When the Rush of Creativity Returns

It fills me with the most delicious Gratitude

This morning I woke up and there it was—that delicious feeling of creativity coursing through my body.

I jumped out of bed, ideas vying for attention. Morning has always been a sacred, creative time for me.

As someone who has gone through long periods of a creative desert all my life, the return of a flood of ideas is a time of immense gratitude.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!!” I shouted to whoever was responsible.

There is no feeling in the world as sweet.

Of course, all winter long I’ve been percolating. Wandering in the woods and talking to the Trees, the Rocks, the Pond, and the Stream.

I found this self-quote (is that a thing?) in one of my older posts:

So many times, I’ve had people tell me just to be in the moment. Put the camera down.

But when I look through the lens of a camera and see something of beauty, especially when I zoom in and see abstraction, my whole body comes alive. I feel myself holding my breath. My heart beats faster. I vibrate with the creative energy we are all meant to experience way more than we probably do.

It’s the heartbeat of Creativity.

You certainly don’t need to be an artist to feel this, but I have many artist friends who understand what I’m talking about.

Nature and Art are a divine duo, and I can’t believe I have the good fortune at this time in my life to experience them together so intimately.

So many of my stories have been born from a photo I’ve taken.

The photo at the top of the page is from 2018. I’d finally gotten serious about writing my book, Pink Is Everything! I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about it. Three years had already passed since that divine you-need-to-write-this-book message. Sadly, the creative surge of energy on my wall dissipated.

Ten years have passed, and I feel it’s now or never.

It was no coincidence that just the other day, I happened upon a page in my journal with notes from a session I had with an intuitive healer in 2011.

Unbeknownst to her, a few months before the session, I had odd feelings that I might leave the planet. I wasn’t depressed or fearful; I just had this strange “knowing.” It wasn’t the reason for the session, and it wasn’t even on my mind that day.

Most of it is too personal to share, but she told me, via her guides, that I was in a unique situation. I’m on a soul path I can exit if I want, and not everyone gets that privilege. Needless to say, I was shocked at this, considering how I’d been feeling.

Her guides gave me this mantra:

“I am love and I am here to stay.”

She said that the point of the mantra was to release the fear of dying before I’ve lived an exceptional life.

The part of the session that I didn’t remember at all, but read in my notes, was that she also said:

“See your whole body turn Pink.
Pink protective energy.
Filling me up.
Hands on my heart.
Exhaling: I am free.”

This was four years before I had my “Pink Is Everything!” meditation.

Four years before I began seeing my energy field as Pink.

Four years before I began seeing Pink healing energy around my clients.

The synchronistic icing on the cake happened the day after I found that note in my journal. I went to check my messages on Instagram, and when I opened up the app, there was a post that I stopped to read, and when I looked down at the comments…I am not making this up…there was one from the intuitive healer who gave me the reading. I haven’t had any contact with her since 2011.

I am determined to honor the message in that meditation. It feels sacred and important, so this morning I found a Pink Moleskine notebook on my shelfful of empty notebooks waiting to participate in writing this book.

Please wish me luck. As much as I love to write, it was never a dream of mine to write a book, and I think that’s one of the reasons this has dragged on.

Morning has always been my creative time. Always. A couple of months ago, I stopped turning my phone on for a few hours after waking. But once it was on, I noticed it started vying for my attention. It’s a horrible addiction, and we all know it.

A couple of days ago, I vowed to create something every morning before turning it on. Something Marie Forleo said was so simple, and I took it to heart immediately:

Create before you consume.

I also found a Pink binder I’d started to fill with stories and poems. And when I opened it up, this fell out:

Serendipity is Beautiful and Real

I couldn’t sleep last night
so fueled by
a creative fire
that has been reignited in me
A constant buzz in my field
feet struggling to stay
on the ground
I thought I would levitate
off the bed
My mind raced
not knowing whether
to reach
for paint
or pencils
typewriter
or my camera
It’s overwhelming
It’s wonderful
It’s scary
It’s about time
All because of a chance meeting
with an
old friend
who believes in me
Serendipity
is beautiful
and real
It can change your life
in an instant
Stay open to it
embrace it
be grateful
2017 was a rocky year for me
like so many others
But in just one day
everything changed
I filled my home
with fresh Pink balloons
The other ones had shriveled
into tired Pink socks of rubber
like testicles
The new ones float
to my ceiling
bringing inspiration
for my book
Pink Is Everything!
For the paintings
that have yet to be born
the words yet to be written
my inner thoughts
yet to be revealed
Stay tuned
Oh, Universe
Please don’t change
your crazy ways
I love you
just the way you are

12-30-2017

After writing that, I went on to paint more than I had in years. Some of the paintings I did were the ones that went missing last fall.

One of the missing paintings, a favorite of mine, titled “Anticipation,” was featured in my post “Once an Artist, Always an Artist.” The painting had a thumbprint that a fellow artist friend had made in the center, to help me push past a particularly lengthy dry spell. I would always look at that painting hanging on my wall for inspiration when I would inevitably be stuck again.

Three of my dear young artist friends - Amanda, Constance, and Owen - sent me their own prints so that I might be inspired again. I finally printed them out and am tacking them to the wall in The Little Barn, where I hope to begin painting again soon.

When I see these prints, works of art themselves, I want to cry all over again. Not for the loss of my paintings, but for the love I feel in my heart for these three beautiful human beings who understand what it is to be an artist.

As I started writing my post this morning, I glanced out my windows at the bird feeders, and this lone Crow was standing there. It is a Crow, right? Not a Raven?

I always see Crows over by my compost heap by the woods. But I’ve never seen one by the bird feeders. I watched him until he wandered off and went back to my writing. A couple of hours later, there he was again!

So, out came my “Animal Speak” book by Ted Andrews. Check this out!

Crow: The Secret Magic of Creation is Calling

Wherever crows are there is magic. They are symbols of creation and spiritual strength. They remind us to look for opportunities to create and manifest the magic of life. They are messengers calling to us about the creation and magic that is alive within our world everyday and available to us.

—Ted Andrews

Holy WOW.

I don’t know what happened in my dreamtime last night. Something must have fueled this fire. Is anyone else out there feeling it? I’m sure some of it has to do with Spring.

New beginnings. New ideas. New growth. New creativity.

Perhaps it’s the astrology. There’s an awful lot going on out there this month!

All I know is that I’m so grateful.

I’ll leave you with one last synchronicity. I like to believe that it’s synchronicity rather than my phone spying on me, reading my mind, that made this song start playing on Spotify this morning.

Much Love,
Barbara

P.S. I want to thank those who responded to my Housekeeping post with such generosity of heart and kind words. I am so blessed to have you here in this space. 💗

Thank you for your heartfelt comments, your subscriptions (free or paid), or just for stopping by and reading or listening to The Quaking Poplar 🌳!

Fresh batches of Elderberry Syrup are still being made to order, and my new batch of Forest Oil is bottled and ready for sale. It’s called Forest Oil because it smells like the forest! 🌲🌲🌲 Paid Subscribers receive $5.00 off each purchase.

If subscriptions aren’t your thing, but you’d like to support TQP, here’s a link. Many thanks!