1 – Laughter

First thing in the morning, even before you get out of bed, laugh for five minutes. Just laugh at yourself. Laugh without a reason! Laughter meditation from the Zen tradition is a technique to touch that no-mind state of creativity and bliss. Laughter is an overflowing energy that releases emotional suppressions freeing you from energy blocks. In laughter we become Buddha – the enlightened One. Buddha is ‘no-mind’. When we laugh, we are in a no-mind state for those few moments. Either laughter or our mind can exist, never both at once. When we laugh, for that moment, our mind disappears and we become one with the energy of Existence and creativity. These few moments the ego does not exist is what many artists experience as the flow.

2 – Choose Bliss and Creativity

We make choices every day, actually every moment of our life. We can choose happiness or misery, creativity or dullness. You can decide to be blissful and creative.

First thing in the morning when you wake up loudly or silently ask yourself: “(your name), what do I choose to experience today? Do I choose happiness or sadness?” Or you can ask yourself: “(your name), what do I choose to experience today? Do I choose creativity or dullness?” Then reply, “Ok, (your name), be happy, that’s all!” Or reply, “Ok, (your name), be creative, that’s all!” Then with your eyes closed, for a few minutes, strongly and consciously, come to the understanding that nothing can make you block your energy and creativity without your silent permission. You suffer or lack energy because you agree to be affected by external circumstances. You have the power within you to be happy and creative all the time. Now open your eyes and live your affirmation! You will develop an attitude of being happy and creative because you choose to.

3 – Meditation

Each of us holds within us an undiscovered treasure of talent and potential. Meditation reveals and helps you realize your inner talents and latent creativity.

Learn Yantra Meditation to connect you daily to your vast inner reservoir of creativity, energy, intelligence and bliss. Connecting to this reservoir of overflowing joy can help bring out immense creativity, energy, and intelligence within you. The degree to which you are able to draw from this inner space of life, you grow in health, happiness, and success in your outer life and art career.

4 – Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

For obvious reasons it is good to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A healthy body functions well, is strong and makes a healthy and productive artist.

One way to support a healthy lifestyle is to keep the body fit with the help of Yoga, in particular the flow of Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutations. Yoga actually is not only for physical health but much more. HDH Nithyananda Paramashivam says that, “for whatever purpose you bend your body or move your body, that memory and idea will become completely inserted or completely recorded in your body and mind.” You can choose bliss or creativity, or whatever strikes your fancy yet it should always be of highest good for yourself.

Another way to support a healthy lifestyle is to eat organic vegan or only raw food preferably prepared fresh every day. I have written on Sattvic Food here. So let’s get our energy and creative juices flowing.

5 – Do one Fun Thing a Day

Fun like laughter takes you away from daily worries and lets you experience a state of expanded consciousness and happiness. It relaxes the mind opening it up for creativity and increased energy to flow from your being.

6 – Study Works of Famous Artists

Every day for half an hour or an hour study works of your favorite famous artist or read books about his or her life and work. A famous artist continuously expresses many ideas for you. Suddenly some idea may click with you. You will gain in knowledge and it will bring you back into creativity. Famous artists and their works can raise you to higher states of creativity.

7 – Express Gratitude to Existence

The very existence of creation is solid proof that the creator or creativity exists. Celebrate the existence of God, Existence or your higher power whatever you may want to call it.

The main reason why we miss experiencing gratitude is that we take everything for granted. We feel anything that people do for us is our birthright. Actually people could be doing something else instead of doing things for us. So it is really a gift from them to us. We have to thank them for it. Gratitude is the greatest attitude.

Gratitude Meditation

Every day just sit by yourself for half an hour. Close your eyes and let any thought, positive or negative, come to your mind. Feel gratitude for any positive thought and for any negative thought also. Anything that comes to your mind, bless it with deep gratitude. You will see that in a few days your whole attitude changes. It becomes soft and compassionate. You will start seeing things with great compassion and receptivity.

Gratitude Journal

Get a journal and start writing down every day three to five things you are grateful for. This will change your attitude as above.

Practice any or all of the above tips daily. Just don’t get overwhelmed by wanting to do it all at once. Pick one or two tips and practice. Once you are more comfortable with them, add another one. Gradually your life will change to a more creative, productive and fulfilling one expressing the real you who you are meant to be.

Though this article was written many moons ago, it is so important to help us experience happiness that I republish it again and again… 🙂

Contact me to join my Yantra Meditation class.