GAINING MOMENTUM FROM WARM ONLINE COMMUNITY: Free Fall Creativity and pursuing the American Oystercatcher

EMBODYING LIFE ALONG THE SEASHORE. Once emerged from the egg and after maturing some, what could be better than a run along the water with another hatchling under the watchful eye of a parent American oystercatcher? (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for warm online communities, especially The Daily Creative Practice on Facebook (join us here)! Hallelujah for creative challenges to gain momentum on beloved projects like my image making to tell the life-cycle of the American oystercatcher in collaboration with ornithologist Jenifer Hilburn.

WARM ONLINE COMMUNITY
More than a year ago, I decided it was time to expand my blog's philosophy of daily artmaking to a Facebook Group. "Coffee With Hallelujah" is the idea that if you have time for a hot beverage in the morning, you also have time to create (see my mission statement here). It was the expansion of my practice of "drawing 15-minutes a day" which compelled me to initiate this blog dedicated to the life of being a spiritual art pilgrim (here's one of many blog posts on that topic).

Decidedly beginning THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE (DCP) was a stupendous idea and continues to reap rewards throughout each day. We as Creative Souls are not alone even though it may feel like it some times as we generate our work (see my rationale for creating the DCP here). Today, as I write this blog post, we currently have 774 members in our group, with a solid 15 to 20 people contributing regularly--particularly when we have a creative challenge.

CREATIVE CHALLENGE: Birth of the 10-day continuous posting and sharing work
Starting in with the winter solstice in 2013, I challenged the members of the DCP to share work continuously for 10 days from December 21st to the end of December, a time when one's creative practice succumbs to endless holiday celebrations and family obligations and practically disappears.

Artists, photographers, sewers, scientists, writers, and cooks participated with joyfully dedication. Creatives hunger for support. Creatives long for and thrive upon connection and the Internet and Facebook provide a way for kindred artistic souls to share their work without expending large amounts of energy that physically leaving one's home requires.

Since the first 10-day continuous creativity challenge, I have held two more on the DCP, with the most recent one occurring from September 21 to September 30. We were all delighted how much work we completed and shared during this time! Congratulations to everyone who participated! And thank you for the momentum I gained from your presence and loving support.

MY AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER PROJECT
During my 10 days of continuous creativity on the DCP, I drew eight of ten images related to my American oystercatcher project. In addition, I contacted my collaborator, Jen Hilburn, and planned a meeting with her in October in Savannah, Georgia, face-to-face! How's that for momentum!

LEARNING HOW TO FEED. Just as baby American oystercatchers learn how to nurture themselves on bi-valves along the seashore, so do we learn how to nurture one another on our warm-online community, The Daily Creative Practice. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! If you have time for a cup of coffee, you have time to honor your SOUL's WORK and to create something to celebrate your uniquities! Consider joining The Daily Creative Practice for communal support and to speak about your creative process with like-minded others.

TAKE OFF? Yes? Not yet? Soon? Whenever you are ready! We are here! Ready to support you and fly together! (art by Hallelujah Truth)

CREATING COMMUNITY THROUGH THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE: A Facebook Group to share your process and work!

LISTENING TO MY UNIQUITY. Our souls long to be heard and expressed. What action will you take today to express uniquity pulsing through your veins? (art by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

Hallelujah for UNIQUITIES! Yes! Your UNIQUITY and my UNIQUITY want to meet and have a party, have a conversation, and perhaps dance other UNIQUITIES! Dear fellow sojourners, I have decided to establish a Facebook group, THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE, so that we will have an online place to gather together our CREATIVE SPIRITS, share our imaginative work, and chat about it! What follows here are my ambitions for this online sharing! Please read or, better, go find this content on Facebook!

WHAT IS THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE?

THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE is a destination for anyone who is flexing their imaginative muscle with loving persistent daily dedication and wants to share results with other like-minded souls. Whether you are a visual artist, blogger, dancer, poet, lyricist, singer, musician, scientist, entrepreneur, teacher, yogi, knitter, philosopher, or peacemaker, your images, performances, writings, or thoughts are welcome here.

You may not have hit your stride yet in BEING CREATIVE EVERY DAY, but developing and deepening your IMAGINATION is possible through perpetual, loving habitual PRACTICE. Just as you brush your teeth each day or perform any other daily habit, so can you draw that vision, pen that poem, produce that song, play that instrument, express that thought, knit that whimsical structure, construct that idea, and kick your feet up in dance!

MEET MY IMAGINATION. These wonderful companions have emerged from my daily creative practice. What a fantastic journey it is to meet oneself again and again while making art that is uniquely mine. I would like to meet your imagination! (art by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

WHY PARTICIPATE IN THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE?

I believe that being engaged with your CREATIVITY enlivens you while anchoring you to something profound and meaningful. Your mind, heart, soul—whatever you want to call the ENERGY pulsing in your veins—is magical because it embodies your uniqueness. This “UNIQUITY” longs for embodiment, to be manifested into form so that IT can be carried out by you into the world of others in order for you to make authentic friendships.

Authentic friendships make everyone stronger. It is here in this Facebook group, THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE, that I invite you to share the embodiment of your CREATIVITY so that we might build a warm and supportive online CREATIVE community.

WHAT TO POST IN THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE? 

THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE is a place to visit every day and to post the following:

UNIQUITIES: Uniquities consists of your original work: visual artwork, photography, singing, dancing or theatrical performances, gardening endeavors, writing of any kind, designs, interior decoration, baked cakes or cooked dishes, scientific explanations, or teaching methodologies.

STATEMENT ABOUT THE UNIQUITY: Please write a brief-to-long explanation about your uniquity’s post. If we are to build a CREATIVE ONLINE community, we must take the task upon ourselves to ARTICULATE the intentions in our work. This accompanying expression to your post will allow others to consider your intentions when engaging in a heartfelt genuine response.

WE ARE NOT ALONE ON OUR CREATIVE JOURNEY. One of the reasons I have blogged since 2009 and now have started the Facebook group, THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE, is that I hunger for companionship along my creative journey. I want to talk about my experiences and know about yours. Do you? (art by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

HOW TO RESPOND TO OTHERS' DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE?

COMMENTS ON EACH OTHER’S UNIQUITIES: Absolutely respond to each other’s unique work. It is through thoughtful responses that we will build a warm CREATIVE online community. You know that you thrive like a well cared for plant when your IMAGINATIVE work receives recognition. It is through commenting that we gain momentum to do THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE.

REQUEST: Here in THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE, I ask that we not compete with one another; instead, let’s agree to be curious about one another’s work and applaud one another for showing up each day and doing our CREATIVE WORK!

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES, IMAGES, and LINKS. In addition to sharing your UNIQITIES, I also invite you to connect our CREATIVE ONLINE COMMUNITY with choice ideas and works of others. However, be sure to always explore your own CREATIVE PULSE first. Know that the primary aim of this group is to develop the discipline of YOUR UNIQUE VISION and presence here on this beautiful Earth.

That’s Coffee with Hallelujah! Soul Blog with me and tell me about your daily creative practice! Post your work on the Facebook group page, THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE!

-warmly and authentically yours, Ruth Schowalter, aka Hallelujah Truth, daily creative practitio-ner, visual artist, blogger, dancer, educator

DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE WILL MAKE YOU MORE AUTHENTICALLY YOU!

AUTHENTICALLY ME. This is one way I might portray myself. How about you...how do you depict yourself? (art by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)