WINE AND MY CREATIVITY
"There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns."
Edward de Bono
A glass of wine .....or more was how I treated "studio time" in the evenings.
Daily wine and my art work.
Over the decades, the question of how it would effect my creativity didn't cross my mind..
In my 50's I began to feel less inspired and it felt like the creative flow was slowing a bit, the "down or dry" time seemed to last longer.
The muse seemed further away, I never connected a dull creative spirit and alcohol.
I had a habitual routine with regard to red wine.
I opened a bottle for dinner prep and dinner.
By the end of the night, poof........
it was gone.
Especially during the pandemic.
Having changed that habit, I clearly see that my muses were competing hard with a wine buzz.
Over the years, it slowly was deadening the creative flow.
After drinking alcohol we begin to feel warm and fuzzy for about 20 minutes or so.
As the body attempts to bring itself to balance, the feeling starts to wear off. Wanting to feel that warm fuzziness again, I would pour more.
Alcohol is brilliantly addictive to humans and it is intended to work through our bodies that way, the science is there for us to read.
I discovered something else, I also had a belief around wine.
My belief somewhere deep down was that alcohol made me more creative and allowed the "creative juices to flow."
I'm sure that message had been made loud and clear somewhere along the way.
I understand how one can become less inhibited and believe they are more creative, because they aren't as self aware as before the drink..
Now I see how wrong I was around that belief.
Drinking wine was giving me the warm fuzzies while numbing sad or uncomfortable feelings.
It did that, but in the process it was also numbing all the positive feelings, the creative vibrations and energy weren't free to flow.
To be creative, one needs to be cognizant.
Alcohol is a liquid known by all for its ability to demolish the part of the brain that allow thought and cognizance.
A small, modest, amount may not be as destructive, however, regular and over consumption (3 or more glasses a night had become common for me), will.
It will impair creative productivity over time.
Mind, body, soul - wellness, along with healthy aging, were my motivators in making alcohol small and irrelevant.
Questioning the amount of wine I was consuming, was a good thing to question..
Once I began learning more about alcohol in our society, I became curious and my mindset began changing around it
The energy running through my body is absent of numbing sensations from alcohol.
The sluggish feeling and bloat are gone as well.
Life energy, creativity and divine wisdom can be accessed through mindfulness when I am present.
This life energy is accessible to us all!
We are meant to feel good.
We are meant to be the highest version of ourselves and to give the world the gifts that are unique to each one of us.
It is very exciting and unexpected, that a new purpose is unfolding in my midlife!
I am free to expand and dream!
Do alcohol and creativity complement one another. I don't think so, not for me.
As a creative life coach, I teach others to feel the emotions, through creative expression. Expressing openly, without judgement and control, and leaving it all there..
A wonderful presence of mind sans any boozy haze blocking your dreams or creative flow.
"When I dream, I am ageless."
Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
Get curious, and be creative with your life!
Thank you for reading,
Until next time with love and wonder,
Rebecca
