by Rene Schwiesow

Created on: April 19, 2008

Whatever our gender the mysteriousness of mid-life causes us to reconsider where we've already been and whether or not it is continuing to work for us. Quite often during the first half of our life we have slowly given over our own creativity to others. Our parents modeled their ideas and perceptions of life and family, the school systems modeled their idea of appropriate learning, and our religious institutions modeled their ideas of spirituality and the after life. In between, where very small spaces appeared, our own thought processes began the monumental task of trying to solve the dilemma of where we actually "fit in". . .or did we, should we actually "fit in." We may have come to the realization that "who we were" had become fragmented, pieces of us left on various cutting room floors, and that we had become more of a composite of many other people superimposed over the face of us rather than a clear image of our self.

At this point in awakening from the dream of what our life had been, we often panic, and that panic leaves chaos in its wake: career, family or personal upheaval. While in the midst of this chaos we may feel as if we will never be able to put our life back together, we may wish for the apparent solidity of living asleep over the discomfort of struggling to bring back all the pieces and acknowledge our true self, we may feel as if we are virtually going crazy, and we may seek out teachers and/or counselors to help us "get back on track." However, after coming to terms with the fact that we are not our crazy Aunt Dorothy who it seemed couldn't cope with the onset of realizing mortality, we just may find that the answers are inside of us and not "out there."

One way to search out the questions and answers of where we would like the second half of our life to go is to nurture our own creative spirit. The only person who can create our life, set our goals and intentions, and communicate who we are to the world, is us. Whether your chosen path for creative therapy comes through visual arts, written arts, or culinary arts, opening yourself to the possibility of exploring your own hopes, visions, dreams and aspirations without the imposition of what others wish for you offers liberation followed by renewed energy and interest in life. You may begin with a personal journal. A journal wherein you can write with complete honesty, committing to the integrity of getting to know who you are. Inside this journal through art, letters, poetry, or automatic writing a beautiful painting begins to emerge that can be used as a template for putting your self back into action and understanding that "you matter."

In addition to gaining clarity in your life, pursuing and rekindling your own personal creative spirit has been shown to reduce the effect of stress-related illnesses, reduce high blood pressure, decrease the symptoms of asthma, and strengthen the immune system. Once we take back the paintbrush and palette, the emotional triggers that can manifest physical issues begin to fade from our physiological make-up and we are better able to utilize the freed energy toward implementing into our lives what we truly wish to accomplish.

Once we let go of outside restrictions. . .we are able to let creative spirit flow.

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