Are you an Imaginista? A Creatasaurus? An Inspirista? A Wild Enthusiast? If you had your way, would life be lived out loud, in Technicolor, vibrantly glowing, tap dancing to a rhythm that you alone can hear? And then, would you invite people to dance, sing and play along with you?
On the flip side, were you told to lip synch, color inside the lines, play it safe, and keep your energy under wraps? Did you disregard it or succumb to it? How would your day to day unfold if you dove into it, with wings spread?
I can say a heart-y and hardy YOU BET to the descriptions in the first line paragraph. It has taken awhile to fully claim them as my identity, even though I was a creative child who would paint, draw and use all 64 crayons in the Crayola box. I would make up songs and stories, design faerie villages when I was in the woods, pretend that my bicycle was a horse, imagine I could fly. My parents encouraged all of that and yet, there have been times over the years, when I squelched my self -expression, not wanting to overshadow anyone or feel like I was too out of the box.
Although neither graphic arts nor photography are not my forte, I have become increasingly adept with the camera function of my smart phone, and I can wield a mean crayon, paint brush colored pencil or marker. One of my favorite things to do is teach on the subject of creativity, since as creations ourselves, we are infinitely endowed with that same inclination. Sure, some may have more talent in a particular area, but you can still immerse yourself playfully in something outside your comfort zone.
That’s when it comes in handy to have an Imaginarium in which you can indulge your creative nature. I have designed one in my mind, embellishing and enhancing it, likely since my 20’s. I welcome you into it as I describe it to you.
We are walking into a round room with windows on all curves and a skylight in the ceiling, in order to allow in the brilliant sunlight during the day and the star-sparkled night sky. Green, leafy and flowering plants hang above the open windows on this gorgeous mid-Spring day as a gentle breeze wafts through, making wind chimes tuned to various pitches, dance with delight. Take a deep breath and inhale the sweet aromas coming from both inside and outside this space. Those emanating from within carry the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, cajoling to be nibbled on, and those from the outside, newly grown grass, beckoning to be walked upon with bare feet. Gazing around this space, our eyes take in floor to ceiling book shelves containing tomes created from the hearts and minds of many generations of wordsmiths, filled with wisdom and magic. Some I have read, over and over, like old familiar friends and others are waiting for me to turn the pages. There is a large drawing table/desk designed from a reclaimed tree, on which sits my lap top computer which is a place where thoughts turn to words, which turn to images that soak into the minds of the readers and carry them away on adventures of all sorts. A crystal vase contains beautiful wild flowers picked from the fields outside my door and their riotously hued petals put a smile on my face. As the sun hits its multi-faceted surface, it throws a prism projected rainbow across the walls.
A large violet cushy, comfy lounge chair on which is tossed a fleece lap robe welcomes me to curl up and read. It sits adjacent a curved tree stump table that supports a ceramic plate of a few of the aforementioned decadently delicious, calorie free and fat free chocolate chip cookies (hey, it’s my Imaginarium) and a mug filled with real Indian chai, redolent with cinnamon, cardamom and ginger.
The sounds of sacred Sanskrit call and response chanting known as kirtan waft through the air. Deva Premal and Miten; my favorite chant artists, serenade us. A large CD rack carries music from various genres, including, folk, Woodstock era 60’s rock, world music, singer-songwriter, drumming and classical which I listen to, depending on my mood.]
On the floor are drums of various sizes; a djembe, a dumbek, bodhran, frame drums, a hang, rain sticks and a wicker basket filled with smaller hand percussion instruments that are brought out to play during drumming circles.
Shelves are filled with all sorts of art supplies, including paints, paper, crayons, markers, clay, buttons, old magazines with which to create vision boards, as well as fabric of various sizes and textures. On the walls hang my works of he(art), that emerge from the combination of these items and my oh so vivid imagination. Joining them are those created by friends who are also artists and it is like having these dear ones in the room with me.
In this space, I feel completely free, without writer’s block (I often say that I have ‘writer’s runs’) to let flow the words that tickle my heart and mind, and take shape into stories and articles, poetry and books that are waiting to dance out into the world.
I invite you to design your own Imaginarium from the seeds of your vibrant creative soul; making it a full sensory experience. Hear, see, taste, touch and smell it all. Yours may look completely different. Perhaps you are a woodworker, gardener, musician, painter, interior designer, or chef, so your space may have tools, plants, instruments, a canvas stretched across a wall, fabric or pots and pans.
I am eager to hear what leaps from you! Invite me in to play too.
Edie Weinstein (Bliss Mistress) is an opti-mystic who sees the world through the eyes of possibility, a multi-talented multi-tasker, colorfully creative writer, dynamic transformational speaker, interfaith minister, licensed social worker, BLISS Coach, author of The Bliss Mistress Guide To Transforming The Ordinary Into The Extraordinary, frequent radio guest and host of the weekly Blog Talk Radio show called It’s All About Relationships on Vivid Life Radio www.vividlife.me.
