. Allow yourself, if applicable, to be surprised at your preferences.
When you are able to narrow your choices down to a select few…..

Find a place you feel serene enough to sit for a while, and settle in with a sheet of paper and a drawing tool of your choice.
Pick one creature from the category, and start imagining its life.
Continue until you feel lively imagining how it lives, and moves about.
When you feel ready, pick your pencil/crayon up, close your eyes and start drawing in ways you feel led to*.
Flow with it until you sense there’s no more to draw.

*For reference, I made a post to show you how I did mine here: “Sky’s Empty Without You.”

Do you think your creature likes its environment**?
Compared to the previous 3 groups, it is way more immersed in its environment. It may crawl on belly, or live enwrapped in a body of water. Large surface of its skin come in contact with the solids – i.e. ground /water, unlike the air is to the birds for example.

**This is not an activism statement.

Crawling on sand or in grass. Swimming in rapids or stillwater.
What would be the dangers, or pleasures, who are the predators, how it preys upon whom.
Do you think the creature likes us***, the ones that move about very differently?

***Again, not an activism statement.

During Part 4, our focus is not on our mind****.
I am proposing to you, to (safely) lose yourself in your imagination. For a while.
And connect your imagination directly to your drawing hand (if you are using your hand to draw).

****Example: imagine “how a sea lion greets me”, not analyze “why I picked sea lion”.

Bypassing our analytical mind***** is like going on a mini vacation. Except no need to call in sick, nor contact an airline.
Honing one’s ability to imagine is not a meaningless pastime. Nor a delusional practice.
Done right, like we are doing here, it won’t result in a trip to asylum neither.

*****This is not to say “analytical” is always bad for you. It’s just one way to tone one’s creative muscle – to turn it off during an execise as this one.
Not suggesting it is always easy neither. So if you have hard time bypassing your inner analyst / (possibly) critic at least initially, please don’t judge yourself and know, giving it your current best is more than good enough.

To imagine, at least in the way suggested here, is to allow the sense of wonder to take hold of you.
Imagination is a gentle force that breaks through the wall of mundane.
And takes you to where you can let your creative hair down, let your potentials come alive.

Power of Imagination:
Transcends the Mundane Into Miraculous.

Wishing you a fun ride!

Week 21: Winged, with Four or More Legs

May 25, 2024

What are the creatures with four plus legs and a set of wings? Tinker Bell*?
I am thinking insects – butterflies bees beetles. Mayflies. Cicadas. Crazy variety of insects.

*Why not fairies? What is on my mind for Part 4 is this: imagining the lives of creatures that exist in most people’s “reality” in details knowing, what we emphasize/envision about them are still our subjective reality, we never get to know if we got it right, how it’s really like for them.
Creatively exploring oneself has a lot to do with tapping into the part of you no one can quite fully grasp – may make you aware of the gap that cannot be filled.
Part 4 is designed to tickle that potential a tiny bit, in a fun sort of way. Fairies, for instance, changes all that a slight bit, that being said…
If you feel strongly that your choice has got to be, say, a tooth fairy (I am NOT mocking you), then by all means, go for it.

As I mentioned in Intro above, the weekly category is grouped by the creatures’ mobility.
Compared to the last week’s two legged winged ones that use their wings like our (you human, right?) arms, this week’s creatures got full set of limbs and wings.
(It may be interesting to spend some time this week, observing them make use of all that – like 6 limbs and 4 wings!!)

Let’s start by envisioning the winged living things with 4+ legs. Which ones come to your awareness?
Naturally, gradually, narrow down to smaller number of creatures that are intriguing to you.

Settle in with a sheet of paper and your choice of drawing tool in front of you.
Choose one creature and start imagining the way it moves about in this world.
Imagine with empathy, in detail, until you start to feel its aliveness.
When ready, pick up your pencil/crayon, close your eyes and start to draw in ways you see fit.
Continue until you feel the drawing process comes naturally to an end.

Like we did last two weeks, imagine the way it floats about, feeds itself, lives its life.
(Being a mosquito would be a tad bit different from being a butterfly.)
And while doing so draw as if you are tracing its movements, vitality, intent, energy.
As if to translate the way you emphasize with the creature onto your paper.

I went into details about this imagining bit last two weeks, so this week, I will leave you alone with your imagination.
(If need be, feel free to refer back by scrolling down – they are short read.)
Also, I posted yesterday, my drawing for the previous week (Wk20), not so much to exemplify but to visually present what I have been proposing – to imagine, feel, envision and draw, like a child we all once were…

Creative Innocence Never Abandons You.

It will always be there, waiting for you.

See you next week!

Week 20: Winged with Two Legs

May 18, 2024

What are the two-legged creatures with a set of wings?
Birds, or course but also bats and some dinosaurs*.

*I heard birds today are also considered dinos but here, I am referring to those from millions of years ago.

Start the process by naturally letting your thoughts about those who are in this category, surface.
Since we are not opening a zoo here, creatures can be ones already gone extinct.
Gently, leisurely, and gradually perhaps, narrow down to ones you feel marked interest toward.
(It may be pleasurable to spend a few days walking the earth thinking about the winged creatures.)

When ready and got enough time and space to spare….

Place your paper and pencil/crayon on the wide/stable-enough surface in front of you.
Pick a winged, 2 legged creature that stands out in your mind the most, and begin to imagine how it lives its life.
Go into details, imagine emphatically with relaxed focus.
When ready, close your eyes and draw** as you imagine the feel of its movements, etc.
Continue until you sense the process of drawing has run its course.

**”Draw”ing here in this exercise can be anything (as in, do what feels right to you ultimately), but what’s on my mind when I write in this context is abstract scribbles of sorts – free from the constrain of “getting the shape right” – purely following your imaginative energies and internal nudges, flowing through the tip of your pencil/crayon.
Explained some last week as well, scroll down to Week 19 towards the end, a paragraph before the big letter “Be One with…”.

Just as we did last week, I am proposing you take pleasure in imagining the way your creature moves about.
The way it flies, flaps its wings – how do those muscles feel pushing the air down with each movement, glides on wind going fast without goggles like humans would, dive into the water with precision, how the water surface gets punctured with its beaks…..
A bird of prey battling a snake, flying up with a rabbit in its claws, is it heavy or too hungry to care, how is it like crafting a nest with beaks, does it fear hunters?
Does your creature migrate? How well does it see at night?
Why do you think it sings?
Does it have wings but unable to fly – like penguins whose sky is the sea?

As was the last week, we are imagining and drawing as a human. We are not pretending to be a bird drawing with its beaks, but pretending to know how it feels being the winged. In fact…
Pretending is not an accurate expression come to think of it. It is about valuing the power of imagination.

Also worth noting: the emphasis here is not on the end result, but on the process. Meaning, the finished picture isn’t as important as the way you feel while you draw, in other words…..

Creativity sets you free into the Moment where everything is Vibrant.

…and you can escape into the moment this way any old time.

Have a wonder-full week!!

Week 19: Four Legged

May 11, 2024

Get your paper and pencil/crayon ready. Place them on a stable/large enough surface.
Start thinking about four-legged creatures on this planet. We got tons, our four-legged friends.
Which ones come to your awareness?

Carve out a block of time you can call your own.
Out of all the four-legged living things that come to your mind,
pick the one you feel most strongly about.
Imagine the life of the creature of your choice. Go into details of its life until you are emotionally moved.
When ready, pick up your drawing tool*, close your eyes, and
as you continue to imagine-feel, freely move/press your pencil/crayon on paper.
When you feel done, stop drawing and open your eyes.

*Expressions “drawing tool(s)” and “pencil/crayon” are used interchangeably.

Critters grouped as “four-legged” include alligators turtles cats dogs bears and even kangaroos (they look more two legged as seen on internet).
Choose the one you feel the most intrigue, interest, some form of positive attraction towards.
( Easier that way.)

Imagine the way the creature runs, rolls, jumps, lazes.
The way a lion’s tail slaps itself when it jolts up, a bear climbs a tree so agile way more athletic than it appears.
How it hunts, forages, feasts.
Did you pick wolf? Imagine, until you almost feel its paws sinking deep in snow as it treks through the coldest, the hunt, hunger, hardship, presence of the pack, loyalty and bond, do you think it dreams of when it was a cub curled up cozy in a den, with siblings in a bundle of fur balls?
What about chihuahua or an elephant, how do their feet feel as they stride through their life?
A frog, a roo, a rabbit, the spring of their hind legs. How do you think it feels to be in midair like they do?

Direct your thoughts toward its behaviors/mannerisms until you get into it, you start feeling it, the liveliness of the creature.

Please be noted: you are imagining as a human. And you will be drawing as a human holding a pencil.
(In other words, no need to try and figure out how, as a bear, to hold onto a pencil.)

So when you face your drawing paper with your eyes closed, I ask you to let yourself go with the pen in your hand. Draw freely as you imagine the feel of a cheetah sprints. The speed, the muscles, the oneness with the wind.
You let your pen go where it wants to go, press hard, or lightly like a feather, with heightened momentum or slowed gentleness.
Please have fun. Feel into the sense of Creative Freedom.

Be One with Your Imagination;

you are not limited on the paper.

When you feel done – you will know when – gently discontinue and open your eyes.

See you next week!!

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Firstly:

Welcome to Part Three of the year-long experiment “Creative Self Exploration”.
For the next several weeks, we will be painting/drawing an abstract art piece. I will primarily be writing for non-painters. Of course though, all the other folks are equally welcome.

“Abstract art” can mean a plenty of different things, but here, I am going to ask you to translate what you discovered about yourself in Part Two into simple shapes/colors/textures.

This is not a test. There is no right or wrong. No one is coming to rate you, nor grade your work. You’ve got nothing to measure up to.
Because, what we are about to embark upon here, is a dialogue between you and you. It’s personal, it is sacred, the process of which can be quite delicate. For this reason I strongly recommend that you keep your art piece while in progress, private, as in, not sharing it on social media, or otherwise involve people in your life, if possible, as we ultimately explore our…

In Creativity, You Are Inherently Free.

Let’s dive in!!

What’s this about? INTRODUCTION
Just found this out? I recommend you either start from PART ONE…..
Or, if it is currently going on (unfolding) and want to join in “live”, I recommend you work on Part 2 and 3 together, e.g. Week 10 from Part Two first then Week 16.

( in reverse chronological order )

Week 18: Picture it, Your Own Truth.

May 04, 2024

Hello again, it is a pleasure to welcome you (back) here, as the Part Three wraps up this week.
If you have given this a try through last five weeks, you now have a drawing/painting – your work, let’s call it hereafter – with 5 shapes on it, a picture that is a reflection, a representation of you, an aspect of who you are as of late.

Please take out your work, place it in front of you, and let’s introspect, a journey to your internal world, and let’s make it fun and imaginative.

Carve out a time you can have you all to yourself.
Relaxedly observe your thoughts and feelings arising as you behold your work in front of you.
What is the word that best describe your work?
If you choose to show it to one person, who would that be, and how do you think the person would respond?
If you decide not to show it to no one, how do you feel about that?
Now, imagine yourself bringing the work of yours to the party we held in Week 12. What are your guests’ responses?
If you are to decorate your Hakoniwa from Part 1 with it, how would you like to, where do you place it?

Please make sure, you will be alone and undisturbed for a while (unless you really cannot).
Can you be accepting of all your responses, nice and not so much?
If you come up with multiple words to describe your work, choose the one that feels the strongest, got most emotion(s) to it.
And the one person bit; how do you feel about that scenario, how does it make you feel?
What about keeping it to yourself bit? Do you think you are being selfish? Shy? Secretive or smart?

Okay, these questions may not be much fun. Admittedly. Introspection isn’t always easy breezy.
But they give you so very valuable insights into your internal sanctuary. More on this later.

How about this, the guests at your Week 12 Hakoniwa party, do you think they will like your depiction of them?

Lastly, the decorating bit.
Imagine. Frame it with driftwood? Barn wood? Hire a pro or do it yourself?
What about printing it on a wall paper, or turn it into a stained grass ceiling?
If you used a monotoned tool like graphite pencil, it would make a perfectly chic interior textile.
Do you see where I’m going?

Imagine, please go ahead, and set yourself free in your imagination.

Additionally.
If you print it on a tee shirt and go out into the real (versus imagined) world, you’d be literally standing in your own truth, even if you don’t say a word to no one about who did the picture. Just a fun experiment suggestion when/if.

Lastly, one more idea to conclude with:

Your Internal World is a Sanctuary that cradles Your Soul
which speaks a Universal Language called Creativity.

Hope you like, or (grow to) love, what you did, your work, your masterpiece #1.

Next week, we are going to venture into Part 4. We will be continuing with the imagine-draw theme.
Please prepare 5 sheets of paper and a pencil, colored or graphite, or a crayon. There’s a reason for this specific request, which I will explain in coming weeks.

See you then!!

Week 17: Radio Freedom; Tune In.

April 27, 2024

Hello, and welcome (back) to this here, a year-long project-exercise-experiment I, a self-taught artist who reclaimed her creative prowess* in adulthood, conduct, following (nearly) solely her hunch/intuition/inspiration.
All for the reason of sharing with you, the delight of delving into self as the one and only treasure chest, and the power of Creativity felt abundantly in the process.

+Prowess synonyms: boldness, dauntlessness – thesaurus.com
…as in, massive decrease in self doubt – me.

This week, we are completing the art work we’ve been working on for the last 4 weeks.
So please, get your masterpiece in the making out on a workable surface along with the painting/drawing tool(s) of your choice.

Now, shall we refer back to what we did in Week 11 from Part Two. We looked into the way we feel about our hair along with the metaphor of our mane being an antenna.
I would like to focus on the antenna part, which, in this exercise, receives and transmits the signals.

Set aside a little time and space where you can unwind for a while.
Review your answers to the Week 11’s “antenna” questions.
Visualize your signals, both coming in and going out, in colors, textures, shades.
Pick one color/texture that feels most significant, and when ready, draw/paint on your picture a shape best represents what you visualized, using the color/texture you chose.
Carefully listen into yourself for a sense that your work is done, follow the sense and set the work down.

As has been, if you are using a monotone drawing tool like a graphite pencil, you use texture to express what you envisioned.
I had gone into details last week about this process, it is a quick read so please scroll down (until you see “Example.”) and check it out.

Please allow “signals” in this context to be more imaginative than realistic; they can be blazing out of you while landing on your head like a soft cloud coming in. They can be turbulent, enticing, encompassing or piercing. Since we are not starting a radio station with this exercise, I ask you to be as “unrealistic” as needed. I recommend you do this until you feel the sense of, could be subtle/gentle, excitement, of being juiced up**. I say this because…..

**This may not happen if you are new to this line of practice. Not right away. Everyone has access to this, seems to happen in one’s own timing.

Creativity is the Essence of Life, that makes a Silver Lining Sparkle and Shine.

We now completed our first picture. My sincere CONGRATS!!! to you, thank you so much for giving this a try.
Next week we will celebrate, so be sure to return for more quality fun – til then!

Week 16: Colors of Your Existence

April 20, 2024

Hi Visitor, good to have you (back) here.
Let’s jump right in.

I’ve asked a lot of questions in Week 10, the corresponding week to this week’s exercise, about your skin as a boundary that encases you.

I would like you to return to your answers from the week, and contemplate on the following:

Imagine yourself seeing you from distance, far enough to give you an objective view of yourself.

Remembering your answers from Week 10, ask yourself:
if you are to translate your perception of your skin into colors, shades, and textures, what do you look like to you?

If you see multiple colors, etc. choose the ones that give you the strongest impression, and
 draw/paint in that color/shade/texture, a shape that best represents the impression you got from your existence.

Mind you, this is about your impression of yourself, and not your actual skin color or physical shape.

Example.

If a person in actuality is considered yellow who may want to lose a few pounds.
(That’s me btw ;)

The person, in this exercise, sees herself in a fluffy cloud-like (texture) white (color) with a slight grey tint (shade) around her throat, her heart in polished (texture) sweet (shade) pale pink (color) and her toes in metallic (texture) blue-ish (shade) slate grey (color).
Strongest impression she got was the pink, and to herself she appeared like a cotton candy (shape) , so she drew on her paper a pink uneven round shape with fuzzy contour using acrylic paint applied with an actual cotton wad.

If you chose a single tone tool like a graphite pencil, you’d be seeing you in variations of textures and shades.
For instance, feather-soft/slight “shading” application for your throat color, also soft but drawn with a bit more pressure to get the graphite-sheen on chest, strong/hard zigzag on toes…and overall shape you can draw in circling lines to make it look cotton candy-like.

It doesn’t have to be this detailed so if you feel overwhelmed reading this, please don’t.
I went an extra mile describing, trying to give you better ideas.

This week’s would be the 4th shape on your emerging art work. Place the shape of the week on your paper where you feel most drawn to.
You may choose to let it overlap with the other shapes, make it the biggest one or in a size of an ant, and so on. It is up to you.

Please keep in mind that, what is coming together is a depiction of your truth.

Give in to Your Truth and you’ll soon find you have gained a life-long Friend.

We will draw one more shape next week, then the next next week we will celebrate in ways imaginative and fun.
As always, I beg you to revere your emerging picture.

Have a good one and be back in a week!!

Week 15: Scent Journey Inward

April 13, 2024

Welcome back Dear Visitor!!

It’s been a pleasure to welcome you (back) to this year-long experiment/exercise where I follow my creative hunch and let this whole thing unfold. I am getting inspirations for up to Part 5, and am excited to share them with you in near future.

If you just found this and would like to give this a try “live” – as this project unfolds, I recommend you work on Part Two and Three together, example, for this week, Week 9 then the current Week 15.

This week, we are going to use what we found in Week 9 and paint/draw on our emerging masterpiece.
Back in Week 9, we explored our sense of smell, what recollections surface within you.

Firstly, please bring out your paper you’ve been drawing on for last 2 weeks, and tools (e.g. pencils, pastels, paints, crayons….) of your choice.
If possible, find a spacious/stable/even enough surface where your elbows (if you are using your hands) can freely move about. If not enough room, no worries, just find a large enough space and make do.

Let me remind you this; limitations like that won’t limit your Creative Flow.
Easier with space, especially if you haven’t done something like this before, but not a must.
In fact, finding your way despite can be another opportunity for Creativity to aid you, and one more reason for you to be proud of yourself.

Let’s move forward:

Settle in a comfortable (enough) position / place, and reflect on what you discovered about yourself in Week 9.
Pick one scent memory that is most compelling to you, and allow yourself to feel into the memory.
Think of 3 colors (if using monotone tools, 3 textures) that best represent the following:
a color of your scent, of your memory, and of your emotions/feelings associated with them.
Choose one out of the 3, and when ready, draw/paint a shape you feel is right, on where on paper you are drawn to, with the color of your choice.

I intend to keep each week’s entry short enough. I shared some tips in previous 2 weeks about this drawing/painting experiment, so please do have a look, if you haven’t already.

When you feel you are done, trust the feeling and set the artwork down for now.
And pretty please, take time to marvel at your picture, coming together.
I say this as I remember another special friend of mine who once remarked, “the longest journey is the one you take, from your head to your heart.”
Allow me to humbly add:

The Most Beautiful Journey is the one you take Inward.

Bon Voyage, and see you in a week!!

Week 14: Listening to Your Visions

April 06, 2024

Hello again, how was your week?

This week, we are turning our ears’ experience into a picture.

We are going to picturize the sound. Let’s refer back to Week 8.
If you are just joining me and wish to come along live (as this exercise unfolds), work on Week 8 first then come back to this week’s experiment/exercise.

First, take out the sheet of paper you drew/painted on last week, and the drawing/painting tool(s) – pen/paint/crayon, etc.- of your choice.

Just as we did last week….

Find time and place where you can relax and focus for a while.
Pick one memory/recollection from what you discovered about yourself in Week 8.
Go into the experience, re-live the memorable moment(s). Savor what makes it so special.
In your mind, remember it in colors. Then in textures, shapes. Make it vivid.
–
When ready, pick one tool, choose a position within the sheet and draw/paint a shape you just envisioned, with your choice of color/texture – as if to place your ear-memory onto the paper.

Can you turn what is so special about the memory you picked into a color? If using a single-tone tool like graphite pencil, texture? In other words….
If you choose one color/texture that best represent your memory, which one would that be, how does it look?
If color, is it pale or dark, if texture, fluffy or jagged?
What the shape would be, a circle, a rectangle, warped, elongated, squared? Zig-zagged , wave formed or more like a cloud? How big within the paper, where in relation to the last week’s shape?
Do you want to fill the shape with the color/texture, or would rather leave some of it un-filled?

Memory you pick does not have to be a “happy” one, to make this exercise positive.
Recalling a special friend of mine who once told me “life comes in all 31 flavors.” …

Embrace all flavors until every one of them becomes Beautiful.

So yes, pick the memory that feels right. Even if doing so feels uncomfortable, no worries.
The very act of turning to Creativity transcends the experience; the Ultimate Positivity embedded in it.
The very act itself is a form of Embrace.

Now, “re-living the experience” may not be too appealing if your choice of memory is particularly, for instance, sorrowful.
I am not suggesting extended suffering.
What is suggested here is to bring the emotions/feelings, etc. forward in your consciousness, and imagine them in color-texture-shape and draw/paint, as if to move them from inside you onto the paper. May sound silly but I urge you to give it a try anyways.

Unless. as I stated in “Introduction/Disclaimer” – scroll down to “Few Important Notes”, remembering is too overwhelming.
If so, please discontinue and pick something easier.
Timing may not be right. You’ll know. Just please do not strain yourself.
This I learned myself through trials and trials:
Going gentle does not delay one’s progress. Straining oneself oft. does.

So now you got 2 shapes on 1 sheet of paper.
A parting wish for this week: please take a moment and be amused by your emerging picture.

Have a good one!!

Week 13: Step Into Your Blank Canvas

March 30, 2024

( I am going to write as if you have been with me since Part 1 throughout. If you have not / just joined me, etc., please go through each week from Part 2 along with Part 3 that is starting now. )

Let’s begin by referring back to Week 7: Your Feet.
But first, prepare your pen(s) / pencil(s) / paint(s)*, etc., and a piece of paper on a surface large enough to place them.
( I strongly suggest not using an eraser, and prepare just one sheet of paper. )
Please set aside enough time lest you not feel rushed.
Relax into what you found in your Week 7 exercise.

*I touched on this in Part Two’s “Important Notice” (at the top of the page): if you have one graphite pencil for instance, you can sharpen it to a needle point and fill the shape of your choice with thin, hard line scribble. Or, use the side of the pencil and fill your shape with soft fuzzy texture. If you chose paints in tubes, you can thin them with water and paint your shape with a brush, or apply thick paint with your hands.
Possibility is limitless even with limited tools / materials.

Pick one time / place your feet remember most strongly / strikingly.
Walk into the memory and live it as vividly as you can.
Hold the vision, the feel, the senses, as if you are right there, feeling it.
And ask yourself:
if your memory has the color / texture / shape, what would that be?
And where on the paper would you place it, how big is the shape?
–
When ready, draw / paint your shape on your paper where it feels right.

Please remember: you cannot do this wrong, even if you tried your damnedest.

When you ask yourself, please become silent enough, patient enough and eager enough, to listen to any hint of inspiration** arising inside you. An inspiration to pick a particular pen instead of a brush, for instance, could be a mere whisper. It may not make sense, a part of you may wage a war against it.

**Needless to say, but on internet, playing it safe is golden: what is suggested here is giving into inspiration that is life-affirming and not those that are harmful / destructive to self and/or others.

If you can hear resistant thoughts inside your mind, please write them down for future reference.
Another benefit of doing so is that more often than not, by simply writing them down on paper that is external to you, helps you create a distance from their influence.

Alternately. If you cannot harness your resistant thoughts/feelings enough, example, this whole thing makes you angry and that’s all you feel, then, you can instead find a color-shape-texture of your anger and paint/draw it on your paper. In other words,
what I am really saying is this:

Who You Are Now Is Always Perfect for Creativity to Flow Through.

I wish you’ll have a fun time.
Sincerely, and see you in a week!!

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