Marian Buck Murray

Release, Relax, Tap into Your Brilliance. EFT Tapping to help you unleash your creative genius.

Tap Into Your Creative Flow

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I recently signed up for a collage class at my local adult school. The first thing my teacher told us was to stop thinking, and allow our subconscious minds to take over.  I knew right then and there that this was the right class for me.

In essence, it’s exactly what I tell my clients, my students, my husband, and myself, again and again.  Drop out of your mind and let your creative flow do the job.

Simple, profound, and sometimes quite difficult.

The mind has a way of convincing us that it knows best.  It’s also damn good at reminding us of all the ways in which we’re screwing up.  It promises us solutions, if we stay just a little bit longer. And that’s when we get stuck, there in the discomfort of our minds, scouring every nook and cranny in search of the right answers. It’s at that moment that our creative flow comes to a screeching halt.

It is easy to get stuck, and it’s easy to stay stuck.  That’s why it’s important to continually tap into,  nourish, and encourage your creative flow.

Here are some ways to tap into creative flow:

Free flow writing – Free-flow writing means writing without censoring.  Julia Cameron, author of the Artist’s Way, recommends writing 3 handwritten pages, first thing each morning.  Another technique is to choose a word prompt, and write whatever comes to the page. Free-flow writing will allow you to come up with ideas you never could have thought up.

Free flow art – Again, like free-flow writing, free-flow art such as sketching, or collage, will help you to tap into your creative flow.  Allow your art to come from this deeper place within you.  By regularly practicing, you will become more and more familiar with the power of your subconscious creative flow.  And, you will come up with creations you never could have planned.

Prepare and Let Go – Of course, sometimes it is best to prepare.  For information- or skill-based projects, preparation is key.  Once you’ve substantially prepared yourself, though, it’s time to let go and allow your subconscious to guide you.  I frequently practice this technique, when I speak publicly, or teach a class.  I prepare my talk, and let go.  My preparation allows me to speak confidently without notes, my creative flow provides me with on-point spontaneity.   

Brainstorming – Good old brainstorming.  How often do we allow ourselves to brainstorm.  The key to brainstorming is to let go of the censor, and allow anything to come up, no matter how ‘impractical’.  It’s these ideas that sometimes hold the magic gems we desire,  but can’t ‘figure out’ with our everyday brains.

Walk in New Surroundings — Shake things up. Take a new way to work, explore an unfamiliar part of town, hike a hidden wooded trail, travel to a different locale.  Take yourself out of familiar surroundings,  and use adventure to  revive your creative flow!

Heart Breath—Negative mind chatter is one of the biggest deterrents of creative flow.  The Heart Breath is one of the fastest ways to drop out of negative mind, into a deeper, more creative, alpha brainwave state.  It’s easy to do, learn more here.

EFT Tapping – EFT Tapping is another powerful technique to help you drop into your creative flow. EFT is one of the most effective techniques for reducing cortisol, which gets triggered when we’re under stress.  Reducing cortisol, will help you relax, and drop into a deeper alpha brain state.  Contact me to learn more about using EFT Tapping to enrich your creative flow.

Listen to Music Infused with Binaural Beats – This type of music will help your brain shift into a deeper brainwave state.  Especially helpful for times when you’re working on creative projects.  Insight Timer, my favorite meditation app, has a number of free Binaural Beat meditations.  Hemisync  and  Silencio Music are two other sources I use.

Show Up and Stay a While — Most importantly — show up! Show up to the page, the easel, the screen, the mat, the place where you create.  Show up and stay.  Stay with your discomfort.  Stay with your unknowing. Stay a little longer.  And a little longer after that. Show up and trust the creative flow that’s here, right now.

Each one of us is gifted with our own unique, creative flow.  Use whatever techniques work best to tap into yours, and let it ROLL!

Happy Creating!

Marian

4 Steps to Stop Self Sabotage

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How many times have you found yourself halting your dreams midstream? Frustrating, right?  I know.  I know.   If you’re prone to self-sabotage, like I am, things might seem to go awry just before you’re ready to do something bigger and bolder.

It’s tricky and sly, this sabotaging fiend.   And sometimes we don’t even know we’re doing it.  Coming down with a cold, or getting injured, may seem like an unfortunate coincidence that interrupts your creative flow.  But what if it’s not.  What if it’s one more way that you’re getting in your own way, and halting your dreams midstream?

Certainly, there are the obvious self-sabotaging habits such as constantly checking your phone when it’s time to work, or watching Netflix instead of writing your blog, or doing the laundry instead of going to that networking meeting you promised to attend.  The list is endless.

Self-sabotage shows up everywhere!  It includes:  procrastination, neglecting your schedule, ‘forgetting’ to respond to emails or phone calls, not speaking up for yourself, not charging enough for your work, and not reaching for bigger opportunities.

Because I’ve caught myself so many times thrashing against the undertow of self-sabotage, I’ve come up with a process to help stop it before it starts.

Here are 4 Steps to Stop Self Sabotage:

Step 1 Clear the Fear.

Plain and simple, we avoid things that feel scary.  Get clear about what frightens you about your dreams.  Are you scared of rejection?  Of failure?  Of too much success?  Of what other people will think?

First, write down everything that scares you.  Next, take your time to focus on one at a time, tuning into the fear that you feel.  Sometimes just bringing your fear to light is enough to help it dissipate.  Deep breathing, and EFT Tapping will help to reduce the fear.

Step 2  Drop out of Negative Mind Chatter.

Mind chatter is distracting, and will pull you out of focus.  When engaged, negative mind chatter can have the power to halt your progress.  When you’re feeling down about yourself, it can feel tempting to drop everything and head out for a glass of wine, or a triple mocha latte.  The key is to override the negative chatter.

One of my favorite methods to override negative chatter, is using the heart breath.  The heart breath is a method of deep breathing in which you imagine you’re breathing through your heart.  Your heart’s energy is more powerful than your brain’s, and will help to entrain your brain into a calmer, more productive state.  By dropping out of your head, into your heart, you create a sense of overall peace that will help you get back into creative focus.

Click here for a free Heartbreath Meditation.

Step 3 Get Clear.

Often we sabotage ourselves because we’re not clear about what we really want. 

It’s hard to feel motivated and productive when we’re working towards goals that aren’t right for us.  It may seem like you’re going for your dreams, but maybe there’s something you’re not seeing.

When you feel like you’re getting nowhere, slow down and get clear. Perhaps you can take a different route towards your dream.  Perhaps your dream can take on a completely different form, that’s even better.  Sometimes we get so stuck in what we think we should do to reach our dreams, that we lose our passion.  Passion and clarity is what drives success.

So to get clear, it’s imperative to listen to your heart.  You can do this simply by closing your eyes, breathing deeply, and breathing in and out of your heart, as you would for the heart breath.  As you’re breathing this way, ask yourself a question about your situation. Ask a question about your next best steps.  Allow your heart to answer.  Listen to my free training for more tips to get clear.

Step 4  Activate Your Success & Get Into Creative Your Flow

Once you’re feeling calm, clear, and focused, it’s time to take action.  Taking small action steps is the best way to increase your motivation to do more.  Write down a list of small steps you can take to reach your goals.  And start stepping.  You will a sense of success and motivation as you complete each step. This feeling will help you go further, and further.  Keep adding to your list of actions steps, so you’re consistently activating your success.

Once you’ve got yourself going, it’s time to get into your creative flow.  Creative flow happens when you stay with your work.  Sometimes we sabotage ourselves by leaving a project when it feels too hard.  But, instead of leaving, when we stay with what’s uncomfortable, and allow higher guidance to come through, we are carried through the act of creation.

For more tips to stop self sabotage, listen to my Free Training:  4 Steps to Stop Self Sabotage and Ignite Your Success.

In Courage,

Marian

 

Tap into Your Creative Flow

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I admit, I got stuck in the rut of believing that creativity refers only to the act of creating music,  artwork, or a written, theatrical or cinematic work.

And so I’d sit, and I’d sit, trying to come up with something creative.   Or I’d wonder and ponder, “What will I create”.  I wanted a finished product to prove my creativity.  And rarely did it appear.  Frustrated, I would walk away, not daring to ‘try’ again for a while.

The pressure felt too great.  My expectations too high.  Always looking so far ahead at the finish line, I never saw how I would get ‘there’ from ‘here’. So far, so why even try.

I had absolutely no clue of what creativity really means.

And then it came to me, what my daughters’ art teachers always said:

It’s the process, not the final product, that counts.

As I surrender into this wisdom, I see the TRUTH. It  truly IS the process.  The process of showing up and allowing creative flow to guide me.

And when I show up, and let go, trusting my creative flow, I am guided as I write my blog, or create a new program or workshop.  It’s this trust that allows me to create.  And it’s so much fun!

What I also see now, which was never so clear, is that creativity is everywhere.  It’s in the creative solution to an old problem.  The sumptuous meal made from left-over scraps.  The enjoyable workout for a healthier body.  The rejuvenation of a old friendship.  A brand new perception of the same old thing.  Creativity is everywhere we choose to use it.

Yet, how does it show up when we want it to?  Here are some ideas to help you tap into your creative flow:

How to tap into your creativity:

Free Write:  Julia Cameron, author of the Artist’s Way, recommends morning pages, three hand-written pages first thing in the morning.  I’ve been doing them for 7 years, and I’m amazed at the insights that come from those pages.  Any sort of free-flow writing will help you let go of the inner censor, and allow your creative genius to flow.

Use music:  Music designed for better focus, such as  focus@will  will help you stay on track during  your creative process.  Cultivate your own sound track to facilitate focus and flow.

Get out of your head:  Creative flow comes from a much deeper place than your logical, judgemental, mind. Allow your intuition to guide you.  Try using the Heart Breath to drop out of your busy mind, and into your creative, intuitive heart. Click here for a free guided audio.

Meditate, regularly:  Meditation will help you tap into the creative metaphors and visualizations which will inform your process. Keep a notepad handy to write down your insights.

Show up:  Creativity will not flourish without you.  Take that first step, and notice, that when you surrender to the process, it all comes together in a way that you never imagined. No matter how messy, when you stay with the process, it will transform.

Inspire yourself, daily:  Do something every day to help yourself feel inspired to create. Read inspiring literature.  Listen to inspiring podcasts.  Walk in Nature.  Visit galleries. Go to a show. Go window-shopping.  Experience places and activities which awaken your sense of curiosity.

Use EFT Tapping:  EFT will help you clear resistance, fear, negativity, and limiting beliefs.  For an  illustrated guide on how to use EFT Tapping, click here.  To learn more about using EFT Tapping to tap into your creativity, contact me.

How do you bring creativity to the world.  What is your creative genius eager to share?

In Courage,

Marian

To apply for a free 30-Minute Unleash Your Creative Genius Call, click here.