SomaNews July-August 2019

Exploring Somatic Creativity

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““Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
—Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872

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What is the sensation in your body that says, “create”?

Are we like Rodin’s Thinker and wait for our brains to tell us what color or line to draw? No, we allow our bodies to speak to us. Like a child, we see the color of a crayon that draws us to it, and we pick it up. The sky may be green or the grass blue, but it is our creation — not something we “think” we should create.

To be creative, you must act on the sensation that comes from the impulse that says create. Whether it is touchable or abstract doesn’t matter, the most important aspect is to act on it.

Unfortunately, there is a belief that we must be special or talented to create. This story quiets the confidence in our ability to create. If not talent, then what? A study at Exeter University came to the conclusion that creativity is determined by:

• opportunities
• encouragement
• training
• motivation
• and most of all, practice

We are always practicing something, so what you practice is who you are. If you practice the story that you have no talent or ability to be creative, then that will be the story. After a certain age, you will have created your own story, gifts and limitations. You will have imagined how you thought your life should be and you created it.

Do you know what creativity feels like in your body?

Somatic creativity is the ability to pay attention to the sensations in your body that move you to a deep creative expression. It is about allowing the body to express itself in a relaxed and alive posture. It is a huge part of allowing your intuition to come forward. But if your body is tight and contracted and your brain takes over, intuition is dropped.

You know those gut reactions. When you look at a photo or see a bumble bee gathering pollen from the lavender plant, your brain doesn’t jump in and say, oh isn’t that beautiful. Instead, your body reacts. A sensation comes from within and you feel it in your body. It’s the same with somatic creativity. You take a blank piece of paper and some paints or colored pens. You center yourself in your body, take a few deep breaths, and let your body choose the color.

To me, creativity is not some thought-ridden opportunity. Creativity is more like a door slowly opening as you step closer and closer, releasing your curiosity and willingness to explore.

Sometimes our comparing mind gets in the way. I remember in elementary school bringing my book report projects to class and suffering from a comparing mind that said: Mine doesn’t look like theirs, I should have done that instead, hers is much better than mine. I stifled myself and began to believe I was not an artist or writer or dancer.

So, what are some practices that can support you to relax, free your intuition, and enjoy the freedom of somatic creativity?