Light, small flakes of snow are softly falling outside my window view. The metallic head of a heron sculpture wears a new snow hat; he sits in the garden peeking above a rowan bush. The sky is a haze of dull white, tempered with the blue-grey hue of the Scottish north-east. Like a snow globe, vigorously shaken.
A little cocoon of peace falls with the snow as it buffers usual worldly sounds, creating a temporary hushed landscape. I feel like I’m sitting in a small pocket filled with soft wool. A bubble of white fluff that offers temporary protection from the vagaries of modern life.
This is a nice bubble. But I know it’s going to burst soon.
The idea of the ‘bubble bursting’, is often associated with a sense of deflation. It can be a shock to suddenly be popped out of a cocoon-like state of joy, where we were held in feel-good-ness; cosy and safe within an impermeable field.
Yet the bubble always invariably bursts - popping us out into change. Whether it’s the snow melting quickly overnight and waking up to ‘normal’ again, or the first conflict after the honeymoon phase of a new relationship; bubbles burst.
Sometimes we can get stuck in a bubble that really needs bursting. It becomes a necessary thing - like that first conflict in a new relationship which bursts the bubble of tension - leading to a loosening - to a greater sense of freedom.
The same goes for creative tension which can hold us in a state of non-doing when we actually want to ‘do.’ Creative energy is there, it’s just contained, and clusters in physical areas where we hold it (often the neck, head, jaw, shoulders, lower back and stomach - although every part can hold tension).
Finding ways to release tension in the body, often begins by releasing it in the mind and emotions. Then, the channels through which our blood and energy flows are freed to circulate to the extremities, which in turn, helps to release an access way for creativity to begin moving again.
One of the things I offer as a creative facilitator, is to help burst the bubble of creative tension, so that inspiration can pop in. If you find yourself caught in a bubble of creative tension, or any other bubble you feel ready to pop, here are 6 ways to burst the creative tension bubble:
6 Ways to Burst the Creative Tension Bubble
Breathe - oftentimes, when we are tense, we hold our breath without realising it - bring your attention to your breath; stop and breathe.
Drop Down - tension can be anywhere in the body, but it’s common for people who live in Western cultures, to hold more tension in the upper half of the body. So bringing movement and focus into the lower half of the body, to the hips, pelvis and womb space, can help to shift tension in the head, shoulders, back, etc, (I have an amazing practice for this which I often use in events - come and try!).
Sound it - Scream, cry, yell - use your voice - there’s a cathartic power in filling the lungs and putting sound to the tension - what does tension sound like when you let it go through the voice?
Move it - It may seem obvious, yet it’s also easy to forget. Explore the tension through movement - Qi Gong, 5Rhythm dance, Zumba, intuitive dance - try different forms of movement and notice how your body and the tension responds.
Become the Observer - Tension is usually created in the mind first - we get caught in subconscious thought forms and forget to fully ‘inhabit’ the body, or we only ‘inhabit’ the headspace. Bring your attention inside your feet and your awareness behind your eyes. Become the observer from within your own body, observing the thoughts that flit through your mind. Notice how it feels to shift your awareness to observe the mind without ‘being’ it.
Start Your Creative Practice - Tension can be held in rigid ideas, processes, or structures - our creativity does need an outlet in the form of a container of expression (if indeed, we want it expressed rather than held), and any form can offer that. Just as we learn about life on the journey of living it, so too do we learn how and what to create through the journey of creating it. By moving pen over paper. So, start your creative practice - if it’s writing - begin writing about the tension - what does it feel like in your body/brain? Where is it held? Go deep into the sensory, felt experience of the tension, seeing it as an interesting friend who has a story to tell you - be curious about how the tension is feeling and it might just tell you what it’s about.
If you’d like to explore popping the creative tension bubble in a group - then I invite you to join us for HYDRATE - Inspiration to Rehydrate your Writing Life online creative writing workshop which is coming up on Tuesday the 23rd of January, 7-8.30pm. The theme this month will be an uplifting and amusing one! For Women who Write (or want to), join us here.
with love
You were right on time with this post, Jane, especially this thread of thought... "Yet the bubble always invariably bursts - popping us out into change." As I approach the precipice between India and returning "home," there are so many questions. I sense a bursting on the horizon!
Thank you for your words, dear one.