“When you try to block water, there is resistance, and then the water will find its flow through tHe path of least resistance. Connecting to the creative pathway is a very similar process of guiding and re-routing energy.”
During this global pandemic of COVID-19 which we are presently experiencing all over the world, I designed this challenge in answer to the fear and uncertainty that I have noticed is overwhelming much of the global population. The challenge was created to help people clear the air, find focus and a space of calm, a ground zero, from where to start from each day, and a way to find connection with their inner self. From this mindset, it is easier to connect with others, and find solutions to know where to go from here. One thing is certain, the world will not be as it was before, and this is a time to reflect, connect and create together on what we want our future to be.
The Create Connect 14 Day Challenge is a journey of exploration, discovery and meditation over 14 days, to help deepen self-awareness and connection to your creativity. Each participant is invited to draw for 10 minutes each day, preferably first thing in the morning, with a focus on breathing whilst drawing.
It is a simple and accessible way of centring yourself and connecting with your creativity at the beginning of each day.
My own explorations and discoveries around creativity, through the use of a pen and paper, and focusing on my breathing whilst drawing, has added much value to my everyday life, helping me find calm and focus. So I designed this challenge as a way of sharing my insights in a fun and accessible way, for all levels and all ages, to be as inclusive as possible.
The initial intention is simply to draw for 10 minutes, and let whatever is in your head and heart, spill onto your paper. As the days go by, other intentions are added, to guide your focus and to destabilize your drawing experience. Giving participants these intentions of focus adds structure and discipline to the creative process, something which is actually the embodiment of freedom and chaos. This creates resistance to established patterns, opening up the space for exploration, discovery and adaptation. Like when you try to block water, there is a build up of pressure, and then the water will find its flow through the path of least resistance. connecting with the creative pathway is a very similar process of guiding and re-routing energy.
The point of focusing on breathing, something inherently automatic, whilst drawing is to get to the essence of the action of drawing itself, and to connect to the present moment. Synchronizing breathing with the movement of your pen, letting your pen “flow with your breath”, is synonymous with getting energy to flow from your heart to your hand. This establishes a rich connection between your abstract interior world, and the physical exterior world, becoming the conduit to let your creativity flow.
It takes great vulnerability to get into your essence and peel back the layers to who you are, and who you are becoming. Through playing these games and focusing on the intentions, over 14 days, you may lose yourself, scramble your old ways of doing things, push through resistance, and feel discomfort; but all this exploration, paves the way for courage, confidence, and self-awareness, so you can grow into a better version of yourself.
Create Connect 14 Day Challenge
LISANNE LACHANCE:
“This is indeed a very positive exercise for me. It’s restful for me at the end of my day, it relaxes me and centers me. I feel grounded…
And this reconciles with my love of drawing, that I’ve really neglected in the past years. I had lost confidence in my talent and I now have the feeling of slowly rebuilding it…I really like this challenge. I like to take photos of my scribbles and share them: It helps me take a step back, and a distance from them…a bit as if someone else had done them. This permits me to be less critical of their beauty.. or my capacity to “reproduce or represent reality as it is”.
I look at them and I like them, and I tell myself yes, I’m good enough. I am good enough to draw. 🙂🎨 it’s worth it that I draw, because it feels good! 🌼🐚💎”
SÉBASTIEN LÉGARÉ:
“I’m very touched by such attention and by this very challenge. I guess i didn’t quite understand what i would be facing here…. I’m happy I joined. Thanks for the invitation and for the many great reflexions it brings out .”
BETH HAARMSA:
I absolutely loved the challenge. I found it a wonderful way to start the day; a drawing meditation focusing on breathing into the line as it formed. Switching up hands, drawing blind, each day pushing in a different direction. It became visually apparent that my confidence and fluidity grew as the weeks passed. I appreciated the simplicity of putting pen to paper with an open mind and heart. Thanks for inviting me to the challenge. I’m going to continue this ritual and more.
🙏 Beth
HAUMEA HANAKAHI:
“The Create-Connect Creativity Challenge was a simple and therapeutic time for me to get into an enjoyable meditative state in 10 minutes. I loved the different ways Charlotte had us noticing, whether drawing to our breath in-out, or with our opposite hand or however called that day. She was always encouraging and I felt my fear of “not being artistic” fall away into easy experimentation. It was a delight to see what came forth with no expectation at all. I enjoyed the daily few minutes of flow creativity before starting in on my “to do’s” for the day!”
