Flow

I’ve been thinking a lot about “flow’ recently. I listen to the Lively Show, by Jessica Lively and I have been inspired by her dedication to prioritising flow and getting in alignment.


I understand flow to mean a sense of ease and a feeling of ‘rightness’. It’s when things don’t seem effortful - like you are being carried along by an invisible wave.


This feeling is something I experience a lot as an artist. The act of creating is to be in a state of flow. You lose your sense of time and get swept up in a journey of colour and form.


Of course there are times when things don’t feel like that, but I see it as a sign to do something else. It might be time for some yoga, or to stamp up some bags, or clean the house.


In some ways prioritising flow is easy for me as I have a schedule that I am free to create. I do what I want when I want within the boundaries of childcare. But it is also really easy to push too far in one direction. Perhaps it will be a lack of sleep, or perhaps I have got swept along by my work and started to neglect other parts of my life.


That happens quite a lot.


My art is becoming a bigger and bigger part of my life and where before it was an outlet and release, it is now also becoming something that I need a release from.


Flow doesn’t always come naturally. Sometimes we are pre programmed to believe certain things that make us get in our own way. I was brought up with a strong work ethic. Both my parents worked really hard, beyond the point of balance and so I find it easy to prioritise work, but hard to make time for myself.


I am learning though that in order to produce my best work, I also need to be my best self. There are times when things do flow perfectly. I have had moments when I feel perfectly aligned with the universe and everything happens in the most beautiful and magical way.


There was this one time, it was the eclipse of the sun in Cornwall and the day unfolded in a way that seemed truly amazing. After we had watched the eclipse with our friends we decided for some reason to go to Porthcurnow - a beautiful beach on the south coast and the site of the infamous Minack Theatre.


We ended up by chance in the same place as Ken Kesey and the merry pranksters who had started a tour of the UK in search of Merlin. It was amazing. It was like we had done a time warp into the 60’s and before we knew it we had taken some liquid acid and was helping to carry amplifiers down to the beach for a party.


The night was full of music, glittering stars and sparkling sand that glowed with phosphorescence.


I think that everything flowed in that way because we connected with the vibration of the universe. We had stopped and became minutely aware of our surroundings, the quietness of the birds and the sense of strangeness as the day went dark. We were open. Nothing was forced and it was beautiful.


I’m not much of a meditator, but I can see why it so important. It’s the act of connecting to the hum around you, of getting in sync with it. Once you have done that you can go forwards with a strong connection to not only your inner self, but to something greater than yourself.


Life is the most amazing puzzle. I believe that magic and wonderful things are right in front of us all the time - we just need to get ourselves in alignment to appreciate them.


So here’s to flow and the wonderful adventures that are ahead!