When was the last time you immersed yourself fully in music and dance? Your sense of self dissolves as you become one with music and movement. Energy flows for you to express yourself freely, time is of no significance and your experience is effortless and engaging.
What has this to do with writing you may well ask?
The parallels of being in the zone, including all the benefits of that experience, are clear. Yet there is more to it than that.
At a physical level, writing is primarily a static process. Apart from the movement of hands typing on the keyboard or moving across the page with your favourite pen, there is an inherent stillness to the process of writing (not including the movement and flow of ideas and imagination of course).
Dancing freely to uplifting music releases old or stuck energy in your body and is immensely grounding and liberating. It also frees up the channels for recharged creative energy to flow into your writing and indeed into all areas of your life.
And when you have danced until you're done, what better way to reconnect with inner and outer stillness than to pick up your pen and write with freedom in your heart and fire in your soul.
Larmer Tree Music Festival
This weekend I went to the Larmer Tree Music Festival for my annual dip into the colourful and creative mix of music and merriment this fabulous event provides.
Held in the beautiful setting of the Larmer Tree gardens described by Thomas Hardy as "the prettiest site I ever saw in my life", this is a relatively small and intimate celebration of music and the arts.
As an upmarket festival which is extremely well-organised with excellent facilities, delicious organic foods from around the world are on sale alongside other more unusual items such as real liquorice of all colours and flavours.
The atmosphere is creatively inspiring as ordinary people try their hand at any number of extraordinary arts and crafts, and mix with professional artists including photographers, sculptors, jewellery makers... and, of course, musicians.
What a wonderful opportunity for so many people to experience and share joy, freedom and fun. I certainly came away feeling deeply enriched by my time there.
After the event, I am not at all surprised to find myself having all sorts of new ideas for writing and the creative projects I have in the pipeline for the next few months.
Colourful, Creative, Fun!
So when was the last time that you treated yourself to something colourful, creative and fun to spark your zest for writing, open your heart and trigger your appreciation for life in general?
And if it has been a long time since you lost yourself in music and dance, why not give yourself the gift of a this kind of creative release?
You don't have to go to a music festival to do so (although live music does have more of an impact). On your own with the doors closed and the curtains pulled if necessary for you to feel safe enough to let yourself go for a while can also do the trick!
Not only will you enjoy the experience in the moment, the benefits will be far reaching and almost certainly provide you with fresh ideas and material for your writing too.