On Creativity

[Photo by Brandi Redd on Unsplash]

I spend a lot of time thinking about creativity, talking and writing about creativity, and creating. I create blog posts, meals, and a peaceful environment at home. I even created clean and sparkling windows yesterday, on a beautiful sunny Houston Saturday afternoon. I create dinner parties, spontaneous get-togethers with friends, workshop promotions, newsletters, videos, Feldenkrais® lessons for my clients, and lots of random ideas that are “all dressed up with no place to go.” Despite my obvious and continuous creative activities, from time to time I still struggle with whether I see myself as a creative person.

My friend and colleague Lavinia Plonka, one of the most creative people I know, is writing a chapter on creativity to contribute to a book in progress about the Feldenkrais Method®. She asked me for a quote to include in the chapter. Her request was flattering — and also intimidating. It was time to “put my money where my mouth is.” What could I possibly have to say that hadn’t already been said? What if I wrote something and it wasn’t what she wanted? What if I missed the boat completely? What if, what if, what if?

So I had to pause. I let it go. I let this new bee in my bonnet simply fly away.

I started free-writing and riffing. Spitballing. I kept my pen moving on the paper. Exploring, reaching dead ends, restarting from where I was. I realized I was practicing the Method away from the floor. Happily, at the end of the process, I had produced a couple of decent paragraphs for Lavinia. She said they were exactly what she wanted! The surprise was, my creative juices flowed into the rest of my day, resulting in the aforementioned clean windows, and this very article.

How does the Feldenkrais Method affect one’s creativity?

The Feldenkrais Method is based on the profound assumption that everyone can learn. I think the Method also assumes that everyone is creative. Think about it – every adaptation you make during a lesson to try to figure out or feel your way to do that crazy movement, is unique to you and emerges spontaneously in the moment. In each lesson, therefore, you have continued experiences, not just of “being creative,” but of “DOING creative.” You learn to generate a flow of new actions that seemingly spring from nowhere.

This “flow state” is recognized as a hallmark of the creative life. The Feldenkrais Method has given me an almost-foolproof creativity catalyst. It is the question, “What else could I do?” In other words, what’s another way to lift my foot? Maybe not so high this time; maybe slower; maybe on a different trajectory… Suddenly I am initiating endless variations on my way to a solution or product. And I KNOW that one or more of those variations will work. That confidence in the iterative process makes me eager to “be creative” again and again in other settings. My self-image changes from the inside out: I am creative. The Feldenkrais Method offers an active practice whereby anyone can claim their birthright of creativity.

What are you creating?

[This post originally appeared on MaryBeth's blog, "SomaQuest."]