Creativity is a fundamental part of our humanity. Our creativity is a river that flows within us, and our only task is to move out of our own way, past preconceived ideas and judgments to let our creativity flow out into the world.

There are many ways to foster creative flow, and one of them is to view writing, or any other art form, as a practice, and not necessarily the beginning of an important work of art (though that is always possible!)  To practice, in this context, emphasizes improvisational play, not a specific outcome.

A simple writing practice I teach is to take an open-ended prompt, something like “I remember,” and write steadily for a set amount of time, pen not leaving the page (and I do prefer pen and paper to computers for this practice). We write quickly and steadily because writing this way gives our inner critic less time to show itself.  It also allows our unconscious minds to come forth, the space where our deeper creativity lives. We are writing, but even more, we are listening—listening to what arises within and writing that down. Listening allows us a deeper connection to Source, which is what we tap into when we express our authentic creativity in the world.

What you’ll need:

• A quiet space
• A journal / notebook and pen (for this exercise it’s better to use a paper and pen instead of the computer, if possible)
• A clock/watch or timer. Set it for 10 minutes.

1.  Take an open ended writing prompt - for example:

• I remember…
• I write because (or I want to write because…)
• It’s Friday (or Tuesday or any day) and here’s what I know…
• What I really want to say is…
• Take a few centering breaths and...

2.   Begin to write.

Write quickly and steadily, the pen doesn’t leave the page.  Say yes to whatever idea or thought or image arises: a memory, a desire, the tree outside your window. We are just writing, not looking for the perfect word. If you find yourself getting stuck, you can use the line, “Here’s what I want to say” and continue writing.

3.   Read your words out loud.

When the 10 minutes are done, put the pen down. Take a centering breath, and then read your words out loud. This is valuable for several reasons: it helps us own our words, and embeds our words somatically in a way that simply reading silently does not. It literally gives voice to our words.

If judgment arises as you are reading aloud, simply note: judgment, and move on.

This exercise is now complete. Try doing this a few times a week. The more you practice, the more you will learn about who you are, what inspires you, where your blocks are, and how to move through them.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of Women Who Run with the Wolves and other books wrote: "The miracle of the psyche's ways is that even if you are half hearted, irreverent, didn't mean to, didn't really hope to, don't want to, feel unworthy to, aren't ready for it, you will accidentally stumble upon treasure anyway. Then it is your soul's work to not overlook what has been brought up, to recognize treasure as treasure no matter how unusual its form."

This is the essence of this work. Allowing ourselves  the space to stumble upon all sorts of treasures and not turn our back on what arises. These are beacons on our souls’ journeys. These are the Universe’s gifts to us. Embrace them.