Lifestyle Archives - sunshine and spirit

5 Steps to Cultivating your Creativity

“Creative people do not see things merely for what they are; they see them for what they can be.”
Julie Israel

I like to think that creativity is the soul’s way of unhinging it’s true self. It’s something we can all relate to, experience, and it unifies us all.

The greatest intuitive guidance I’ve received is to cultivate my creativity: To use my creativity as a medium to express how I feel or to share ideas. This lead me to think about ways I can be a better creative and I wanted to share what I learned with you.

The steps below are a few ideas I came up with and use in my life.
As always, follow your intuition and vibe with what resonates and leave the rest!

🙂

Step One – Disconnect to Reconnect.

I’m sure you’ve heard this a million and a half times: Society is distracted (another topic for another day). But as creative people, the best way to reconnect to our inner creative beings is to disconnect. I’m not just talking about disconnecting from social media but also from technology as a whole. A day or even a weekend of no tech (no TV, limited phone use, no Internet) is phenomenal for creativity because you have zero distractions. The only thing you can focus on is your craft. It’s liberating and beautiful. Even turning off music and creating to the natural ebbs and flows of your environment brings about a sense of creative catharsis.

Step Two – Create without Judgment

Your craft is an extension of you. Your art is a piece of your soul. Create boundlessly! Let your creativity flow from you without self-imposed restrictions or judgment. Make creativity your safe space. In this space, you do not judge what pours out of you as it is a sacred whisper from your soul’s inner workings.

Flow with your creativity. Don’t worry about what people might say or are saying. Don’t compare. Let it out. Free yourself.

Step Three – Expand your Knowledge!

Expose yourself to new techniques and new ways to be creative! There is nothing more fulfilling than taking time to deepen your creative knowledge or to find new mediums:

Take an online class on CreativeBug or see what free classes are available on YouTube.
Go to your local craft store, community college, theatre, or creative business and see if they have in-person courses available.
Pick up a book on a topic in your craft or target artform. The library or your local bookstore has plenty of fun books that can challenge and expand you.
Join a group or get together with a friend and work on your art together! The journey is always more fun with someone else!

Step Four – Create a Sacred Creation Space

Your creation space can be whatever you want: A tiny corner in your room, a whole room, a shed, wherever your heart desires! Just dedicate someplace to get in the zone. Decorate it beautifully and design it to be a space where YOU feel comfortable pouring your soul into your craft. Organize your materials, add trinkets, inspirational posters, crystals, or music. Make this space your home!

For me, my entire room is my “creation space.” I have my piano, art materials, books, and music around me and readily available. Whenever the mood hits, I go to my room or simply pull out what I need and get creating! I try to keep everything organized, saged, and SiSi-tastic (lol). Frankly, I feel the most creative and comfortable in my sacred space and it’s been a blessing to my creativity.

Step Five – Form Connections with Other Creators.

The tried and true statement of “iron sharpens iron” rings true for everyone, especially creators. Surround yourself with people that boost your creativity or put you in a creative mood. Start a zoom call and collaborate with people, have a creation day with your peeps, join meetups. Find people that push your craft to the next level!

You can cultivate creativity at any time! Whenever you need to recharge your creative juices, come back to this post for ideas! As always, listen to your inner guidance. It always knows what you need.

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Categories: Lifestyle

20 Things to do for Creative People Stuck at Home!

Hello my Darling Readers!

I hope you all are well and healthy and living yo’ best life! This Covid-19 thing is a doozy, but we are in it together and will come out 100% stronger! Woo!

In light of everything, the struggle for me (and I’m sure alot of ya’ll too) is staying home or, if your stay-at-home- order has lifted just like in my state, having limited things to do outside your house. Only a few stores are open and you can’t really sit in a restaurant or coffee shop like we used to. I miss the movie theatre something terrible right now to be honest.

Where does this leave us? To imagination of course! We’re artsy-fartsy, creative people that can think outside of the box ! There was a point in time where people didn’t have all of the awesome luxuries we do, so they relied on their imagination and ingenuity to entertain themselves. So, without further ado, here’s the list of 20 creative things to do at home!

Act out a scene from your favorite movie.
Start a podcast!
Record an audiobook version of your favorite book.
Paint a self-portrait in the style of Pablo Picasso.
Take still-life shots of things around your house.
Choreograph a dance to a song you wouldn’t normally dance to.
Learn a dance from your favorite music video.
Watched a shitty movie? Cool, rewrite the script.
Follow up to #8, write fanfiction of a film you saw ( I might rewrite the end of The Return of Skywalker, just sayin’)
Compose a really stupid but seriously catchy pop song!
Write poetry about your pets. No pets? Family, then. Live alone? Write poetry about your hair or lack there of.
Teach yourself how to cartwheel or handstand.
Finger painting!!
Set the scene and take photos of yourself like Cindy Sherman.
Try doing SFX makeup on yourself! You’d be surprised the masterpieces you can create with paint, latex, and tin foil.
Learn how to grow herbs in glass jars.
Repaint a piece of furniture.
Redecorate your room or house.
Film a one person version of a scene from your favorite movie (RIP dubsmash)
And finally, use contact paper to turn a boring window into a stained glass masterpiece.

That’s all I got for today folks. What do you think? Have you done any of these? I really want to try take Cindy Sherman style portraits. Like super bad. I’ll post on my Instagram if I do. 🙂

Categories: Lifestyle, Thoughts

When Your Life Isn’t Going According To Plan, Read This

It was amazing how you could get so far from where you’d planned, and yet find it was exactly were you needed to be.
Sarah Dessen, What Happened to Goodbye

There are days when life takes a hefty squat on your life plans. There will be, I promise, seasons where life is so far left field from how you thought it would be, that all you want to do is curl up in a ball and contemplate your existence.

How do I know this, you ask?

Well, I am currently subscribed to this season of “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

When Life Happens, Let it Happen

The old adage goes: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” However, I argue against that. I say when life gives you a heaping pile of lemons, it’s okay to cry, to be upset, or to feel hopeless. Why? Well, simply because we need these emotions. We have to feel the crap and the sadness before we can appreciate the lemonade.

In life, we plan, plan, plan. We plan our weddings. Who we are going to be after college. Where we are going to work, move, etc. But 9 times out of 10, life simply doesn’t go the way we plan. A loved one passes away. Health issues come up. Emails get hacked. The man or woman you wanted to marry suddenly decides they don’ t love you anymore. The funny thing about life is that no matter how much we try to control it, we can’t. It’s okay.

The question now is where does this leave us?

Life is out of our control, but we still want to set goals, to dream, and to hope. What I am slowly learning is that the little gut feelings we get are life’s way of nudging us to where we need to go. I am fully convinced that we are born with a roadmap ingrained in our soul. Life gets so distracting that we forget how to tap into our inner knowing and lose faith in life. Our job is to step into calmness, to be quiet and listen to the knowledge that we have been given.

So dear reader, when life gives you lemons, trust the process, feel the emotions, and know that you are on the right track.

XoXo

This article was originally posted by me on Thought Catalog.

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Categories: Lifestyle

Worried? Anxious? Here’s How to Eradicate Worry Through Writing.

Worry is the number one cause of sleepless nights, anxiety, and restlessness. At night, I used to lie awake clawing to find answers to dilemmas I experienced.

Worry literally lead me down a path of insanity. One day, the Universe lead my sprit to utilize writing to help me heal past a constant worry mindset. I found that through writing I could heal myself and solve any issue I came across. Currently, I use two writing techniques to help ease my mind and eradicate the spirit of worry from my person.

Use a Universe Box to Cast Away Worry

Last year I learned a technique from Abiola Abrams that involved creating a “God Box” or “Universe Box.” Whenever I have a concern, I take a tiny sheet of paper and write out the issue and how I feel about it. I then fold the paper, place it in my Universe Box and audibly tell the Universe that the problem is in its hands. At the end of the year, I dump out all of the papers and I reflect on each one. The peace of mind that I have received from this practice has been astounding. I find that issues I once worried about were solved in due time and I felt physically lighter. It’s amazing what the Universe can do for us once we let go!

Journaling Your Troubles and Easing the Mind

You do not have to write in a bound journal in order for this method to be effective. You are more than welcome to use loose leaf paper of any kind. If there is an issue that is worrying you, simply take out a peace of paper and write it out. Write exactly how you feel about the issue and include every detail, concern, and possible outcome. This is important as you want to remove all the energy associated with the problem. As you finish your writing, take deep breath, and give the issue to the Universe.

Now, you can do multiple things with this paper:

Keep it in a Universe box or bound journal.
Burn it, tear it up, or bury it.
Place it under a white candle.

A small note on white candles: By placing your issue under the candle, you are asking the universe to bring you peace about the issue and remove any associated negative energy.

Regardless of what you choose to do with the paper, let the problem go. Feel the lightness and understand that the Universe is working in your Divine favor.

I truly hope this article helps you!

You are blessed! You are loved! You are supported! Namaste.

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Categories: Lifestyle

Book Announcement: I Loved You Long by Sunshine and Spirit

Hello My Darling Readers!

I am happy to announce the release of my new book I Loved You Long!

I Loved You Long is short photography and poem book about love, creativity, femininity, and growing to love that beautiful person within. The book is designed to be enjoyed with a cup a tea and a warm, cozy blanket ( I recommend the spice tea from Target, just sayin’).

Where can you find I Loved You Long?

I Loved You Long is sold in saddleback and digital format on Etsy.

Categories: Lifestyle

4 Tech-Free Ways to Kill Time This Winter

Short Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. 🙂

In the infamous words of the Stark family, “winter is coming.” Well, if you live on the East Coast, it’s already here. The winter is time of not wanting to leave the house and feeling less inclined to be human. With these long, dark days in, how can we entertain ourselves? If you’re sick of Netflix, the hum-drum of social media, and need some ideas, read on, read on!

#1 Good ol’ Classic Board Games

My best winter memories are of my family and I playing an intense game of Uno or the Logo Game. Board games are a phenomenal boredom buster not just for kids but adults too (*cough* Cards Against Humanity *cough*). Pull out some board games, drink some hot cocoa, and enjoy a pleasant night in! No people to play with? No problem! There are plenty of solo card and board games out there waiting to be discovered!

#2 Get Crafty With Your Hands!

The best kind of crafts are simple yet stimulating. A simple walk through Micheal’s or your local craft store can reveal a plethora of entertaining knick-knacks and pollywogs. Latch-Hooking, crocheting, knitting, toy model building, and coloring are all great and simple to get started with! When I’m winding down for the night, I turn on a podcast and bust out the flower latch hook rug I’m creating. It’s simple, relaxing, and keeps my brain stimulated!

#3 Learn a New Instrument

Have you always wanted to learn the guitar? Piano? Irish Piccolo? Whatever it is, see about renting or buying your instrument of choice and try teaching yourself. There are plenty of helpful self-teaching books for almost every instrument. When in doubt, sign up for classes! Already know an instrument? Jam out with friends or turn on the radio and rock out!! I like to think that music is the gateway to the soul. If that doesn’t sell you, according to pianopower.org, playing an instrument “cultivates creativity” and “increases memory capability.”

#4 Bake!

For some reason, baking is more fun around the holidays. It’s festive, delightful, and puts you in great, holiday-hooby-whaty mood! Bust out that dusty, old cook book and try a festive tart! Or….. if you’re like me, buy the pre-made sugar dough instead….

What do you think about the ideas? Right now, I’m trying to find ways to entertain myself without T.V, my phone, or laptop. I hope this inspires you! Oh, don’t forget to follow S&S on social media and let me know what you think!

Categories: Lifestyle

How to use a Journal to Manifest Your Desires: Scripting

Journaling is Multi-Faceted

Journaling is not just for writing down your everyday thoughts. You can journal your to-do lists, budgets, or answer writing prompts. With trends like Bullet Journaling, the sky is the limit when it comes to expressing yourself. The act of putting pen to paper is sacred and physically connects us with our words or drawing. This is why journaling is a powerful way to help you manifest your desires. It brings your requests into the physical and lovingly tucks them away for the Universe to see.

Journal Manifestation Technique: Scripting

Scripting is the writing version of “acting as if.” If you have manifested things before, you know how important it is to act as if your desires have already come to pass. You prepare your life and make space for what it is you want. Scripting is writing down exactly what you want. It prepares you mentally for your desires. It let’s your imagination run wild to visualize your request, but instead of it just seeing it in your head, it’s immortalized on paper.

Now comes the fun part! You can be as wild and creative as you want to be! I recommend dedicating a journal or notebook completely to scripting. Allow yourself to write as much as you want without worrying about using to many pages. Here are two exercises to get you started:

Day in the Life/ Perfect Scenario: The most popular scripting activity is writing a day in your life or the scenario where everything you want is manifested. Walk yourself through every explicit detail of what a day in the life your desires looks and feels like. As you’re writing, it is imperative that your “perfect” day feels tangible.
- What do you smell? What are you tasting?
- What time are you waking up? Who’s next to you?
- How do you close out your day? Details, details, details!
- Example: Say I am trying to manifest a new, blue car. In my journal, this is the ideal scenario I write about:
  “ I am going to the car dealership on 123 ABC lane to pick up my new, blue car. My best friend, Katy, is giving me a ride to the dealership and we stop off at AutoZone to pick up a steering wheel cover and tropical island scent tree. We arrive just in time for my appointment and the car salesman is extremely nice! The process took close to 4 hours, but I drove home in my darling new car!”
Dream Journaling: If you’re a visual person, this is the best exercise for you! I like to blend the exercise above with vision boarding. Vision boarding is finding specific photos that align your desires and tacking them onto a board of some sort. In a dream journal, you paste a picture of your desire and thoroughly write about it. On one page in my dream journal, I have images posted of different entrepreneurial endeavors and on the following pages, I write exactly what I want and what I am doing. The pictures and the words assist me with vibrating on the same level as my desires. Ultimately, this is the goal. Using scripting to journal aligns you with your desires so they can come to pass.

What do you think about scripting? Is it something that you’ve used before? How do you manifest? Let me know in the comments below.

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