Let's create space for deep creativity
Creative spaces allow us to express what we may struggle to put into words - healthcare workers need them more than ever
Dear Friends,
I don’t consider myself an artistic person. Growing up with an artistic mom, I loved crafts, art classes, painting and pursued them with the reckless abandon of a child. However, as I grew older, I started to become more self-conscious in creative spaces - I didn’t know if what I created was “good” or if I did the project “correctly.” I slowly transitioned into art forms I felt more comfortable with, such as photography, and stopped drawing or painting which felt more vulnerable to pursue. Once I entered medical school and residency, creative pursuits fell on the back burner. I didn’t have enough time to physically recover from my shifts. I had no energy left to be creative.
Yet, even though I didn’t have the time, I could feel a part of my soul yearning to create. Perhaps it was because my day to day work felt so destructive to my heart and soul that I craved an opportunity to build something new.
I learned the term for this type of creativity is “deep creativity”, a form of creativity that is “not horizontal, skating the surface of experience like the water strider, but instead is vertical, moving down into the depths of one’s soul and coming up with a spirited creative expression.” I love this description of creativity because it encapsulates how the arts and the act of creating can have deep contemplative roots.
Last month, our dear friend Emma and myself led a weekly art break sessions for the Introspective Spaces community. It was a wonderful source of connection and an opportunity for me to engage in practices out of my comfort zone. We dabbled in pattern doodling, creative color play, and blind contour portraits. It was silly, reflective, deep and light all at the same time - a true testament to what a gift it can be to gather healthcare workers to be creative in community.
Creative spaces for healthcare workers can be deeply meaningful - often times the stories we struggle to put into words can emerge on our page, yearning to be shared. I love the idea that artistic practices are less about the product we create but instead a “way of being with the world, a way of seeing the world - an enchanted way at that.”
How are you creating space for creativity in your life?
With love and gratitude,
Anu & Laura
P.S. We are so excited to be back with our newsletters and we are trying out a new platform! Let us know your thoughts :)
“Conversations” by Chaplain Anica Leitch
We are delighted to share this beautiful reflection by Anica Leitch on how patterns can reflect the loud and quiet conversations around us. In the coming weeks, we will continue to feature some of the amazing art we co-created during our Art Break series.
My reflection on the piece:
Patterns are all around us, if we look closely patterns are woven through our garments, and even our very breath holds a pattern and within that pattern a conversation. Is our breath fast or is it slow, is it tight or breaking through our full body from joyful laughing.
Some of the patterns are loud, some are quiet, some are unfinished, others are perfected.
Some patterns are not fully visible to us, others are woven with light and whimsical delight. Patterns to share, patterns to hold, those of darkness and those with light.
Here’s to the conversations within and around, those that are quiet and those that are loud.
Join us on May 5th from 9:30-12:30 pm for a morning of creativity (with an expressive arts project), grounding exercises, and honestly - fun! Community spaces are such a rarity in healthcare and it is our great privilege to organize them for our community.
If you're in the LA area (or wanting a reason to visit LA!), we'd love to have you. Want to check out a video from our last retreat? Watch here! We are excited to be partnering with LA-based artist Malaika Latty to host the retreat in her Silverlake art studio!
Registration is now open! Limited to 15 spots
