May Retreat for Joy

I'm setting aside a couple of mornings this week to give attention to joy, contentment, self expression and play, in order to wrap up my month-long focus on joy. 

Joy is a deep feeling, maybe too much to expect, a little over the top; most days I'm satisfied to feel calm and grounded, perhaps even mostly happy. But I think when we open to the possibility of feeling joyful we set the tone of the day to one of playful expectation.

Agenda:

1. Read the Creativity Book

2. Explore color

3. Indulgent field trip

4. Go to a parade

1. Read the Creativity Book:

Last year I re-started this book by Eric Maisel (one of my favorite writers). The subtitle is "A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance." Who doesn't want that?

I'm on Part 4, EXPLORE. He talks about toddlers exploring new surfaces with their crayons, and being stymied by adults. "Now we need to explore again, if we are to create. A good place to start is with the love that prompted us those many years ago to see how red crayon marks look on cream-colored wallpaper: that is, with our love of color."  

2. Exploration field trip:

I started the retreat with a trip to town (without grandsons in tow) to buy a couple of new art supplies, visit a used clothing boutique, and get lost in the library. 

Art store shopping is really the only kind of retail therapy that works for me, and I haven't indulged for quite a while. Why does it give me a boost? Dopamine, of course, and visual stimulation. I always get new ideas in an art store.

But choosing some new (used) pants that express my personality might also be a fun experience, as long as I go in a playful frame of mind. And searching the library stacks is like rich dessert.

3. Explore color:

Part 4 of the Creativity Book has seven exercises and the first (Exercise 25) is to Explore Color. I've been working on a piece called "Fierce Chickadees" and today I will work on some bold color experiments to use as collage.

4. Go to a parade:

I'm ending my retreat with an outing in a small nearby town, to go to a parade with my grandson. What joy!