Connecting and Reconnecting
The benefits of being plugged in.
Posted 5/11/20
As we move through COVID-19, many of us are using the extra time we have to catch up on projects and to-do lists, and discovering new, creative ways to connect with others and to the deeper flow of life.
Families are connecting more by taking (stay-at-distance) walks around their neighborhoods and sharing friendly waves and smiles with passersby and neighbors.
Parents are helping their children to become more conscious of the world around them by supporting them in community projects, charity work, and social media activities like Heart Hunters on Facebook to "spread a little love and compassion" in these times of social distancing and need (Leake, 2020).
As we patiently wait for shelter-in place orders to lift, we have the opportunity to use the extra time and focused space we're in to connect and reconnect in some new ways. See if these ideas might help facilitate more connection for you.
Connecting Socially
Why is connecting with others especially important during these days of social distancing? Because connection is a form of affirmation and support vital to our health and well-being. In The Bright Way, Diana Rowan points out that "our survival as human beings depends on being connected." We are social beings and need to experience regular social connection to thrive.
In the excerpt Creativity is Connection, Rowan explains the impact of disconnection. "Disconnection doesn't have to be dramatic to have an impact. Simply feeling set apart from others in everyday life can trigger extreme anxiety and depression." She says. "Disconnection from our true selves is perhaps the most frightening of all when, severed from source energy itself, we wonder if life has any meaning."
What are some ways we can connect? One way is through building a dependable support network that nurtures positive relationships. Self-Care coach Linda Dessau says it is in the strength, variety, and common ground that makes a social network solid. She outlines ways to build an effective network in her article Connect with Your Support Network.
Dessau discusses why it is a good idea to include other creatives in your support network if you are an artist, writer, or other highly creative person. Amongst benefits, focused support from other creatives brings kinship, collaboration, motivation, and mentoring, which you can explore more in her piece Connect With Other Artists.
If you are not currently plugged in to a creative support network, you can organize a virtual gathering with other creatives in your field of interest or industry via Microsoft Teams, Zoom, LinkedIn or Facebook, or join an existing one. An exchange of ideas and camaraderie is beneficial to all, especially when it comes with mutual understanding and support from each other.
Reconnecting
In this spacious time of opportunity, we can also reconnect to the activities and practices that nurture our minds and bodies. For example:
- Artists, crafters, and writers are using their newfound time to get back to the beloved art-making, crafting, and writing they enjoy.
- Culinarians are taking pleasure in a slower pace in the kitchen making nourishing, home-made meals and experimenting with food and recipes.
- Women and men are using physical movement and spiritual connection to help move and transmute energy and emotions, and are engaging in regular walking, yoga, meditation, praying, and communing with nature.
If you are open to more ways of connecting with your body, strengths, thoughts, surroundings, inner artist, and muse, Dessau's Connect series is ideal for the times, offering useful tools in exploring each of these areas one-by-one.
In reconnecting creatively, Rowan's new Bright Way excerpt Essential Elements Correspondences is an energizing look into the realms of inspiration, artistry, learning, technique, and community through the metaphor of the four elements — Fire, Water, Air, Earth — in addition to Spirit, and includes journaling activities for activation.
Engaging deeply in the here and now can serve us well. Workshop facilitator Roslyn Rus observes that even though "we are living in an unprecedented time of loss and challenges" during the pandemic, the need for creativity and reconnecting with the flow of life during this particular time is essential."
To facilitate this reconnection, Rus shares several uplifting activities from her book Bridge to Oneness: An Interactive Spiritual Workbook for Here and Now to help you connect and reconnect with your divine spark, inner child, and global village of teachers.
More Ideas Connect and Reconnect
Take inventory of your personal circumstances and creative interests and see if you might come up with additional ways to connect and reconnect. Here are a few more ideas to get you started.
1. Turn your home into a private creativity retreat.
- Commit to producing creative work or project(s), and schedule your activities and meals, breaks and free time.
- Experiment with new ideas and expand your learning to new creative techniques and skills. Explore the numerous free (and paid) online tutorials and classes for subjects that interest you.
- Gather some art-making ideas, two or three from each room in your house, inspired by everyday objects, and use these ideas to create a small series of mini artworks. If you have online projects, use this time to clean up your website or blog, update old content, or add new content.
2. Make an idea journal.
Idea journals are productive ways to capture ideas and track accomplishments. For example, if you are a knitter or fiber artist, start with what inspires you around the house. Draw sketches of patterns you see on various household items and note new color combinations you'd like to experiment with. Keep notes of frames, shapes, and layouts that draw your attention that you might use later.
3. Play games (and invent new ones!).
Work together with those in your focused space (your partner, family, roommates, etc.) in creating new and fun experiences. For example, adapt a traditional game, or invent a new one, to play together. Take ideas, concepts, and rules from two or more games and blend them into one or create your own concept and rules. Tip: Simple games win more fans and players, especially with young kids and elderly family members.
4. Collaborate with others on a project.
Team up with those in your focused space or virtual group on a collaborative project. This could be writing poetry or stories; organizing online events, community charity or fundraising; or any other kind of group project.
5. Allow nature to nurture.
The Japanese practice of "forest bathing" (shinrin-yoku) is a popular way to find calm and quietude by simply taking in the atmosphere of nature through the senses (Li, 2018). While it is effective to completely immerse in nature, you can still benefit by doing this in your garden, courtyard, or backyard and focusing on the greenery.
Quiet yourself and observe the landscape closely. Do you notice the birds singing and flitting about? Rabbits hopping? Small animals squirreling around? What feelings does it evoke? Is there anything specific you are drawn to? In what way? How can you use this in your art, writing, and well-being?
©2020 Chris Dunmire and Maria Chatzi. All rights reserved.
Maria Chatzi is a former teacher and self-taught artist from Thessaloniki, at the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea. She loves helping people discover their creative side and embrace their uniqueness. Chris Dunmire is the driving force behind the Creativity Portal Web site, currently managing the spaces in between in the Midwest US.
References
Leake, E. (2020). Belvidere girl creates rainbow of love to share with community. Retrieved May 10, 2020 from https://wrex.com/2020/04/07/belvidere-girl-creates-rainbow-of-love-to-share-with-community/
Leake, E. (2020). Rockford teen donates hundreds of books and games to Boys & Girls Club. Retrieved May 10, 2020 from https://wrex.com/2020/05/05/rockford-teen-donates-hundreds-of-books-and-games-to-boys-girls-club/
Li, Q. (2018). 'Forest Bathing' Is Great for Your Health. Here's How to Do It. Retrieved May 10, 2020 from https://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/