Create your emotion!

How many times have we said something without thinking due to volatile emotions? Sent irrational text messages or spiteful emails? We’ve all been there and due to the complexity of the human mind it’s hard to find the breaks sometimes. But what if we took a second to think about how we could channel that emotion into something more positive. What if we held on to our precious thoughts for just a moment and put pen to paper then what?

This is actually how many famous artists have achieved some of their best artwork, including composers, writers and inventors. Leonardo da Vinci for example, a scientist and inventor born in 1452 use to make notes and drawings of everything he saw. Leonardo invented clever machines, and even designed imitation wings that he hoped would let a person fly like a bird! Lots of well known artists have also been known to work better under pressure for example Judy Garland was not a controlled method actor. She would turn on a switch and the electricity would just flow and she thrived off drama and excitement as she was known as an anxious, nervous person but learnt how to channel this through her performing.

Of course, it’s sometimes hard to get to the very core of our anguish and as humans we try and stay away from people that feel things very intensely, as it’s not recognised as “the norm”. We don’t like to get “too involved” because it tends to upset the apple cart and whilst all the apples are neatly stacked on top of one another not much can go wrong. We don’t like to destroy what is believed to be neutral and no one likes to eat bruised apples after all so don’t go searching for them!

But if you want to embrace your deepest fears and emotions and if you want to create who you really are then you simply can’t stay in neutral. Of course, you have to move up a gear. And as much as we may fear dramatic people, emotional and eccentric geniuses are a huge fascination! It’s what makes films, it what makes musicals and it’s what makes any form of art come to life. It’s all about the imagination and for anything to live and breathe there has to be chemistry, spark and flame! There has to be feeling. People that suffer with psychological disorders have been known to attune their pain into art and in some cases it would seem that this is what has made the art come to life.

A good example of this is, Slyvia Plath, a famous poet that suffered with depression. She was known to have written some of her best poetry during intense moments of anxiety and depression. Plath was said to use her writing as a channel and cure for the pent up feelings that came from so deep within. We are not always aware of what it is exactly that we want to express. We can become confused, weak and defenceless to those around us because of the emotional baggage that we carry on our shoulders.

But what we forget is that one of the biggest keys to living a harmonious life is to express emotion. You can’t keep a tight lid on a volcano, it’s going to erupt anyway, so why keep it in? This doesn’t mean you need to use the emotions you feel aggressively, but it does mean that you can use your emotion more creatively. Emotion is what stirs us, it’s what colours the universe. Without emotion the world would be crumble without cream, Picasso without the dream!

It could be said that perhaps we are all “trapped artists”. Perhaps we are all a little bit flaky in some ways and a bit misunderstood? Artists paint because they often see things that others don’t, but artistry also brings troubled minds into touch with their repressions. Once you’ve created something, you almost feel like you’ve found another part of yourself and you feel proud because you’ve been open and honest about the person you are. Many people speak about the psychological and spiritual feelings they experience when they create something and some even believe that they are channeling their creative thoughts from their guides or from God.

A lot of musicians compose because they see a different sort of reality through music. They are able to step back and idealize the life that they desire or the life that they thrive off through music and through fantasy and also through expressing what they couldn’t before. This is why art and music can be such a blessing for both our spiritual and creative development as it peaks us emotionally and gives us such a huge sense of fulfillment, which automatically enhances both our confidence and our wellbeing and gives us a sense of purpose. What people long for is to be desired after, they want to be listened to and they want to be heard. When we create something for someone we want to be appreciated whether it’s a piece of poetry, a meal or a gesture. We just want to be identified, but this can only happen of course when you’ve been in touch with your own identity and appreciated it and accepted it yourself. You have to taste yourself before anyone else can!

If we don’t speak up then we can’t expect others to understand us. There are many ways in which we can use our emotions effectively and you don’t even have to verbalise them. A great book is called “The Artists Way” By Julia Cameron and Mark Bryon. The book will teach you some good techniques and strategies if you are looking for that kind of thing. It also suggests keeping a journal each day of your thoughts. Why not try it? Write down everything you think and feel? Even if it sounds stupid, you never know, you may well come across a hidden genius you never knew existed!

With love & light


REFS:
Divine Madness – Jeffery A Kottler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci