This post was originally published on Luminous Leanings on September 9, 2020.

Please note: At the time of this blog post, I was still spelling woman with an “x” (womxn). I have since been challenged that this spelling can be harmful, as trans women are women & don’t need a special word for it to be inclusive. And we can’t use “womxn” & pretend it covers non-binary people. While the word “womxn” is riddled throughout my site & this webinar replay, I am now using the words “woman” & “women”. I am ever learning. I seek to use the identifying language I am asked to by those impacted, & welcome feedback on how to do this better. For more, check out some resources here, here, & here.

Creativity is how we express ourselves. Whether you identify as an Artist or not, you make things, you formulate ideas, you live your life with a unique flair that is all your own. You gather inspiration from the outside world and process it through the unique filter of your experience, your intuition, and the space you allow yourself to contemplate.

Because our work improves as our self-care improves, and because our creativity is essential for deep self-care, I thought I’d put together a little guide on attracting your creative muse!

Our creative muse is the one who brings us divine inspiration. She carries the ideas to us, and asks, “Will you make this? Will you be the one to bring it through your being, impacting both you and the world forever?” She gives us a profound gift – an opportunity to commune with the Divine, to lose our ego in the creative process, to meditate through the art.

If we want to get serious about attracting her, we’ve got to open the window, set the table with our finest china, light some candles, brew a cup of tea. If we want to live creative lives, we must create regular space for the inspiration to arise out of!

If you missed my Self-Love Sermon on this topic yesterday, you can catch the replay here. And if you haven’t signed up yet for my free mini Retreat – Clear & Grounded, get your booty over to the sign-up page! On September 26, 2020 at 11am ET we are exploring self-care & creativity in community.

In fact – if you sign up for the mini Retreat, you will receive 31 days of Creative Self-Care, a PDF download calendar filled with daily prompts to infuse your morning self-care ritual with short bursts of creativity! Coming soon to those who sign up here.

DIY Rituals

Creativity is a way to care for our Spirit – the part of us interested in connecting to others, to the Divine, to the Earth, and to ourselves. Spiritual wellness includes that feeling of awe, of deep appreciation and humility when met with serious beauty. Whether it’s in nature, or a photography exhibit – what gives you a sense of wonder? What makes you want to worship? After all, worship means “to give worth”. What do you give worth to? What do you value? Creating your own rituals is a great place to start!

A ritual is anything that makes the internal external. If woo woo isn’t your thing, just think of it as metaphorical. You’re bringing your internal emotional experience – the things that can’t easily be explained – out into your physical space. Through words, movements, and actions, you can make meaning of your experience. Release your fears and just have fun with it! Think of rituals as taking care of your spiritual wellness, which impacts your mind, your heart, and how you relate to the rest of the world.

You can base these on an element – fire, air, earth, water, or ether. If working with fire, perhaps hold space for your holy rage while burning something you’ve written or drawn on a piece of paper. For water, you can take a ritual bath with plenty of flower petals and salts for dissolving intentions. For earth, practice sitting in lotus position and envisioning roots growing out of your seat deep down into the core of the earth.

You can also play with various mantras. If you’re trying to womanifest something, speak it aloud and notice how it feels in your body. Claim your pleasure, speak your fears, and talk to your spirit guides. Words are incredibly powerful – spells and incantations to bring things to the surface. Beginning your day with the words, “May I be…” whether it’s well, free, energized, or loving – can greatly impact your experience.

Rituals can be as small as writing your mantra and placing it where you can see it, and as big as smudging your entire space with sage. You can incorporate bells, Tarot cards, crystals, movement, self-massage – absolutely anything you need.

Creating altars is another beautiful ritual. Whether it’s gathering belongings of a dearly departed loved one, lighting a few candles, or charging crystals with the full moon light – objects have energy and meaning for us humans. Grouping them together and gazing at them intentionally can help us create meaning.

Energy Matters

If you’ve participated in Become Your Own Soul Mate, you know all about the Energy Pyramid. To sum it up, our physical energy forms the foundation for our lives. When we’re not caring for our bodies properly – through sleep, nutrition, and healthy movement – it can be a struggle to muster our other energies. Emotional energy comes next, followed by mental, and finally spiritual energy. Each energy form supports those above it.

Since spiritual energy is at the very top of the pyramid, and spiritual energy is creative energy, we have to get everything else in line in order to nurture it. If you’re ill, you’re going to have a hard time getting up the energy to paint a portrait, for example. Take care of the rest of yourself, and you will grow the energy required for sustainable creative living.

Time & Space

Scheduling in regular creativity is an excellent way to ensure it happens. But don’t lose sight of your creative intentions! Creativity is not a box to check, it’s all about the process. Don’t create solely for the purpose of having the product to display or gift. Create for the artistic process, the moment where you connect with Source and bring the idea to life through your being, and you will never want to stop making! My 31 Days of Creative Self-Care will help you spend 10-15 minutes each morning communing with your Muse (sign up for Clear & Grounded to get your copy!).

Time is important, but space is key. If you don’t create regular downtime, pauses, breaks in your life for your Muse to come through, how can you expect her to give you creative inspiration? You can literally put out an extra tea cup for your Muse, pull up an extra chair at your work station, and talk to her, asking her to bless you with divine inspiration. You can schedule a few minutes a day or a few hours every week of creative space. Plan nothing else, simply be. Meditation is a great format for this space, as is contemplation or being in nature. Walking in your neighborhood is wonderful as well. When was the last time you sat or walked in silence? Without tuning into another podcast or consuming another finger’s flick of the Insta scroll? How do you expect pure inspiration to come through without any space to do so? Intentions are also important. Ask for what you want, be as specific as you can, and watch how She delivers.

Sacral Chakra Activation

Activating our 2nd chakra – the bowl of our pelvis, our womb space, the point between the hips, in front of the low back – is essential for creativity. Just think about it – your sexual organs are the most creative part of you, they literally create life.

This chakra is represented by the element of water, the color orange, and the words, “I create my own reality.” You can chant the seed mantra, VAM, while holding your hands in the Shakti mudra to take it even further. To get your body into it, perform hip circles or dance with sensual hip sways. Get on all fours, and roll your hips in a figure-8 motion. Burn sandalwood incense or diffuse sweet orange essential oils. Wear rust or orange colored clothing, especially underwear and feminine skirts!

Tap into your inner goddess, call on the Divine Feminine within, and heal your relationship to money, sex, and creativity. And most importantly – do not be afraid of your own power.

Have Fun, Feel Good

It cracks me up how our culture devalues and dismisses pleasure, but then teaches us to numb and escape through capitalism. Once you get it, though, you don’t fall as easily for the lie that the only way to have fun is to buy something.

The truth is – feeling good doesn’t cost a thing (much like self-love and creativity)! In fact, owning our pleasure is one of the core principles of Womanifestation (and, duh, attracting our Muse is womanifestation work). When you are in the energy of play, you are naturally creating. You are in a state of trust, a state of flow. You’re innovating with what’s around you, dreaming up possibilities and worlds almost instantly. You’re conveying emotions and stirring them up within others. Just think back to what you loved to do as a kid – when was the last time you let your inner child out and allowed them to play?

5 Ways to Attract Your Creative Muse (that are also self-care)

1. Dance party

What’s the quickest way to up your energy, invite your Muse, and embody the Divine Feminine? Have a dance party, of course! Either facetime your besties or just go for it on your own. Put on the most booty-shaking music you have, & leterrip! You will feel awkward – if you don’t you’re not doing it right. You will feel silly. Remember when as a kid you allowed yourself this pleasure of silliness? This is what creativity is all about! Try this the next time you are feeling a bit off or down. Even if it’s only five minutes, notice what comes up for you and how much lighter you feel afterward!

2. Morning Pages

If you struggle to find time or inspiration for regular journaling, this one’s for you! In the morning, set your timer for 10 minutes. You can light a candle, put on meditative music. Allow yourself to free write until the alarm goes off. Do not pick your pen up off the paper! Give yourself permission to right about absolutely anything – your dream from the night before, your agenda for the day, what you see all around you, what you are afraid of or hoping for. Just let it all out, let it all go! This is a vessel which no one will ever see. Getting the creative juices flowing in this way will absolutely help you in your writing work throughout the day.

3. Mini Art Project

If you’re not feeling the writing, put down the pen and pick up the art supplies! You can still set your timer for 10 or 20 minutes in the morning, but allow yourself instead of writing, to create something. A mandala, your favorite quote in calligraphy, a watercolor postcard to send to a loved one, even a quick vision board on Pinterest! Perhaps it’s drafting a few lines of a short story idea, or challenging yourself to compose a quick Haiku. See how these little bursts of creativity set you up for a more artistic day!

4. Tech-Free Nights

Make a deal with your family to swap TV for pretty much anything else one night each week. Make them “Tech-Free Tuesdays” (or whatever night works for you)! See what art naturally arises in the space that’s left behind. It could be fantastic conversation with your partner, games, or cooking a more time-intensive meal. Perhaps listening to music or dancing, or learning something new. It could just be your regular self-care night to do rituals, take a bath, meditate and do yoga. This goes back to the concept of time and space – our Muse’s two favorite ingredients!

5. Artist Dates

And speaking of time and space, why not take yourself on an Artist Date? I am a huge advocate for people dating themselves – taking yourself to a nice dinner, to spread out a blanket in the park and read novels, to get all dolled up and stroll about. Artist Dates are taking yourself out with the specific purpose of finding inspiration for your art! Maybe it’s seeing a particularly artistic film your partner would never be into, heading to a funky museum, or taking a walk with your camera or journal to document the art in the ordinary you find. With the pandemic, it could be hiking with your camera to take nature shots, doing virtual museum tours, virtual open mics and poetry slams, or taking time to practice your art at home.

What do you think, Dear One? Does living a creative life sound more doable now? How will you work it into your self-care practice, or carve more space for your Muse to swing by with more inspiration? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Keep creating your beautiful, sacred, wild life of art!