Fresh


I’ve been hibernating over the winter. It hasn’t been easy. That critical voice inside kept asking – “Why aren’t you making anything???” It has taken so much positive energy to keep that voice at bay, to not allow it to send me into a downward spiral, and to constantly remind myself of the importance of reflection, renewal, release and revitalization. I have doubted myself and my process many, many, many times. But today feels like a fresh start. New energy, new directions, new paths, new connections, new creations. The early spring happening outside (full of big fuzzy tree buds and green little shoots and the intoxicating smell of something like jasmine) is reminding me of the potential and possibility that this new year holds and the opportunities that are awaiting me if I will simply be brave enough to step into them and begin. 

First steps aren’t always easy, either. There is a psychological phenomenon that can happen during creative process that can stop you dead in your tracks if you’re not aware of it. I like to call it the Magnum Opus Effect. 

mag·num o·pus

ˌmaɡnəm ˈōpəs/noun

  • a large and important work of art, music, or literature, especially one regarded as the most important work of an artist or writer.


Sometimes, in the space that exists before we start to take action on a creative idea, we can really build up the impact of that idea. When I finish this, it’s going to be amaaaaaaazing!!! Everyone is going to looooooove this! This is going to be the thing helps me get my big break/makes me famous/etc/etc. Gee, no pressure or anything. The notion that this idea is going to be the best one you had yet can make you freeze up. Well, shit. How do I even begin on that one? It really has to be perfect and I really better know what I’m doing with that one before I get started. DO I know what I’m doing? Hmmm, this is all feeling overwhelming. 

aaaaaand, curtain. 

There went all the creative energy and inspiration that existed a few minutes ago….fwipppppp, gone. And if this “Magnum Opus Effect” is a recurring energy zapper in your creative process, leaving you stuck, its time to get out of that cycle! 

The best way to release an old habit that is no longer serving you is to understand what has been happening underneath the surface that is triggering the habit. In this case, I have noticed that Magnum Opus Effect happens when I feel pressure (real or imagined) from external sources to create. This can happen when we have an actual deadline to produce something, or it can stem from feeling the need to update our social media channels with new content, or to “prove our worth” to those around us who’s opinions of us we value. This kind of externally focused, results-oriented thinking is logical, left brained thinking, and is linked to the ego. 

When we are trying to create for reasons that exist outside of ourselves, we have lost contact with the source of our creativity, that inner spark and spirit that is channeling the creative power that moves through us. Access to this free flowing state of pure creative genius happens through the right brain, and the heart. We access this through the paradoxical process of trying not to try. This is flow. This is wu-wei. This is being in the zone. This is being effortlessly in alignment with the flow of life. This is non-resistance. 

Today I feel like spring. Today I feel inspired by different, lighter energy. Today I feel invigorated by the possibilities for new pathways for my life. Perhaps not coincidentally, today marked the New Moon, and the Chinese New Year - Year of the Fire Monkey, which brings energies of passion, intensity, connection, and manifestation of dreams that have been in the works for the past two years. 

So now begins the time to trust in the process, to say yes to action, to take small steps in the right direction, to connect joyfully with my ever-growing community, and to share in the abundance of whatever manifests. 

Here’s to new beginnings. 


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