The Creative Path Is A Life Path with Cathy Wild

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Creativity is a journey with lots of ups and downs, twists and turns. To be creative, one cannot watch from the sidelines. Cathy Wild suggests that there is no set formula for the creative process; there are no steps 1, 2, 3, or A, B, C that guarantee a successful outcome. Each of us is unique, and Wild believes that creativity is our natural state, our birthright. Here she talks about the need to deeply understand ourselves as more than a mental activity. She describes her own process: “Doodling. I do a lot of doodling. [I do] anything that is process oriented that uses the body, that circumvents the thinking mind. . .While there is a period of discomfort when moving much deeper into the body memory, ultimately there’s an incredible sense of freedom because we’re making space in the body and in the mind for something new, because that memory or that experience that was unprocessed was taking up space and there is not an infinite amount of room.   As we get older all these [unprocessed] experiences are stacked up in the body and they accumulate like dark smoke that inhabits the body, and there’s just less and less light, less and less room. And eventually all this unintended energy begins to form a block and gets in the way of healthy expression.” She goes on to talk about what to do when resistance comes up, as well as ways to honor our limits. She gives an example of how she turned “lemons into lemonade” when her publisher backed out of the commitment to publish her book. (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)

Bio

Cathy Wild is a creativity expert and has developed creative processes for both private and corporate clients. She’s a pioneer in somatic counseling, the expressive arts, and the field of life coaching. She has founded Body-Centered Healing, an experiential process that supports clients on a personal journey of transformation. Her private practice is located in Northern California.

Cathy Wild is the author of:

• Wild Ideas: Creativity from the Inside Out (Standing Place Press 2017)

To learn more about the work of Cathy Wild go to www.cathywild.com.

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• What is the importance of knowing yourself deeply
• How having a challenging life as a child can be turned into an asset
• Why we need more than talk therapy to release past traumas in our lives
• What is an essential question we may ask to unlock our creative expression
• What are “fertile limits” and how can they contribute to the creative process
• What does it mean to honor your own rhythms
• What was Cathy Wild’s setback with her publisher
• Why it is futile to get into a power struggle with resistance and what to do instead
• What are some surprising results when a vision is released in the world
• How to stay calm yet vulnerable in the final stage of the creative process as your gift goes out into the world
• Why does a “let down” occur after completing a creative project
• Why having a “standing place” is important in the creative process
• How the creative process is a spiral with no beginning and no end

Host: Justine Willis Toms           Interview Date: 2/16/2017          Program Number: 3603

Music Playlist

From Album: Rhythms of Awakening
Artist: Glen Velez
2005 Sounds True #M923D 

Opening Essay: Track 01 Ostia
Music Break 1: Track 06 Citric Motion
Music Break 2: Track 05 Misra
Music Break 3: Track 11 Forest Callings