I made and decorated this cake for my daughter Ruby for her birthday. I gotta say, I was quite proud! This, along with a convo I had this week with an artist friend has me reflecting on the creative process and it seems applicable to more than just cake:
I started my process by getting a sense of the vibe I wanted: soft understated colors and nature-y, she likes pink and green. I looked at some Pinterest cakes for ideas and inspiration. I didn’t end up creating anything close to what I looked at, but they got my creative juices flowing. I bought some blush pink fake flowers and a soft pink candle holder. I knew I wanted a few blooms from the yard for a touch of actual real-life nature.
Then I just let go.
Honestly, I believe it was channeled. I was aware at one point that I was going in and out of the house with my scissors scanning the garden beds like a possessed madman. I said to myself about ¼ of the way in – What am I doing? Where is this going? This does NOT look good. <my brain talking>
When I was done, I felt like I had been in a fog, in some other dimension.
Now listen, I realize this is not Michelangelo artistry here, although my sister DID call it a triumph and crowned me Queen of Cakes…I’m just sayin…
But the creative process is what I find fascinating - when you let go of your gripping brain and let the process flow, co-create with The Universe.
Whatever you’re creating when you’re in that state seems to be amazing.
I had an inspiring conversation this week with my artist friend and pranic healing client Amy about her creative process. She is an ACTUAL artist. Like really good. People pay her for her paintings and she has a studio. You can check out her work here and see for yourself.
Anyway…Amy was telling me about her creative process. She casts the framework – the intention/idea/direction/emotion, and then The Universe co-creates with her. And she must complete it in the form that she cast. She swears the painting changes when she steps away, as if the artist fairies (that’s my term ;-)) come in and help - “she’s trying so hard, we’ll just touch it up a bit for her.”
I remember Elizabeth Gilbert telling the story in her book “Big Magic” that her friend Ann Patchett wrote a book with the exact detailed and specific story line that she had started to develop and abandoned that same year. She swore that when they met in person and kissed goodbye that the inspiration for the story left Elizabeth and was transferred to Ann.
It’s magic.
Creativity – on any level, in any form – is magic. Whether it’s creating a human in our body, a meal, a painting, a garden, decorating a room, writing a book, creating a safe space for clients, a podcast, a song, a vision for your next job…you name it.
When we let our human brain rest and allow the magic to come through, you never know what masterpiece will unfold.