Feeling, Not Thinking Is The Doorway
Our western culture puts a premium on the workings of the rational, thinking mind. Making art, or being creative asks of us to suspend judgement, so we are able to enter into a place of “pure imagination” as Willy Wonka described it. Through the arts we can enter into a world of sensing, feeling, knowing from a place that is apparently “beyond” the mind.
When we engage with art, no matter how shyly, or how lumbered with self-judgements, we are able to begin sensing into the feeling life we may have been too busy to notice. The present moment is often overtaken with a running commentary of bullet points informing us of what we need to get done and how we ought to do it, continually assessing how well we have achieved our rational aims. Frequently the logical mind murmurs quietly, passing judgement on everything we see and do: “I like this”, “but I don’t like that and especially not that person/my reflection/this movie was crap”.
When we engage with art, we may timidly begin to notice there is the possibility of a new order of reality, one that does not depend on our perception of rights and wrongs. Through the arts we connect with the creative life force that is in all things and that though intelligent, speaks in the language of forms, textures, colours. As we connect to this life force within and the creative movement all around us, we are afforded the benefits of finding out about ourselves.
How?
Through use of the arts, the thinking, judging, survival-driven brain is given a chance to step back so the creative, feeling mind can begin to sift through and express the nuances of what it is to be you in the world, not how you ought to be.
Simply engaging in art making can be very liberating for this very fact; art making gives us energy as we acquiesce to go along with this force’s whims and moods, doing things, just because. As many people can attest, this process can be deeply restorative in itself.
Art, when approached in the presence of an attuned therapist can provide a deeper, safer inquiry into who one “really is” in a given moment. Through asking the questions, ‘what does my art want to say about this situation or that circumstance?’, ‘what does my art want to say to ME?’, self-awareness and self-compassion can begin to take place. Becoming more self-aware, of both your weaknesses, failures, strengths and triumphs has the power to transform your relationship with your inner reality. You begin to acquaint yourself with parts of yourself that were shoved to the side of your awareness due to the pressures of living and surviving in the thinking world.
As you greet these emotions, instincts and desires, there may be grief, there may be pain, there may be sorrow. There may also be joy, contentment, aliveness and relief.
As you begin to feel more deeply, you may realise that you are participating in your life more fully, from a grounded place of self-understanding and insight rather than auto-pilot. This experience is universally empowering to others as your inner journey’s knowings begin to show up in the world outside of yourself in relationships, in community. You may begin to experience your inherent interconnectedness with all things.
As you can connect more deeply with your self, you are now equipped to connect to others through the use of your empathy. Empathy, is a profoundly pro-social tool and is the bedrock of healthy relationships, the fabric of a healthy society. I would love to say empathy is what makes you human, but it would be more accurate to say empathy is what makes you primate or human. Either way, empathy is one of the building blocks to experiencing yourself as part of the larger whole of this life here on earth. Empathy is what motivates you to contribute meaningfully with your surroundings for the greater good.
(Empathy can be learned, if you are wondering if you harbour sociopathic or narcissistic tendencies. The pathway to empathy is learning to feel what you don’t want to feel, so you are no longer cut off from and hardened to your own and subsequently other’s emotional reality.)
When you are moving instinctively and living creatively in relationship, building self-awareness through curiosity and insight, you will become more aware of your own and other’s histories and needs and the fact that all of humanity share the same basic emotions. You may discover the simple, philosophical truth that we are all one. And if that is true, you may see the implication is, you are never truly alone.
This blog post draws on my own personal experiences and the writings of Natalie Rogers. If you would like more on this subject, Natalie Rogers has contributed significantly to the person-centred approaches to expressive therapies and resources can be found here.