Femininity and art have been closely intertwined throughout history. When we think of masculine and feminine energy, masculine energy can be seen as very strong, logical, analytical and fast – very Yang. Whereas feminine energy is very gentle, soft, receptive and creative – very Yin.
In our culture the topic on gender equality is so prevalent and spoken about more then ever. Which is a good thing. A very necessary thing. However, there has been a push to view men and women as not only equal – but as exactly the same. There were reports of government officials in a northern European country that wouldn’t even acknowledge that men and women had any differences at all, at all!
On our quest for equality amongst the sexes we must remember that we can be equal but different. Women do not need to have the same types of traits, interests or passions as men to be equal to them. Equal but different.
The world now moves at such a rapid pace, so much so it would make the average person feel dizzy just thinking about it. We have alarm clocks, we have traffic, we have meetings, appointments, deadlines, social media, and perceived expectations from everyone that surrounds us and advertising everywhere trying to mould our views of the world to think their product is the exact remedy for all our troubles. We are bombarded with information everywhere we go and frankly, it’s exhausting.
To try and succeed in a world like this makes perfect sense that you need to sharpen your soft edges, become more pragmatic, more practical and less sensitive. These are all very Yang qualities, with women being intrinsically Yin, this can pose as a problem. Not to say that women cannot have Yang qualities, we absolutely can and need to. The important part is to allow ourselves space to return to our Yin state as often as we need to, and to not be stuck in the constant go-go-go stress state.
So what does this have to do with art and creativity? In my opinion, everything.
The act of being creative and being open and receptive to inspiration and new ideas is such a Yin and feminine quality I can’t even deal. By being creative, we help to move the stuck, rigid energy and get it flowing again.
To create something, we need to be open and receptive to the spark that ignites an idea, we then use the Yang get-shit-done energy to bring it to life, but we first need the Yin quality of receptivity. We cannot FORCE inspiration and passion, we can only receive it.
If we follow the chakra principals, the sacral chakra is linked to creativity, as well as our reproductive system. This is where we birth all things from, whether it be babies or new business ventures, this space must be juicy and flowing.
If there is stagnation in this space, it can show up in our bodies so clearly. Remember, our bodies give us all the signs we need. Stagnation in this area can show up as irregular periods, amenorrhoea (no periods), painful periods, fibroids, endometriosis, difficulty conceiving and frustration. These are all signs of things being stuck whether its blood, tissue or energy. In Chinese medicine whenever there is stagnation in the body, pain arises.
A beautiful way to invite softness into this space is through the creative process. Especially when we are creating simply to experience the process, rather then being concerned with the outcome.
I will be running a hands on community event ‘The Art of Feminine Flow’ 25th June in Melbourne exploring these topics and ideas through the creative process of making our own personalised vision boards. It will be a fun evening creating and sharing with other like-minded women embracing the soft feminine energy to then take back and weave into our every day lives. To find out more click here
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