The Creative Contemplative Interviews
Do you have mindfulness practices that inspire your creative process? I want to interview you!
Much has been written about the myth of the tortured artist. As much as I value opportunities to explore the darkness of life in my writing as a way to understand and heal from trauma, I’ve never been interested in suffering for my art.
With two parents dead before I was thirty, my own chronic health issues as well (as those of my child), my responsibilities as a caretaker and teacher and professional, not to mention the never-ending global pandemic, pervasive structural inequities, widespread death and destruction, and more, the last thing I need is more suffering, thank you very much.
Plus there’s the simple fact that when I get exhausted, the last thing I want to do is create. If my brain is tired and my eyes are tired and my fingertips are tired, I feel no desire to write (which is my primary form of creation.) There’s just no forcing it. Maybe it works for some — the leaning into the pain — but it does not work for me.
However, I find that when I commit to my contemplative practices (for me, it’s most often walking, yoga, meditation, and gardening), I find that I am more inspired to create. By quieting my mind and breathing my body full, by engaging my muscles and settling my pulse, I not only gain more energy — my words pour out more easily. In fact, I often can’t help but write. I’m even able to face the deep pain of life with more perspective and grace.
Inspire from Old French inspiracion “inhaling, breathing in”
I feel — quite literally — inspired.
I have long been (also) inspired by contemplative practices and how they intersect with the creative process.
What are Contemplative Practices?
Contemplative, also known as mindfulness, practices, support the connection between the body and mind. As Davidson and Dahl write, these practices emphasize “self-awareness, self-regulation, and/or self-inquiry to enact a process of psychological transformation” and “are typically viewed as practical methods to bring about a state of enduring well-being or inner flourishing.”
I really love this Tree of Contemplative Practice, which offers many different ways of considering what contemplative practices can be.
How do the Contemplative Practices Intersect with Creativity?
Anodea Judith writes about how consciousness and physicality coalesce to inspire creativity:
“When energetic consciousness is made through the body, it is called grounding..It is rooted in sensation, feeling, action, and the solidity of the material world. Grounding provides a connection that makes us feel safe, alive, centered in ourselves, and rooted to our environment. Consciousness, on the other hand, comes through that elusive energy we call the mind. It is our inner understanding, our memory, our dreams and beliefs. When consciousness is detached from the body, it is wide and vague, dreamy and empty, but capable of great journeys. When it is connected to our body, then we have a dynamic energy flow throughout our entire being. In this way, [spirit] becomes embodied” (12–13).
Further, she writes:
“Creativity combines will and consciousness and moves us forward into the future. When we create, we make something that has not existed before……Creativity is a pure expression of the spirit within us, the natural process of Self as it individuates. It allows the Self to give back to the world an assimilated form of what it has taken in.” (300–301)
The Creative Contemplative Interviews
With that, I am launching a series called The Creative Contemplative, and I would love to interview you!
I want to learn more about your life as both a creative and as a contemplative.
(What do I mean by a “creative?” I’ll offer the wisdom of Elizabeth Gilbert, who writes, “If you’re alive, you’re a creative person.”)
Here are some questions that you will be able to respond to:
- What are your favorite contemplative practices? How often do you practice?
- What is your personal history with contemplative practices? How did you come to discover these practices?
- What do you like to create? How do you define creation?
- What is your personal history with the act of creativity/ creation?
- Would you like to share some of your creations with us? What are you most proud of?
- How do these practices overlap with other creative aspects of your life? How do these practices support your creative process?
- What advice or insights can you offer for others who are seeking creative support?
I’ll be sharing the interviews right here on Flint & Steel (with gratitude to Ellie Jacobson for including them here.)
If you are interested, please complete this form and I’ll email you ASAP with the questions and guidelines.
I very much look forward to learning from you and sharing your practices with others.
E. Katherine Kottaras the writer, voice, and co-creator of Yoga with Eleonora on PillowFortTV and the co-writer with Vanitha Swaminathan of the forthcoming picture book, A RAINBOW INSIDE MY BODY, illustrated by Holly Hatam (Viking 2024). She holds an M.A. in English and an M.S. in Kinesiology with a focus on Integrative Wellness, and she is a contemplative writer and holistic teacher, having worked at the K-12 and community college levels for over two decades. She is a yoga teacher, personal trainer, and health coach while also living with invisible illnesses and neurodivergence, and as such, she is passionate about mindfulness, bodily self-determination, and health equity. As the queer daughter of an immigrant, Katherine believes that holistic and inclusive approaches to expression, healing, and growth should be accessible to all.
Connect with Katherine on the social medias: IG, YouTube, FB, LinkedIn, or at katherinekottaras.com. Check out Katherine’s new series, Yoga with Eleonora on YouTube, which helps kids of all ages calm their minds and bodies so they can respond to and communicate their feelings in healthy ways.
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