Prune the Tree, Harvest the Fruit: the Cultivation of Artistic Space

I’m on a balcony overlooking a beautiful pool. A mockingbird is sitting in a tree nearby, crooning out the most beautiful song. There’s a soft Pacific breeze playing with my hair, and children are laughing and splashing in the pool below me. I can hear the rustle of nearby leaves like a lullaby. It’s overcast, and the sun is just barely touching my face, disappearing behind scudding clouds every now and then. I like it best when it’s cloudy like this, cool and breezy, quiet and a little moody.

I often come up here to write, to think, practice or just sit and meditate. It’s beautiful here, the true definition of west coast living. Around me, I can hear the beating heart of the city--cars on the freeway, planes, garden machinery humming, crows and sparrows arguing over who-knows-what…

Becoming more in tune with your artwork requires you to become more in tune with yourself, and with the world around you. The places I live and the people I meet often wander into my songs and stories in one way or another.

Most people wouldn’t see my neighborhood as a place for an artist, but surprisingly, there’s a lot of us living here. Actors, musicians, painters, dancers, models, photographers, all on our way up or down the mountain of artistic success. Most of us are somewhere in the middle; more than a few are a little jaded with the industry, but still in love with the process of creation.

I live in a unique neighborhood. It’s not uncommon to see horses walking around here from the nearby equestrian center. Squirrels, possums and raccoons sneak over from Griffith Park, and even a skunk or two shows up for an unexpected visit. It’s a place where neighbors know you by name, and drop in unannounced just to chat and bring you treats. They know my name at the local stores and restaurants; they doat on Kodak and know the latest in my life through the grapevine. My starbucks knows my favorite flavor of tea. My Jambajuice has my order ready for me when I walk in. It’s a place in the middle of a whirling cityscape, but somehow, it hovers just outside the big city rhythm, safe, comforting, paradisal in its simple friendly existence.

I’ve never lived in a small town before. In Arizona, neighbors mostly kept to themselves, moving in and out like gypsies. I knew a few of my neighbors, and I might get a smile here or there from clerks at the store who knew me, but for the most part, I stayed in my circle of friends and colleagues, and didn’t venture much outside of that, and neither did anyone else.

Stepping outside the normal boundaries of your life can be a huge asset to your creativity. Meeting people from all walks of life, brought together by circumstance is an opportunity we can’t afford to pass up. Change means growth, momentum, inner strength, breaking down resisting barriers, and opening our minds.

Ask yourself this question: When was the last time I opened my mind, and gave myself room to grow?

You might be very surprised by the answer.

Give yourself and your art room to grown,and a safe place to do the growing. It’s important to place ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally, in an area where growth isn’t something we intentionally do. It should happen naturally, like a tree.

We as humans, as artists, were given the blessings of growth, change and expression. If we bury those gifts, and let them stagnate in the rush of life--bills, worries, relationships--they’ll be like a seed beneath the snow, never able to emerge.

I love the book “The Secret Garden.” The garden lies dead and barren until Mary brushes away the ivy and finds the hidden door. She unlocks the door and begins tending the garden with loving care and attentiveness. Metaphorically speaking, the garden is your inner artist, your soul.

When was the lasttime you opened that hidden door, and snuck in to spend some quality time with yourself? You might have to do some serious pruning and weeding, and it might take a while to see sprouts poking their tiny heads out of the cold hard earth. But with enough love and care, any planted seed will grow.

Each of us requires different inner self-care. Whether you need beautiful colors around you, in your house or in nature, or you feel more at home with good music and lots of friends surrounding you, create that space for yourself. Actively go out and cultivate your garden this week. Find what makes you grow, opens you, allows you to receive the rain and sunlight, and reach for the Heavens and your utmost potential.

I love fragrances, warm familiar scents of flowers, fruits, and spices. I love unlocking my door, and walking into my house to find myself surrounded in the scents of vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, white tea, citrus, or lilies. I love feeling beautiful, so I take the extra time to wear clothing and jewelry that makes me feel peaceful, happy, and successful. Reading allows me to step out of my world and into another for a while, so I read at night before I go to bed. I love teas and inhaling the fragrant steam, so I always have the kettle on and a cup of tea near me.

Spiritually, I grow when I’m at church. I love being with Church family and nurturing my spirit in God’s love and truth. Nothing is more miraculous to me than serving in the temple and studying the gospel of Christ. Prayer is a daily part of my existence, at all times, and in all things.

Second only to God, is my need to create, heal, and inspire. I do this through my music and my writing and my Yoga. If I do not create, I stagnate, I hurt, I fail to move forward in my life.

What things do yu do to care for your own inner artist? How do you inspire yourself, invigorate your art, and create an artistic space that allows you to grow and produce fruit?