Practice Creative Mindfulness through the creation of simple photos. Take one photo each day as a way to connect with yourself and the present moment...
Over in the Creativity, Art and Mindfulness Facebook group we have been creating with intention just a little bit each day as a community while we practice social distancing in our various corners of the planet.
Last week we explored poetry and this week we are taking pictures. You can participate in the group, by commenting below, on Instagram (tag @workshopmuse) or on your own.
If you have a camera on your phone or the like- great! If not you can find an image online.
I want to encourage you to notice your environment in a new way. To stop and observe what's around you and see how it relates to you and your inner knowing. How does it connect to or represent what you are feeling and experiencing? Taking photos of things in our homes and backyards (things right under our noses) is a way for us to connect with the present moment while also expressing ourselves through the language of images and symbols. Pay attention to colour, angle, perspective as well as the what you are taking a picture of. Perfection not needed we want to see the rough unpolished moments that speak to you.... Share below and maybe tell us in a few lines how the image relates.
Day 1
Begin this week by slowing down and noticing how your environment can speak to you in a new way. What can you find as you move through your day that speaks to hope for you?
Day 2
As time contracts and expands for each of us day after day it can be tempting to feel like we are stuck. When we offer our presence tour world we see the subtitles and shifts that are always unfolding at any moment. Nothing ever stays the same, everything is always in a state of perpetual shift. We can take comfort in this knowing that when things feel hopeless that change and growth are always around us. Today let's pay attention to just one little bit of life, one thing that is changing in its aliveness and pair it with our breath.
Day 3
The creative process can sweep us away and leave us feeling calm and at peace or it can leave us feeling frustrated and disappointed. It's no different than any other pursuit it's our attachment and intention that help shape the outcome. Today let's go back through our creative projects and share a photo of one that helped you feel peace. Share an image below and tell us what was so unique about it that helped you feel so calm?
Day 4
Mindfulness is all about paying attention in a specific way. We can attune our observation skills by paying attention with intention. So today let's keep an eye out for something old, worn, tattered perhaps even overlooked. Take a photo of it (or find an image online) and then ask yourself what this object can teach you? What wisdom does it have for you in this moment? Share below!
Day 5
Sometimes when we are feeling overwhelmed we just need to zoom in on things. Ground ourselves with all of the wonder and nuance that is available to us anywhere at anytime. By being with what is, paying attention to the details we can settle ourselves in the now rather than be stuck in the big. So today just grab any old thing next to you and spend sometime looking at the details. Notice, texture, colour, shape, line, the stories, the materials all of it. Take a photo and tell us below what meaning something had for you. If taking a photo feels hard then just tell us what you found! I promise their is insight there waiting to be discovered.
Day 6
Everything has depth. Nothing is ever as it seems on the surface. When we create we pay attention to the depth and texture of our work but how often do we do that in our lives? Today show us an image of texture from either something you have made or something you find. Then take a breath be with it and listen to the wisdom it holds for you. Share a photo and/or tell us what this texture, depth and nuance means right now in this moment.
Day 7
Today is our last photo. Take a moment to notice what you are feeling right now in the big picture of life or in the moment. See if you can find something to take a photo of that represents this feeling. Pay attention to shape, line, colour and texture. Offer a few words that explain how the image connects to what you are feeling.
Thanks for trusting me on this little journey remember you can comment below with your photos or words, share in the Facebook Group or tag me on Instagram with @workshopmuse!