Evidence of Desire, Proof of Creativity

“Natural Intelligence’ 20x20 acrylic and drawing media on canvas. Juried into the Artist Choice Exhibition, Damariscotta Maine. Juror Simon van der Ven

When was the last time you listened to the voice of desire?

Wait, you can’t hear it?

I sometimes have that problem too. The season is busy, circumstances are demanding, you find yourself drifting from one thing to the next, feeling like life is just going by. It can feel like you’re just going through the motions while having a nagging suspicion that your life is only being half-lived. There is, however, a natural intelligence that lives inside us. One name for it is Desire.

I know it’s been a long time for some of us since we’ve taken time to consider what we want. Taken time to really listen to our desires. We can learn to keep our desires close, and we must- it is important to our creativity to find and protect what matters to us. And our desires matter. When we don’t infuse our life with desire, it has consequences. One of them is lackluster creativity, and a nagging feeling of ‘is this all there is?’

Lately, instead of working on my deadlines, I’ve been feeling unproductive and overwhelmed. I know this is a sign I’m swimming around in my head, so I went out to listen with my heart.

I returned with a bounty of mark-making tools, re-igniting my love of putting marks on paper. Creativity sparked. Enthusiasm returned. Deadlines met with ease. Marks made. Happy heart.

Gathered mark making tools from my favorite ocean place Photo @summerdorrphoto

I have a simple way to get out of a funk.

Here is a 5-step process to reconnect you to your desires:

Step 1. Go out into nature, preferably alone. Walk along slowly, and take notice of your breath. This will help relax your mind. With intention, and from the heart, ask the question ‘what do I want? What do I desire?’ Just keep asking the questions, not forcing any answers. Your desires respond best to an invitation to be known, rather than a demand.

Step 2. Now begin to turn your attention outward, and notice the qualities of the natural world around you. The air. The light. The sounds. The colors. Take it all in.

Step 3. Notice what draws your attention, and allow yourself a deeper look, a deeper feel, a deeper experience of the qualities that arouse you.

Step 4. Continue on in this fashion, walking, noticing, stopping. Sitting or lying down when the impulse occurs. Asking along the way, continue asking: ‘What do I want, what do I desire?’

Step 5. Upon your return take a moment to write, draw or record something about your experience. This is your beginning and a place you can return to again and again.

Evidence of my desire below. Rich and savory.

Evidence of my desire. I can’t remember the last time I had a decadent grilled cheese sandwich like this. What is it that you desire?