4 Steps to Conquer Your Emotional Triggers | Transmute Creative Rejection & Disappointment

by Amanda StoneCreativity, Inspiration, SpiritualityPosted on No Comments

Creative rejection and disappointment can be difficult to process, but it doesn’t have to be. In this article, I’ll share a four-step process to help you move through triggers along your creative journey. Step 1: Listen Objectively The first step is to listen objectively to what your ego and mind are telling you about the experience. It’s important to give voice to the inner dialogues that come up, whether that’s through journaling, speaking out loud, or reaching out to a friend. It’s also important to remember that these dialogues are not necessarily true. Your ego is trying to protect you and will look for conditional circumstances in order to make sense of things. Step 2: Push Conditions to the Side In order to connect to your soul’s truth, you need to push all the conditions to the side. Your soul’s truth is unconditional, pure, and loving. It’s connected to Source and is the thing that really wishes to be expressed. Take a moment to sit in a pool of gooey loving energy and allow yourself to soak it all up. Remind yourself that you are an Awakened Creator, that this is the path you are meant to be on, and that everything that is unfolding for you is for you and is growing you. Step 3: Open Up to Gratitude The fourth and final step is to give gratitude to the entire experience, including gratitude to your ego and mind for showing you what was not in alignment with your soul’s truth. Allow yourself to be thankful for the rejection and for not getting the results you expected. This will help you reaffirm your connection to the divine and open up to the truth of who you are. Step 4: Download My Free Heart Alignment Guide If you want to start strengthening your connection between you and your soul’s truth, I highly recommend you download my free heart alignment guide. This guide will share with you a three-step process that you can do anytime, anywhere to get connected to your heart’s truth. It’s fantastic for getting connected right before you go into an audition or start putting paint to canvas. Conclusion Moving through triggers along your creative journey doesn’t have to be difficult. By following these four steps, you can start to understand how the process works and strengthen your connection to your soul’s truth. I hope this guide has been helpful and I wish you all the best on your creative journey.

The Deadly Cost of Creative Repression

by Amanda StoneCreativity, InspirationPosted on No Comments

As artists at heart, we have a creative desire that burn within us, but society (and even our own families) can send us negative messages about expressing those desires that encourage us to repress our natural creative impulses. Whether well-intentioned or malicious, this repression of creative energy can be deadly, or at best lead to substance abuse, depression, or anxiety (like it did for me). To make sense of what is happening when we repress our creativity, I was shown an inspired image (which I painted) of a fire-filled cave called, The Cave of Internal Desire. The flames of this cave represent our creative energy, passionate and burning wildly. Because of external and internal pressures we sometimes get stuck in The Cave and it can start to become toxic. In this article, we’ll explore the metaphor of The Cave of Internal Desire: why we get stuck in the cave, what happens when we stay too long, and how to get out of the cave and into alignment with our creative truth. What is the Cave of Internal Desire (really)? As I meditated on The Cave of Internal Desire, I learned that at its core, The Cave is a trial that we must endure as creatives in order to reach our Truth and our authentic way of being. It’s a portal that we must pass through, but if we stay in the cave too long, we can start to burn. Why Do We Get Burnt in the Cave? We get burnt in the cave because we are never intended to stay in the cave. We usually stay there because we are afraid to leave, afraid to step out, and afraid to walk into our creative life and own our creative expression. If we consider this from the perspective of The Cycle of Creative Flow, what may be happening is that we are getting stuck in the conception energy of the mind. We receive the inspiration of a great idea, roll it around in our mind, and maybe even manifest it physically a little bit, but we keep it to ourselves and never share it with anyone. We may start to play mind games with ourselves, our ego gives us excuses as to why it’s not ready yet, why not to share it. Usually it’ll be belittling thoughts like, “Your work isn’t polished enough,” “Your art isn’t refined enough,” “Your writing isn’t eloquent enough,” “Nobody will care,” etc. But the truth is, your soul will care. In fact, it will feel tortured in the fires of your desire until you release it and walk through the cave. At a certain point, that creative energy that is building up has to go somewhere, it has to be released. If we keep it inside ourselves, repressing our natural impulse to express, and don’t manifest it outward, it can start to become toxic. What Does Coming Out of the Cave Require? Walking out of the cave looks like creating, sharing, talking about your creative ideas to other people, anything where you are expressing the energy outward. Creative expression is called that for a reason…it has to be pushed out. By repressing our creative desires, we deny the truth of what that energy intends to be, and that’s a pain that is very hard to explain, but creatives who actively repress their impulses know it well. It’s excruciating and it ends up becoming this thing that frustrates or depresses us. Sometimes it becomes so bad, we turn to substances to numb or worse, consider suicide. Creative expression is called that for a reason…it has to be pushed out. Sometimes creatives will make art but then refuse to share their work with anyone. While it’s true that you don’t have to share it, there comes a certain point at which our hiding our gifts becomes selfish. The inspiration was given to us to first help ourselves, but then also to help others. We are the vessel with which Spirit seeks to share its creative energy with the world. Being visible is hard, being seen is hard, but being trapped in the cave, being eaten alive by the flames of your own creative desire and passion is harder. Freeing Yourself From the Cave Listen closely…you are being called to express your creative gifts. If there is something that needs to be birthed within you that you are holding in tight, release it, let it go, get it out in whatever capacity you possibly can. Creative expression is a noble and valuable thing, and when we repress our creative desires, we deny the truth of what that energy intends to be. Once it’s out, you’ll feel free, you’ll feel expansive, you’ll feel light. You won’t feel like you have an elephant sitting on your chest anymore, you won’t feel bound any longer. Spirit wants you to feel free, and the world needs you to share your creative gifts. The burning pain of the Cave of Internal Desire is a catalyst meant to push us forward through and out of the cave. Listen closely to your soul and if you feel called to express your creative gifts, release it, let it go, get it out in whatever capacity you possibly can. Want help reclaiming your creative expression? Use the FREE Heart Alignment Guide I created to get back in touch with your creative truth. You’ll also find a fiercely supportive creative community in Awakened Creators. Follow us on Instagram or watch hundreds of videos on YouTube.

4 Benefits of Adding Meditation to Your Creative Practice | This Changes EVERYTHING 

by Amanda StoneCreative Flow, Creativity, Inspiration, Meditation, SpiritualityPosted on No Comments

If you’re ready to get out of your mind, out of your fears, and out of your self-doubt and into a place of peace when it comes to creating your best work, you definitely want to educate yourself on the four major benefits to adding meditation to your creative practice. When I had my spiritual and creative awakening experience in 2017, meditation was one of the first tools that was taught to me that has been beneficial to my own creative journey. It’s something that I return to time and time again, especially when I’m feeling down, when I’m feeling stressed, or when I’m feeling just off-centered. Meditation is something that I can rely on to bring me back into balance and keep me focused on what I really want to be doing, which is making awesome art, whether it’s painting, writing, or whatever it is that I am into. And that’s what I know you want too. So here are the four major benefits of adding meditation to your creative practice. Benefit 1: Learning to Separate Your Mind and Thought Processes From Your Identity If you’ve ever been in the process of creating, you’ve probably experienced a lot of swirling thoughts in terms of critiquing your own work or wondering if you’re doing a good enough job. Meditation is going to give you the skills necessary to be able to observe those thought patterns without overly identifying with them or attaching to them, which will leave you to do your work more effectively and at the same time learn from the dialogues that are going on within you and see if there are some necessary tweaks of perspective that you need to make in order to either pivot some of those thought processes or tamper them down or eliminate them entirely. Benefit 2: A Tool to Return to Center at Any Time If you’ve learned about The Cycle of Creative Flow, you know that there is an aspect of creative flow that involves rest. It’s a part of the process that we don’t often talk about, but it’s an essential component to creative flow. Meditation is one of the things you can put into practice in order to bring yourself into that state of restoration. In that state of restoration is where you’re going to get realigned with your creative purpose and open yourself up to receive new inspiration. Benefit 3: Aligning More Quickly With Your Authentic Voice as a Creator While you’re in the midst of creating, you can get lost in terms of expressing your authentic voice. You can start to allow the voices of others or the voices of concern to begin manipulating what you’re creating, until you’re no longer creating something that’s authentic to you. Meditation is something that you can do before, during, and after your creative process to bring yourself back into alignment with what your authentic voice wants to say for the peace that you’re creating. Benefit 4: It’s Easy to Put Into Practice Meditation is really easy to do. You don’t need any special equipment to do it, just yourself and your breath. If you’d like to learn and practice a simple heart alignment meditation you can watch one of my heart alignment rituals on YouTube or download my FREE Heart Alignment Ritual Guide, complete with short video lessons. By learning this, at any time you’ll be able to get yourself back in alignment with your authentic truth as a creator, restore your center, and give yourself some space from any thoughts that have been pestering you throughout the week. Conclusion I really hope that you will take the information in this video and begin to apply it by utilizing meditation in your creative practice and seeing the benefits that it has to offer. If you’re interested in more resources like this or learning more about what might be interfering with your ability to express yourself authentically, please explore the free resources and paid resources here on the Awakened Creators website. Just move with what resonates with you. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your creative journey. I am so glad that you have committed to your art, to your heart, and to you. I love you. Namaste.

Where Does Creativity REALLY Come From? | Creative Flow State Explained 

by Amanda StoneCreative Flow, Creativity, Inspiration, SpiritualityPosted on No Comments

Creativity is something that has been around since the dawn of time. It is a powerful force that can be used to create beautiful works of art, music, literature, and more. But where does this creative energy come from? In this video, Amanda explains the creative flow state and how to tap into it to access your creative potential. What is Creative Inspiration? Creative inspiration is a state of being that allows us to tap into our dreams, faith, and moments of presence. It is a breath of spirit that can be inhaled to awaken our creative potential. Creative inspiration has nothing to do with the mind, as it is a spiritual process that begins in the realm of infinite possibilities. For example, there are a million depictions of a rose in modern art. No one artist sees a rose the same way. Your unique perspective is what the universe craves and in this you get to choose with your awareness which imaginative perspective you would like to capture and receive. How to Access Creative Inspiration In order to access creative inspiration, we must be in a state of heartfelt presence. This means being in harmony with the creative flow process and trusting that we are the right individuals to perceive such a thing. However, there are a lot of things that can get in the way of allowing inspiration into the creative flow process. This can create dissonance and can make it difficult to access our creative potential. Once we have accessed creative inspiration, we can then move it into the mind. This is where a lot of people think that inspiration starts, but at Awakened Creators, we now know that it begins much earlier than that. Conclusion Creative inspiration is a powerful force that can be used to create beautiful works of art, music, literature, and more. It is a spiritual process that begins in the realm of infinite possibilities and can be accessed through a state of heartfelt presence. Once we have accessed creative inspiration, we can then move it into the mind and begin the creative process. The next video in this series can be viewed here, or you can read the article. At Awakened Creators, we do the inner work necessary to do the outer work that we love. We are so glad to be a part of your creative journey and hope that this video has been helpful in understanding the creative flow state and how to tap into it. If you’d like to align with your creative essence, consider my Heart Alignment Guide where I’ll explain a simple 3-step process for getting in tune with your authentic creative energy.

Don’t Exhaust Yourself Trying to Overcome Creative Blocks, Move Through Them Like This Instead

by Amanda StoneChakra Healing, Creativity, Inspiration, Journal PromptsPosted on No Comments

We talk a lot about overcoming creative blocks with language primed for battle. We scour the internet for ways to “beat creative blocks” or “get rid of creative blocks”. We commiserate to other artists that creative blocks are something we have to begrudgingly deal with or spend time spinning our wheels to solve. Famous creative warrior-himself, writer Steven Pressfield, even wrote a whole bible about the relentless battle against creative blocks titled, THE WAR OF ART. But what if, creative resistance as Pressfield calls it, wasn’t some terrible boogie-man we need to shield our tender creative hearts against, but a normal part of the creative journey, and maybe even a positive one? A More Effective View of Creative Blocks Along my creative journey, I’ve found that my personal creative blocks have been the catalyst for some of the most valuable opportunities to finally resolve the negative beliefs and thought patterns that have not only been keeping me blocked in my writing or art, but in other areas of my life as well. Instead of running away from my creative blocks, when I chose to move through them, I was able to gain long-lasting peace from the subconscious patterns that kept disturbing my creative flow.  Rather than try and circumnavigate creative blocks, only to have them pop up again later, I want to empower you to move through these blocks in ways that expand and ignite you, instead of leaving you exhausted trying to resist your resistance.  Here are five strategies for you to employ the next time creative blocks come up for you. How to Make Your Creative Blocks Work for You The first rule about creative blocks (which I’ll refer to here as shadows) is that we have to shine a light on them in order to see them. The most effective way I have found to do that is through journaling. But this isn’t your standard, diary of your day or endless pages of self-loathing, it’s a specific journaling technique that will help you more effectively get to the root of your creative block. Whether you’re new to journaling or you’ve tried journaling before with lackluster results, be sure and try this technique.  Understand What Creative Block You’re Working With The best way to get to the root of your creative block is to understand what you’re working with. Whatever that voice inside you is saying, let it have some space on the paper. Maybe it sounds something like: “I’ll never be good enough to create this [desired project here].”  “I don’t have enough skills/talent/connections to make this art career work.”  “I have to do things that make me uncomfortable in order to be successful.” The Key Questions to Ask Creative Blocks Once we get eyes on what all the internal fuss is about, we can spend some time questioning these limiting beliefs like a criminal interrogator. Cue your inner “bad cop” and give those limiting beliefs the third degree. Ask yourself the where, when, who and why behind them. Where did this belief come from? When did I hear this was the case? Who told me this was true? Why does believing this feel safer than the alternative? Remember This About Creative Blocks Creative blocks are not the Universe conspiring against you or proof that you aren’t cut out for bringing your artistic vision to life. Creative blocks are simply aspects of your ego (usually via distorted mindsets) that are trying to keep you safe. They’re trying to protect you from your fears of failure, humiliation, etc. When the ego and mind get in cahoots against your creative spirit, no matter how much agony it causes your heart, they think they’re doing it out of love. When you find out the core motivation behind your creative block, you will finally understand what support your spirit is truly asking for.  Give Your Creative Block What It’s (really) Asking For Now is the part where instead of avoiding your creative block, you actually give it what it’s after. But not by giving into the lie. Instead, go straight for the protection your heart needs. For example, if your ego is telling you “you don’t have enough skills to make this creative dream work”… and you discovered through journaling that it’s pretty similar to a situation in school where you tried your hardest on an assignment and got a low grade, and that your ego is just trying to protect you from disappointment, heartbreak, and humiliation…then you can decide to give your heart the protection it needs, without linking it to pursuing an art career. You can choose to love yourself no matter what, to work on developing a sense of self-worth that isn’t attached to external validation, you can choose to show up for yourself in ways that your family or teachers or friends never did. You can choose to give yourself the sense of security you need to feel safe to pursue your dreams, all by yourself. Simply by deciding to. When Creative Blocks are Rooted Deep I used the example of needing security in order to feel safe to create because it’s such a common one. Nearly every creative I work with has trouble protecting their self worth and value when it comes to their creativity. They allow setbacks to be proof of failure, lack of sales to dishearten them, and naysayers to control their destiny. But a sense of security is possible to cultivate without any external validation. In fact, if you want to have experience long term creative success…it’s 100% necessary. And it all starts at the root…the root chakra. Our base chakra or root chakra is the energetic foundation from which our entire creative journey springs from. We can’t get far beyond “survival mode” until we clear, heal, and balance the energy in our root chakra. By establishing a healthy root chakra system, we can secure ourselves in a sense of self-worth that will support us throughout the rest of our creative journey. …

Read more “Don’t Exhaust Yourself Trying to Overcome Creative Blocks, Move Through Them Like This Instead”

Awakening the Medicine of Art – Interview with Intuitive Artist Adrienne Stohr Lewis

by Amanda StoneAwakened Creator Spotlight, Creativity, Inspiration, Visual ArtsPosted on No Comments

“My painting practice is a sacred space where I can connect to myself and spirit. It is a space where I speak my truth and where I rewrite my limiting stories and beliefs.” Today’s Awakened Creator Spotlight is on Adrienne Stohr Lewis, an art medicine woman, intuitive artist, and community herbalist, who is reconnecting with her authentic spirit and ancestors through the medicine of art. Connect with her on Instagram @otter.woman. Here is Adrienne in her own words on her creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator. Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? I love to paint. I love acrylic and watercolor mediums. My painting practice is a sacred space where I can connect to myself and spirit. It is a space where I speak my truth and where I rewrite my limiting stories and beliefs. It is where I reconnect to my authentic self and feel my ancestors and guides showing me my next right thing. This alchemy shows up in the very intuitive almost shamanic nature of my paintings.  What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? The hard truth is, I get in my own way. My stories around perfectionism and productivity are my biggest obstacles. I was taught to hustle, to please, to be polite, and to excel at whatever I did, and if I wasn’t the best to drop it. Painting has helped me cultivate my personal integrity and authenticity, to be really honest with myself. I’ve realized that me being my most whole and authentic self is my greatest gift to the world. A big part of this alignment for me is staying in relationship with my menstrual cycle. When my critic shows up it is most often in the luteal phase of my cycle. My flow and alignment are directly tied to this cycle. In the beginning of my month I often feel very expansive, free, intuitive and creative. In the later half of my cycle I feel much more introspective, slower, and less motivated. Being in alignment with my cycle gives me permission to be a different new version of myself everyday and helps me recognize when the shadow of perfectionism and productivity threaten to dominate my creative space. If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? A wisdom I love and think of often is the idea that we can only see what already exists inside of us. If you are drawn to the magic of a certain tree it is because the tree is mirroring back to you something magical about yourself. I trust that if you are here reading this and following Awakened Creators it is because your creative spirit has been awakened. We have all these ideas about what it means to be “creative” and an “artist”. The truth is we are all creative beings and we are creating all day everyday of our lives. It may not be the “art” you dream of making, but when we begin to look at our lives as art we begin to make the transition from matching a shirt and a pair of pants together as an expression of our unique selves, to the confidence to put that expression on paper or canvas or on the dance floor. You’re already an artist making life art, what else are you going to create?  How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? I found Amanda/or she found me (I can’t recall actually) on Instagram and I LOVE all of her posts. I feel like I’m growing with her posts. Sometimes I read them and I’ve just had an ha-ha about a post she’s shared, so it’s deeply validating, or she’ll share something and it creates that ah-ha moment because I was ripe for the lesson. Always I feel there is such deep magic and wisdom in her work and that she is of such service to this community which I deeply admire. Want to connect with Adrienne? Check out Adrienne’s incredible healing creations on: Instagram: @otter.woman Facebook: Otter Woman Earth Medicine or visit www.otterwoman.com for painting courses & herbal healing. Do you have the desire to align with your authentic creative expression? If you want to feel free to create from the heart, my HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide will show you a pathway home. I will personally guide you (with quick video lessons) through a simple yet powerful creative ritual that will bring your heART back online so you can start creating from that space again. Access the HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide for free.

Claiming Creative Freedom – Interview with Dadaist P.J. D’Agostino

by Amanda StoneAwakened Creator Spotlight, Creativity, Inspiration, Visual ArtsPosted on No Comments

“I would actually like to think that nothing gets in my way as a creator anymore, but it wasn’t always like this. It took a lot of energy to get here, and it happened very slowly.” Today’s Awakened Creator Spotlight is on P.J. D’Agostino, a dadaist, who brings forth their own unique expression by using unconventional mediums. Connect with them on Instagram @ser8phim Here is P.J. in their own words on their creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator. Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? The medium I love to work in most is my menstrual flow, because it comes to me for free, and sometimes I find things in nature to paint on or with, so it feels like the entire experience is coming exclusively from the earth and really gives an enhanced feel of meditation while creating. What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? I would actually like to think that nothing gets in my way as a creator anymore, but it wasn’t always like this. It took a lot of energy to get here, and it happened very slowly. Before, I would have told you that other humans’ opinions were getting in my way, or something like that. If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? I want to tell all my fellow humans to create, and do it like you mean it! It can be anything, as long as it is done with love. With love, anything is possible! How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? I believe I saw [Amanda’s] comments on a mutual friend’s art, and [she] seemed so free and encouraging, and all of [her] posts made sense to me when I sought them out! Being an Awakened Creator means I am allowed to learn from and with a beautiful community of humans also committed to loving creation in this lifetime. Want to connect with P.J.? Check out P.J.’s incredible creations on Instagram @ser8phim. Do you have the desire to align with your authentic creative expression? If you want to feel free to create from the heart, my HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide will show you a pathway home. I will personally guide you (with quick video lessons) through a simple yet powerful creative ritual that will bring your heART back online so you can start creating from that space again. Access the HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide for free.

Finding Inspiration Everywhere – Interview with Digital Artist Ron Van Alff

by Amanda StoneAwakened Creator Spotlight, Inspiration, Visual ArtsPosted on No Comments

“Awakened Creator describes me really well, because I started creating art for the first time in my life (in my 40’s) in the same period that I started to awaken!” Today’s Awakened Creator Spotlight is on Ron van Alff, a digital artist, who explores his heartfelt expression through the merging of photography and spiritual intuition.  Connect with him on Instagram/TikTok/Twitter @ronvibesart. Here is Ron in his own words on his creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator. Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? I love to take pictures of trees, the sky, churches, houses, flowers & lamps for example. Afterwards I look for a picture that “speaks” to me and I start editing it. Because I have been doing this extensively for a while now I have some tricks up my sleeve. But when I start I don’t know exactly what it will become. I work very intuitively. During this process I start seeing something, feeling something and it gets spiritual meaning most of the times. I tend to create lots of portals, parallel universes and dreamworlds. This process makes me lose time and relaxes me. And I get excited starting something new. That’s why I do it! What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? Because I have several special interests, I might become too involved with other things and not create any art for a few days. It’s just something I realise and then I make myself start on a photo. After a short while the drive and the routine comes back. Creating my art goes hand in hand with my spiritual work. So meditation and reading about philosophy helps me in my creative flow as well. If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? Create what YOU like. Get excited about that, create every day, you’ll get better. But don’t give yourself deadlines with that. Some people improve within weeks, some people take years. And as a digital artist: look for collaborations after a while. They can be fun and you can learn a lot from it! I know I have!    “Create what YOU like. Get excited about that, create every day, you’ll get better.” How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? I remember starting my Instagram account with my art last year and after a short while I gravitated to certain artists. What I noticed was their loving vibe, the positive way they communicate and the fact that they’re spiritual like me (in the end we are all spiritual beings). I started following Awakened Creators right away! Awakened Creator describes me really well, because I started creating art for the first time in my life (in my 40’s) in the same period that I started to awaken! I became interested in source, fabric of the universe, manifestation, reincarnation and more. Want to connect with Ron? Check out Ron’s incredible digital artwork on Instagram, TikTok, & Twitter @ronvibesart.  Do you have the desire to align with your authentic creative expression? If you want to feel free to create from the heart, my HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide will show you a pathway home. I will personally guide you (with quick video lessons) through a simple yet powerful creative ritual that will bring your heART back online so you can start creating from that space again. Access the HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide for free.

Let Your Love Dance Free – Interview with Movement Artist Hilda Stumpf

by Amanda StoneAwakened Creator Spotlight, Inner Child, Inspiration, Performing ArtsPosted on No Comments

“It’s funny the entire loop back. It’s what always brought me joy at a young age and I just had to find my way back to it.” Today’s first ever Official Awakened Creator Spotlight shines on Hilda Stumpf, a movement artist and intuitive dancer, who embodies the heartfelt authentic expression we aim for here at Awakened Creators. Connect with her on Instagram @hildaliz_stumpf_ Here is Hilda in her own words on her creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator.  Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? Movement. My main love is dancing but I’m also learning to hula hoop dance. Next on my list is ribbon dancing, bongo drumming and slack lining.  Basically, if it catches my attention and it looks like fun I’m going to want to try it out. After my awakening I just don’t hold back. As early as elementary school I was always drawn to music videos and I would watch on repeat until I learned them. Like many teenagers during the 90s, I was making choreographies and teaching my best friend so we could perform it to anyone who would watch. It’s funny, at a younger age we have no shame of fear or judgment. We tend to start feeling it when we become aware of other’s expectations. That’s when I allowed myself to bury that part of me. At the age of 10, I can remember teaching myself how to use my parent’s camcorder to record my dancing. I also liked acting out scenes from my favorite movies. It’s funny the entire loop back. It’s what always brought me joy at a young age and I just had to find my way back to it. All because I followed that random thought to try hula hooping, I ended up finding my love of dancing again. What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? I find the days where my energy is lower I end up getting in my own way and ultimately can’t create from a space of flow. The fluidity of my movements only comes easy when I’m in a grounded mindset. Not even necessarily in a ”positive” mindset but the awareness of what I’m currently feeling in that present moment and if I’m okay creating from that space then I can. I find meditation prior to practicing or just a calm morning routine to start the day can help. Also, listening to high frequency music has been a game changer when I’m feeling out of alignment. If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? Something I wish I was told when I started my journey of self discovery is that when inspiration hits out of no where to create or try out an entirely new thing, don’t dismiss that thought. I was out one day getting groceries and I randomly decided I wanted to buy a hula hoop. So I did that very day and it’s what lead to my discovery that I can control my movement in ways I never knew. Before my awakening, I may have been too distracted to catch that thought let alone pursue it. Second, and just as important, whatever you do…do it for you. Follow your intuition or what feels right to you. You are the creator of your reality. There’s no need for outside validation for your art. Whatever you create do it from the heart. “There’s no need for outside validation for your art. Whatever you create do it from the heart.” How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? I found the Awakened Creator community through Instagram. Uplifting one another’s content allowed us to build a better connection. I have since participated in a few of the hosted meditations and plan to sit in on more. I believe that building connections, whether online or not, is how we progress. The more people, culture, ideas, conversation…diversity, the better I believe everyone will be for it. I have allowed myself to be open to building online friendships and connections. The connection to the Awakened Creator community happened naturally and organically for me. For me personally it means creating from a space of awareness. When you’re doing something you love that’s aligned with your higher self, all that can come out of it is pure. https://weareawakenedcreators.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/763deb5240dc4d69abdaf1b93605a033.mp4 Want to connect with Hilda? Check out Hilda’s heartfelt and groovy dance moves on her Instagram @hildaliz_stumpf_ Do you have the desire to align with your authentic creative expression? If you want to feel free to create from the heart, my HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide will show you a pathway home. I will personally guide you (with quick video lessons) through a simple yet powerful creative ritual that will bring your heART back online so you can start creating from that space again. Access the HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide for free.

macro photography of woman

Have Everything But Still Unhappy? You Might be a Repressed Creative

by Amanda StoneCreativity, Inner Child, InspirationPosted on No Comments

For over a decade I forced myself to deny my heart’s desires and go after career goals and aspirations that had more to do with what other people wanted than what my heart did. I figured, like lots of folks do, if I just check off this list of things (house, job, education, family, etc.) I would be satisfied. But when I got there, I was still unhappy. I had a master’s degree, a full time job helping others in higher education, a custom-built suburban home, a marriage, and a child. I had everything I was told would make me happy, but I was still miserable. Symptoms of my Core Unhappiness I felt ashamed. What was wrong with me that I could have everything and still be unhappy? And when you are unfulfilled, you look for ways to “fill up”… I didn’t know what the real problem was. I just knew I was unhappy. So I drank. First a little. Then a lot. And when the liquor store worker starts to know you by first name…you have a problem. But I didn’t know what the real problem was. I just knew I was unhappy, despite having everything. After hitting my rock bottom in 2017 and nearly throwing myself off a bridge and leaving my 2-year old son and husband behind, I had a change of heart…or well..my heart had a change of me. I had trapped my heart in a prison of other people’s expectations of the “right way” of living. But what could be more wrong than denying your heart its happiness?? Understanding my True Identity as a Creative I remember like it was yesterday. The energy was immense and pink and loving. It hit me like a wave and was so overwhelmingly loving that I broke down and cried, watching as all the shattered pieces of my life were stitched together in a perfect mosaic and I saw the truth. I was creative. A very, very repressed creative. I realized I was an artist (and always had been) who was pretending to be something I wasn’t. I had trapped my heart in a prison of other people’s expectations of the “right way” of living. But what could be more wrong than denying your heart its happiness?? Thus, my creative and spiritual awakening journey began, exploding in a swirl of writing and painting combined with meditation and journaling, as all manner of authentic self expression unleashed. I didn’t realize how much repressed creativity and suppressed emotions lived in me, stemming all the way back from childhood, that just wanted to be seen and heard. The more I expressed creatively the lighter I started to feel, like layers of heavy blankets being pulled off my spirit.  Shortly thereafter, Awakened Creators was born in my mission to help others find the joy within that I did. I was tired of seeing creative souls suffering in jobs they hated, doing what they were told would make them happy (like I was) and being miserable day in and day out. I had broke free from my own prison and I was ready to help others do the same. Choosing to Live a Creative Life Instead Five years later, I am officially done with my unfulfilling 9-5 job and traveling the world full-time with my family, all while serving the creative community I love through Awakened Creators and expressing my own creativity through my writing and painting. I never thought I could be this happy! And don’t think I had some formulaic plan or strategy. In no way did I imagine things happening like they have. The Universe is so much more intelligent than I. All I knew was that creative expression was the answer and honoring it (despite how scared I was to follow my creative passion) has freed me to pursue the life of my dreams. Not to mention…doing a TON of inner work so I could do the outer work I loved. I share this raw truth about my past battle with addiction and suicide because it all led me to this moment. A moment my heart has waited all my life to feel again. Freedom. Joy. Purpose. And I believe you can make the shift as well, even if you are just at the beginning of your journey. So if you are told you have everything, but you are still unhappy, consider that you might be a repressed creative and let’s open the doorway to your heART.  You are in the right place I promise. Welcome home, Awakened Creator.