How’s your state of mind these days? Are you bubbling along in a blissful state of peace, love, and acceptance? Do you find it easy to be joyful on your path to enlightenment?

Or perhaps that’s just the side of you that you show to the world. Could it be that just under the surface there are some less-than-loving feelings floating around? After all, it’s only natural to put your best foot forward and deal with the darker stuff on your own.

Levels of consciousness exist on a continuum. All of your feelings are connected, even if they aren’t exactly adjacent. Even on your best days, you may have moments where you dip into the lower levels like apathy, fear, or anxiety.

Anxiety is particularly pernicious. It can be subtle, sneaky, and take many forms. Everything from in-your-face panic when you’re moments away from missing your plane to a subtle sense of existential dread when you glance at the headlines.

But fear not! Anxiety has an Achilles heel. Creativity is its kryptonite. Your souls ability to bring forth your creative spirit into the world is your superpower for subverting the forces of fear.

Creativity and anxiety both come in many different shapes and sizes. And before you can play the “But I’m not an artist!“ card let me remind you that creative acts need not be public nor profitable. Art for arts sake, indeed. And if dance is your art, so much the better.

Creativity is like the philosophers stone that can alchemically transmute leaden fear into golden enlightenment. As Albert Brooks pointed out in The Atlantic, “Modern research in neuroscience and psychology reveals that active engagement in creative pursuits is an effective way to gain relief from negative emotions and see the world in a much more positive way.”

Soul Motion’s Vinn Martí is fond of pointing out that we are all artists. Some folks produce artifacts with wood, metal, or clay. Others string words together or do visual storytelling with film. You can apply your creativity to your home environment, your work, or your personal relationships.

In some ways, dancers have an advantage by not being burdened with the production of artifacts. Like music when it’s performed live, dance is an ephemeral form that takes shape in the moment only to leave space for the next movement.

You can also learn to recognize the shift in direction of energy within you. Anxiety can arise when we’re taking it all in and overwhelmed with input. Focusing your creativity means tuning that around and pouring your soul out into the world.

Creativity can be the card up your sleeve when you need to leapfrog up the levels of consciousness. When you’re stuck in a less-than-loving state of mind, you can sidestep the anger and summon the courage to move forward simply by letting your creative juices flow.

Much love till next Monday!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine