Hello, Creatives!
‘Tis the Season! And for many Creatives, the darkness and cold temperatures along with the expectations that come with the Holiday Season put us in a creative slump. It is normal this time of year for studios to be empty, brushes to gather dust, notebooks go unused. So- for this week’s Creatively blog, I give you a challenge- get creative! A good accompanying read for this week’s post is the “Getting Unstuck with Mindfulness” post. I have lots of information for you about getting unstuck and finding your creative flow (look for the upcoming workshop series at Columbia Art Center!) and this week we will highlight some of the advice: go simple. Release yourself, creative, from high-level expectations in your work. Set yourself up for a project that you enjoy. Choose a subject you are familiar with and know you do well and enjoy doing. Cook that back to an even simpler version of this that you know will likely produce something you can feel good about. We are trying to set you up for an enjoyable process and product. I really like mandala and zen doodling for this (there is a blog post to get you started on this if you are interested). One way to get yourself back into doing something is to simply remind yourself why you enjoy doing it. Need more? Add a small component of motivation. Give yourself a deadline in the form of a gift, find a local show, event, open mic or something to participate in. Self impose a deadline- and make it short (1 week MAXIMUM). What would happen if you gave yourself 30 minutes? Sometimes a shortened timeline can release you from higher demands you might place on yourself and further facilitate the exercise. When you are done, while you are doing it and as you are getting started- talk to others! Talk to friends, loved ones, other artists, or (gasp) a creativity expert (me!) about your process, what excites you, what your barriers are, what your successes are, what got you into your art form, what fulfills you about it. We are trying to get as many parts of our creative brains awakened to remembering our love of our art. That’s it! Stop reading, start doing! I challenge you to share your work on the @creativelyllc IG page- help challenge each other to reignite your creative energies and support each other! I’ll kick it off- I have challenged myself to two pieces this week, stay tuned... (C) 2018 Creatively, LLC Creatives: just like all of you my time is compact and any room to be creative is golden. Just like all of you the struggle to find time to do my art is real. Just like all of you I struggle to be mindful of my emotional signs and signals that I need to pump the brakes on my other “priorities” and take care of myself by making time for my art.
Remember that I always say that artists have to create to stay well? Remember that I always say that your most important way to refuel and be well is to be creative? Remember all the encouragement to have your own daily creative practice? Remember all the mental health goals to be mindful of our personal state of well being, and personal and emotional needs? As you continue to grow in these things you will begin to notice when you have to shove all else aside (and in my case) pick up a brush. Today I am tired. Today I am spacey and disconnected. Today I am irritable. These are my early signs. Signing off, Creatives, to practice what I preach, because I will be painting. (C) 2019 Creatively, LLC Hello, Creatives!
I am announcing what has now become my yearly Summer blog schedule change! I am a Summer person and this time each year the outdoors calls to me so loudly that I must heed the summons and scale back on my indoor commitments. It is part of my mindful self care- it means a better me, a better artist and a better therapist! It also means (for now) less blog articles for you. The Summer blog schedule will be: monthly. Released with the newsletter (last week of each month). But- never fear! There is so much blog content- now that I have been posting since 2017- that there is plenty for your #summerselfcare! So read away and check in at the end of each month for something fresh. Since I already posted articles for this month (check them out below!) the new schedule starts in July. Happy Summer, Creatives! Yours in Creativity, Cindy Creatives, I want to take time today to give you a written reference to accompany some of the early advice I give almost every client that comes through my door: to keep a creative journal, aka sketchbook journaling. With rare exceptions I recommend this to everyone, then launch into my explanation of what I mean- so here it is, for your reference: the creative journaling exercise.
Might you, Dear Creative, keep a daily creative journal? To do this you need three key elements:
And so, if you have successfully arranged your elements, here is the process I recommend to you: Engage in the process of free response process work. In other words, we are going to have no particular goal or outcome in mind and are interested in tapping into the current of what is flowing freely through our brains. The process can include flowing freely back and forth between drawing and writing, or be focused on one or the other. It should have either a time or page limit- not to exceed 2 pages or 15 minutes- whichever is shorter, more or less. If you are writing, you begin by writing anything- something- maybe “blah blah blah” until you have tapped into the flow of thoughts- then continue to write with them- sloppy script, incomplete sentences and words, free flow of thoughts just to release into content, until you run out of content or choose to stop. If the content is short you can return to your repeat word “blah blah” or whatever word you chose, until you tap into the next current, or you can choose to be done or change to drawing. If you are drawing, you begin by drawing anything- try to stay away from forms that are too informative and directional like icons (hearts, stars etc) as they can keep you rutted rather than flowing- scribble or doodling are pretty good- until you are into a flow of drawing. If you are a 2D artist you might go back to some of your sketching/drawing techniques like hatching, contour with continuous line drawing, stippling, and so on. Ok so let’s say you do this. You spend 2 pages or 15 minutes drawing/writing in your sketchbook journal, organically recording images and thoughts, every day. Why do I tell you to do this? The frustrating answer is the more you do it the more you will answer this question for yourself. The more immediate and satisfying answer is both a creative and wellness one: creatively you are generating creative energy by regular creative output and a daily creative journal is an important part of this, and from a wellness perspective you are downloading thought clutter from your brain (scientific terms) which will aid you in being more mindful and decrease symptoms fed by thinking problems like depression and anxiety. So, Creative, will you give creative journaling a try? (C) 2019 Creatively, LLC We are one week away from a very special day for me at Creatively at the Columbia Art Center- the reception for the opening of my show The Nature of Nurture- Paintings by Cindy Cisneros. In the spirit of taking creative risks this February, I am inviting all of you at Creatively to join me on the day of my opening on Saturday February 8 from 2p-4p. Experience Columbia Art Center and learn about opportunities there. Come enjoy my exhibit !: “Local landscapes and moments from motherhood through the eyes of a working mom, illustrating how far we will go for our little ones and the moments that capture our hearts.” I would love to see you there!
Hello, Creative! Welcome to March. There is a lot of anxiety in the world lately surrounding the increasing spread of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19. Following the release last night of Governor Hogan's statement of the first 3 confirmed cases in the state of Maryland, anxiety is likely to increase for many. I understand- there are still a lot of unknowns. So this month, while on social media we are enjoying "getting to know Creatively," this month's blog is focused on preparedness physically and mentally, as well as Creatively's own preparedness plan for COVID-19.
First, the facts. Yes, COVID-19 is in Maryland, and Maryland as of March 5 has been declared in a state of emergency by Governer Hogan- but- this does NOT mean you should panic. Up to date information on what you need to know can be found here: Maryland Health Department Website- Coronavirus Following the medical and hygiene recommendations and any other preperatory steps of the health department as they evolve are your best pathway to staying safe. Second, there is a preparedness plan in place at Creatively. In the event of any type of quarentine, shelter in place, reduced activity, etc recommendation by local authorities to reduce the spread of COVID-19, I understand that losing your counseling support is not in your best interest. But, I will also be following the recommendations of local authorities and closing the physical offices at Creatively. Instead, I will be available to you as scheduled for your appointments via telehealth. If this preparedness plan goes into action, you will receive text and email alerts from me that the physical office space has been closed and all appointments have been converted into telehealth. All you need to do is reply via text or email to confirm your appointment. At the time your appointment is scheduled to begin, I will text you a unique link to start your appointment. Telehealth appointments are HIPAA compliant, encrypted, and covered by the insurance policies that I accept. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about this plan. You may, of course, enact this plan for yourself by contacting me and changing your appointment to telehealth per your own judgement and safety planning. Third, we need to talk about taking care of your emotional and mental wellbeing during times of national and global stress. This is so crucial because elevations in stress can in fact decrease the capacity of your immune system to function and protect you. It is normal and natural to feel stress during stressful times- there is nothing wrong with this response. What we don't want to do is live in high stress levels and get caught in cognitive loops that elevate them further. Instead, I encourage you to take time to be aware of and nonjudgementally notice your experience of your stress levels. Ask yourself, as you would ask a small child, what do you need in order to return to an emotional baseline and feel soothed? Not attending to and minimizing stressful emotions will likely make them worse. A blog article walking you through an exercise to help you self care your anxiety can be found here: Listening to your Instincts Self care pairs nicely with this article on self soothing exercises for high levels of anxiety- step-by-step instructions here: Safe Place and Self Soothing Finally, please don't hesitate to reach out- that is what I am here for! The world is full of chaos and the unexpected. Ultimately trusting ourselves, our resources and our support system, we will weather the storm. Live well, Creative! (And wash and scrub those creative hands!) Cindy Live Life Creatively, Cindy Cisneros, LCPC-S, LPC (C) 2020 Creatively, LLC Hello, Creative! This afternoon, Sunday, March 15, in Howard County, home-base for Creatively, Executive Calvin Ball announced the first case of COVID-19 in the County and declared a County-wide state of emergency. He signed an executive order closing for at least 7 days business locations including the Mall at Columbia, along with adjacent businesses in the mall complex. Two weeks ago I introduced Creatively’s COVID preparedness plan and effective today, Saturday, March 15, in action with Executive Ball’s executive order implementing at midnight tonight, Creatively, LLC physical offices will close and ALL APPOINTMENTS TRANSFER TO TELEHEALTH AT THIS TIME. This plan remains in effect until Howard County receives different guidance from the local authorities. Though this is currently for 7 days, this is a rapidly evolving situation and subject to change. Please take a moment to review the updated info, and some reviewed info. Understand that I will continue to share any changes to Creatively’s response as needed and update all of you via email, text, social media and this website.
First, the facts. Maryland as of March 5 has been declared in a state of emergency by Governor Hogan, and as of the week of March 8th the first case of community spread of the virus has been confirmed in the State. Today, Sunday, March 15, the first case of the virus was confirmed in Howard County- but- this does NOT mean you should panic. The focus of the current response is to contain further spread. Up to date information on what you need to know can be found here: Maryland Health Department Website- Coronavirus Following the medical and hygiene recommendations and any other preparatory steps of the health department as they evolve are your best pathway to staying safe. Current recommendations focus on social distancing, e.g.- stay home as much as you can! EFFECTIVE SUNDAY, MARCH 15, ALL CREATIVELY APPOINTMENTS TRANSFER TO TELEHEALTH: You will still have your regularly scheduled appointment time if you have an existing appointment. All you need available to you is a microphone and video enabled device (cellphones, tablets, computers all should work) with a wireless or WiFi signal. Comcast is extending free internet to support social distancing if you are in need of internet service. At the time of your appointment I will text you a unique link to start your session- all you have to do is click the link from your device to join. Please be sure you have given permission to your browser on your device to use the microphone and camera. I will be emailing you a one-time-only informed consent document to review and sign for telehealth. For additional details on telehealth and to see a copy of the informed consent document, please click on the link at the end of this article that reads “more information for telehealth sessions.” To reach me between sessions: I recommend texting my business cell phone 443-741-2294 or emailing me [email protected] . Remember to contact me primarily about scheduling- for urgent mental health resources, call 911. Third, we need to talk about taking care of your emotional and mental wellbeing during times of national and global stress. This is so crucial because elevations in stress can in fact decrease the capacity of your immune system to function and protect you. It is normal and natural to feel stress during stressful times- there is nothing wrong with this response. What we don't want to do is live in high stress levels and get caught in cognitive loops that elevate them further. Instead, I encourage you to take time to be aware of and nonjudgementally notice your experience of your stress levels. Ask yourself, as you would ask a small child, what do you need in order to return to an emotional baseline and feel soothed? Not attending to and minimizing stressful emotions will likely make them worse. A blog article walking you through an exercise to help you self care your anxiety can be found here: Listening to your Instincts Self care pairs nicely with this article on self soothing exercises for high levels of anxiety- step-by-step instructions here: Safe Place and Self Soothing Finally, if you need an appointment and don’t have one, please don't hesitate to reach out- that is what I am here for! The world is full of chaos and the unexpected. Ultimately trusting ourselves, our resources and our support system, we will weather the storm. Live well, Creative! (And wash and scrub those creative hands!) Cindy Live Life Creatively, Cindy Cisneros, LCPC-S, LPC (C) 2020 Creatively, LLC Hello Wonderful Creatively Clients!
This week it has been 3 months since we have closed our doors at Creatively, due to an unprecedented, global health crisis. It has been a scary, uncertain time full of survival, challenge and unknown. We all have individual stories in a complex web of universal experience of this terrible pandemic, all doing the best we know how. I am excited, worried, protective of mine, yours and all of us, but mostly hopeful, to announce, that in this third-month-a-versary, as throughout Howard County, Maryland and beyond, things begin to reopen, I will slowly and carefully do the same. Just like my closing involved several announcements and steps, I will surely do so in reopening, and this announcement will be number one of more to come. For now- this post outlines my plan: Out of an abundance of caution, and the ability to provide services over the internet, I will be maintaining the vast majority of appointments as telehealth services for now. That means, for those of you that are comfortable and able to continue receiving your services from me over the telehealth, I ask you to continue to do so. For those of you whose occupations and/or whose loved ones’ occupations put you in a category of higher risk of exposure to COVID-19, I also ask you to continue with telehealth appointments at this time. I will be opening a limited number of in-person appointments starting June 20. They will be prioritized based upon need. Factors considered will be things like insurance that temporarily approved coverage of telehealth services terming that coverage as businesses reopen, or clinical necessity as deemed by both of us. If these things are impacting you, you are the reason I am opening in person sessions. Please do not hesitate to ask me for my next in-person appointment. If you are seeking to resume in-person sessions, there are some things we need to talk about. All in-person sessions during a pandemic assume a certain level of risk. As such, I will be asking you to review and sign an informed consent about this risk. All in person appointment attendees will be asked to wear a mask, wash/disinfect their hands before entering the appointment, answer a brief health questionnaire, maintain social distance at all times, and wait for their scheduled appointment in their cars rather than the waiting room. You can review all this information, as well as other requirements and the health questionnaire by clicking the button below. If you are ready for your in person visit, I will be so happy to see you. If you are ready to continue your virtual visits, I will be so happy to see you. I am optimistic about a healthy future and proud of you for surviving this uncertain time together. Yours in health and creativity, Cindy The Holiday Season is quickly coming upon us and with its arrival we need to revamp our mindfulness. In this spirit, next week I will vacation from my blog, newsletter and website- so feel free to take the time to reread some past posts or take your own mindful break!
By now you have had some introduction to what mindfulness is and some ways to use it in your life. Mindfulness is beautifully simple and uncomplicated. When we are mindful, we are quieting the mind and focusing on our present experiences. Even those of us that feel seasoned and successful in mindfulness practices can get diverted from this state of being during the Holiday Season. Part of the problem with the Holidays is we want them to “be” something. Therefore, we have expectations for them. We compare out and feel pressure to deliver certain things to those around us. Usually these are with the intention of giving the perfect Holiday Season to others. This year, I give you permission to be a little more selfish. Ask yourself what makes the Holidays memorable and special for you? Of the list of things you “have to do” for your Holiday Season- why do items make that list? Let’s make mindful choices this year for how and why we celebrate. Try this simple exercise (as always I advise not to do these exercises without the guidance of therapy sessions- so let’s schedule one of those, too!): Make a list, drawing or representation of your choosing of what you plan to do for this Holiday Season. If that is already too overwhelming (hmm) then choose one holiday for the exercise. When you are finished, go through each thing you plan to do and “mini-meditate” on it. Consider it. Scan your emotions, scan your body. As you consider this thing, how does your body react? With tension? With warmth? What are your emotions associated with this thing? Stress, joy, something else? Ask yourself, why do you do this thing during the Holidays? For yourself, for others? Allow your mind to consider and hold this information as you think about this first thing. Your goal this year is a peaceful, mindful, happy Holiday Season. Does this thing fit into that picture? Continue the exercise as you go through all your plans. Amend them to take away or add what brings you closer to a more peaceful and enjoyable Holiday Season. Allow yourself to feel the anxiety of eliminating things you might be accustomed to doing from your list. Give yourself permission to do something different. So often when there are big calendar events like during the Holiday Season, we become so focused on outcomes and making them “perfect,” we miss enjoying them for what they really can be: peace, happiness, family, love, fulfillment and more. This year your new Holiday Tradition is yourself: create a more mindful Holiday Season. Talk to you again in two weeks (unless I see you in my therapy chair- go ahead- schedule something!) Happy Mindful Days! (c) 2018 Creatively, LLC Creatives! Exciting news. I have two wonderful workshop opportunities coming up- one at the Columbia Art Center called “Unstuck Studio for 2D Artists” and one at the Howard County Arts Council called “Found Object Mandala and Meditation” they are such exciting opportunities to create and be well. (ARCHIVED)
Fall Workshops at Columbia Art Center are Here! A brief summary is below- for more and to sign up, click the button below- or- if you come back later- go to the “services” page and click the button under “workshops”- but don’t wait too long, they start soon!:
Zen Doodling: Mandala Making Learn to draw beautiful mandala designs and experience the rhythm and peace they bring. Making this beautiful artwork is just a workshop away! In this workshop, you will learn the language of zen doodling and tap into the serenity of creating a beautiful art form for yourself. Your new calm is here for you! Getting Unstuck: Art from the Heart Feeling stuck in your artistic endeavors? Have you struggled to indemnify what makes you unique as an artist? Come reenergize your creative flow and learn more about your natural creative cycle and tendencies in this workshop. Participants engage in three mini-projects, trying new techniques and fresh approaches to their art. Expect to leave feeling ready to dive back into your creative works with a freshness and excitement to propel you into the artwork that is uniquely yours. Creatives! I have the amazing opportunity to meet and learn about so many creative people, places and spaces in the DMV that I want to give you a one-stop centralized location to find. In the directory you will find ongoing art events, shows you can participate in, places to buy swap or sell materials, places to sell or market your art, other local artists you can follow, network with and be inspired by, studios that have events, spaces to create and workshops, and even some wellness readings/watching/listenings/places and professionals sprinkled in for good measure. The list is in no particular organizational order and is updated as I released names on IG tagged to their individual profiles to you can learn more (@creativelyllc has pinned story with previously released opportunities). For the current release of the list so far, click on the button below. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Hello, Creatives! Finally, some warm weather with the promise of Spring in Maryland. I hope you are getting outside and feeling inspired (remember the “Getting Inspired with Mindfulness” post? Worth a re-read). This week, I want to help you capitalize on the powerful impact nature and weather has on us and our creative process.
Remember, Creative, you are sensitive, and you are sensory. You have strong emotional reactions to many things, and are very impacted by information coming in to your sensory system (sights, sounds, textures, smells, tastes). Change is very powerful because during a time of change our senses are very heightened to absorption (think jumping in a cold pool on a hot day- those first few seconds are potent!) All totaled, you have a powerful stream of energy to tap into during a seasonal change. And- the best, most mindful way to capitalize on this energy, is to go get in it- get outside! I want you to physically put yourself into this energy stream and take what nature is offering you- like the plants stretching and unrolling their leaves into the warm sunlight after a long winter- absorb the energy and refill your stores. Biologically it is needed and healthy, emotionally it is restorative and creatively it is regenerative. This is so powerful! Here are some ideas that might help you in your efforts:
And finally, of course, come to counseling! Let me support you moving forward and creating your best life. You are worth it. The life you will live when you do the work is worth it. Natural periods of potent energy like this are an ideal time to start working changes in your life, and I’m here to help! (C) 2018 Creatively, LLC I am excited to announce I am now offering two Summer workshops at the Columbia Art Center:
Zen Doodling Zentangle, adult coloring books and zen doodling are getting attention for their power to create calmness and coping. Making this beautiful artwork is just a workshop away! Learn to draw beautiful mandala designs and experience the rhythm and peace they bring. In this workshop you will learn the language of zen doodling and tap into the serenity of creating this beautiful art form for yourself. Your new calm is here for you! Mondays, July 30-August 6, 7-8:30pm Getting Unstuck Feeling stuck in your artistic endeavors? Have you struggled to identify what makes you unique as an artist? Come reenergize your creative flow and learn more about your natural creative cycle and tendencies in this workshop. Participants engage in 3 mini projects and use the technique of “cross modality” to get inspired, try new techniques and take a fresh approach to your art. Expect to leave feeling ready to dive back into your creative works with a freshness and excitement to propel you into the artwork that is uniquely yours. Feeling stuck? Ready to change that? Tired of reading things to try and ready to dive into some practices? This could be for you! Mondays, August 13-August 20, 7-8:30pm For more information, click the button above to be directed to the Columbia Art Center program page (if you see Spring programming still, hang tight- Summer coming soon!) (c) 2018 Creatively, LLC Hello, Creatives! Finally, some warm weather with the promise of Spring in Maryland. I hope you are getting outside and feeling inspired (remember the “Getting Inspired with Mindfulness” post? Worth a re-read). This week, I want to help you capitalize on the powerful impact nature and weather has on us and our creative process. Remember, Creative, you are sensitive, and you are sensory. You have strong emotional reactions to many things, and are very impacted by information coming in to your sensory system (sights, sounds, textures, smells, tastes). Change is very powerful because during a time of change our senses are very heightened to absorption (think jumping in a cold pool on a hot day- those first few seconds are potent!) All totaled, you have a powerful stream of energy to tap into during a seasonal change. And- the best, most mindful way to capitalize on this energy, is to go get in it- get outside! I want you to physically put yourself into this energy stream and take what nature is offering you- like the plants stretching and unrolling their leaves into the warm sunlight after a long winter- absorb the energy and refill your stores. Biologically it is needed and healthy, emotionally it is restorative and creatively it is regenerative. This is so powerful! Here are some ideas that might help you in your efforts:
And finally, of course, come to counseling! Let me support you moving forward and creating your best life. You are worth it. The life you will live when you do the work is worth it. Natural periods of potent energy like this are an ideal time to start working changes in your life, and I’m here to help! (C) 2019 Creatively, LLC |
get more from The Creativity CoursesLiking educational topics and knowing what's hot in creativity? Creatively has online courses, with an interactive creative community, coaching sessions and more in the Creativity Courses. Want these blogposts in a newsletter? Subscribe here, and get a free gift. Cindy Cisnerosis a Creativity Coach, Creative Therapist and Professional Artist in Sykesville, Maryland. She is an expert straddling the realms of arts, creativity research, psychology, therapy, and coaching. She provides Online Creativity Counseling in Maryland and Virginia, and Online Creativity Coaching throughout the USA, Canada and the UK tailored for the discerning, imaginative, artistic, and neurodiverse. The information provided in this blog is from my own clinical experiences and training. It is intended to supplement your clinical care. Never make major life changes before consulting with your treatment team. If you are unsure of your safety or wellbeing, do not hesitate to get help immediately.
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