The Creative Process
Navigating the Messy Middle
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I’m entering slowly, gradually, as I come back from my break. Today, I’m exploring what has been moving in me. Both the power of the creative process and that central part as the messy middle.
Liminality in Creativity
There are moments when I long to stamp my foot like a frustrated child, demanding that the world bend to my will. But alas… all that comes of this tantrum is a sore foot, already aching from an old injury that refuses to fade away.
At times I forget… thinking and believing that I live a linear life and that tantrums work. I addictively crave certainty. Forgetting that answers don’t come on demand for life is not a search engine or an on-call assistant. It’s relational, requiring my full presence as part of this unfolding moment. Life moves in rhythmic cycles, ever turning and changing, and so do I.
Currently, I find myself deep within what I presume is a creative process. Something new is emerging, but I’m unsure what?!? As I sense into it, I am both excited and nervous. Enthusiastic because I’m loving the insights and downloads but unsettled because the threads that connect them are missing.
Navigating this ambiguous space, it’s an ongoing choice. Do I wade though it? Dive in? Surrender? Or run in the opposite direction? In the meantime, there’s a persistent voice lurking just outside the parameters of this ever-shifting penumbra, trying to influence my decision. Urging me to do something, anything other than engaging with this nebulous process.
This voice is familiar. I’ve heard this voice before, after all, it’s been with me my entire life. Meet CHIP, which stands for Capitalistic Hierarchical Imperialistic Patriarchy. This microCHIP has been trying to dictate the terms of my life from the moment I was born… probably even before then.
CHIP doesn’t want to be found out. He prefers to remain an unseen overlord, commanding how I should act, be and behave in this world. A puppet master holding and pulling the strings from afar. Yet, there’s something about naming him, it’s an act of personal power and rebellion. Transforming him into something tangible, stripping him of his effectiveness.
Why is CHIP so concerned? Because this messy middle is where the true power of creativity resides. And that power can’t be bought or sold. This fertile womb is a portal, where life’s deeper truths, awareness, and wisdom abound. And that is something the over-culture agenda wants to suppress.
The Messy Middle
Ah, this place of not yet. The long hallway with no windows or doors. This winding, meandering path between inception of an idea and an outcome or culmination known or not.
In today’s world, so much of our focus is on the birth of an idea and the end product. Have you noticed that this middle ground is hardly talked about or is completely overlooked? (Hint: That’s because it’s not linear). At times, it’s avoided altogether by using imitation. Some minor tweaks here or there, a rebranding and ta-da, a shiny new toy to play with! We live in a capitalist, consumer-driven society after all.
But the true test of time, the place where the grit is truly felt and forged, happens in the messy middle, in the process itself. This unpredictable, up-and-down, back-and-forth journey isn’t easy. As a matter of fact, even with the achievements along the way, it can be quite turbulent. This is why so many avoid it for the quick fix.
Yet, this is where magic and alchemy happen! Where moments of awe unfold by seeing ideas, threads and aspects come together in amazing ways! Isn’t life more than just our birth and eventual death? It’s in this in-between space that life is truly lived, with all its smaller births and deaths that occur along the way. Where possibility actualizes, to then be reborn again and again!
This possibility reminds me of the…
Ace’s in the Tarot
In the tarot potentiality is the predominate feature found in the aces. The ace, like a seed, is the inner blueprint and the promise of what can be. Similar to an acorn that contains the pattern of an oak tree!
The Aces are nascent, something is emerging. Maybe formless now, but opportunity is knocking. Fire sparks, as the sperm is received into the waters of love and intuition. Now embryonic, air arrives as breath and thought, and earth as body and senses.
Each Ace is a portal into a particular aspect of life. A potential and promise that can be cultivated, but one must be intentional and do the work required:
Ace of Wands/Fire: Represents the spark of inspiration and the passion to step into this new beginning. Inviting us to let our initiation point to new ventures and our enthusiasm to feed our actions.
Ace of Cups/Water: Symbolizes new emotional experiences, the heart is opening to a deeper flow of feeling and relationship with life. It comes with blessings of love, intuition, compassion and the potential for a new spiritual journey.
Ace of Swords/Air: Represents new ideas, insights and breakthroughs. The breath of life bringing clarity and clearer communication. The sword cutting through what does not serve us in pursuit of justice and truth.
Ace of Pentacles/Earth: Symbolizes new opportunities in our finances, career and health. Along with being grounded in our inherent relationship with our bodies, nature and life. Implementing and manifesting into our life.
Magic and Uncertainty
I don’t know where this messy middle is leading, but I trust the energy of these elements, my guides and the sacred presence of HER. I’m focusing on the importance of being with the question, instead of insisting upon immediate answers. Remembering to be present within my life, rather than seeking something outside it. Staying rooted in curiosity, by opening to the magic that’s all around.
My new mantra came from a response to a note I wrote recently on MAGIC.
shared the importance of reclaiming magic by living this question: “How important are these things we cannot see?”Inviting me to be attentive with the unseen forces shaping my life, to lean into the mystery and feel the subtle currents moving through everything. Celebrating this messy middle, letting it all become fertile ground for what’s unfolding.
Questions for you…
How do you know when an idea is ready to be implemented or if it needs more time for exploration?
What does this messy middle look and feel like to you?
How do you navigate this messy middle?
Would love to know your thoughts and feelings. Let’s have a conversation…
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Thank you for this beautiful reminder in the messy middle. As the absence of form dances in different shapes and visions, as well as many different emotions, before it truly reveals what is meant to be. Living in this myself, I go back-and-forth between openness and curiosity and frustration and disappointment. I appreciate you sharing your experience so I can see myself too. 💜
I suspect that as much as we all seek certainty, we thrive in uncertainty. The messy middle is where we're shaken, stirred, moved. For me, the most creative moments have been when I feel I'm at the edge of an abyss, when the "not yet" option is gone and I must act. These are precious, empowering instances the universe bestows upon me that prompt me to change, mature and evolve.