I'd like to share with you a tiny daily ritual that has made a large difference to how I feel throughout the day. It's stupendously simple.

Drink at least one litre of plain water every day.

This is plain water, very unfashionable. Not juice. Not herbal tea. Definitely not soft drink or coffee.

Consistency.
I do this throughout the day.

Downing a litre or so of water right before bed gets the daily quota met, but defeats the main purpose of smoothing out energy and concentration slumps throughout the day.

Mindfulness.
I stay aware of my energy levels. If I begin to feel sluggish, I am also usually thirsty.
I notice that I get ill within a day or two of low water intake.

Benefits.

Once upon a time I had a huge caffiene addiction. To the point where I drank so much strong coffee that my body began to have an allergic reaction. Trust me, that's boatloads of coffee. I was one of those people who simply could not function without a coffee first. A typical creative type.

After a month or so of carefully making sure I was drinking at least one litre of plain water a day, I stopped craving caffiene. I was not trying for this. It was totally unexpected.

I am no longer a slave to the caffiene hit. The days of the afternoon slump are gone. Being consistently creative is so much easier. Thinking is clearer.

You?
What simple habit can you share that has made a gigantic difference to you, your state of being, how much you get out of your days?

Although I am a visual artist, people also enjoy my writing. As such, I have been invited to be a columnist for this brand new media source in Ballarat

So what am I doing there? Spreading the glitter of imagination to you all...

Want a dose of inspiration and possibilities? The feeling that maybe you too could be creative. And why not! Check out my column for stories from people slapped by the muse. It's part celebration of the talent in our midst, part swooning over beauty for it's own sake, and part insight into what makes those creative types tick.

Woo woo meets cool clear logic.

When I visited Findhorn, a community of spiritual folk in the north of Scotland, they had a lovely little ritual that began any group task. It involved, stopping, being quiet outside and in, holding hands and taking 20 seconds to reflect on the intention of the group effort and the qualities of how the work would unfold. Like planting the seed of right behaviour and underscoring the ideal outcome. Like praying. 

Setting intention.

It is said that once you decide to get a new car, suddenly you see the model you want everywhere, when right before the decision you would swear there were none on the road. Effectively you told your unconscious this car model is now very important, notice it. Are there more on the road? No. Are you more likely to find the one you want? Yes. Because you notice more of them or because you decided to buy?

Setting intention.

I have a set of Angel Cards. Each of these has a positive inner quality worth cultivating. The idea is to choose one and reflect on it for the day. Does leading the mind to notice this quality  then also attract more, a la 'The Secret'? Or is it that noticing makes a difference to the quantity of this quality that you are aware of and subjectively, enjoyably, the world seems so much more peaceful/abundant/wise? Suddenly you can see so many more ways to get more of this quality because you have given it priority?
Setting intention.

Many people who want big changes in their life set up what is sometimes called a vision board. Sometimes people write a statement, in present tense, of how they want their life to look in the future. There is daily meditating on these goals as if they were already happening. There are psychological reasons for doing this as our brains prioritise the now. Some call this priming. Others, calling out to the universe or deity of choice for assistance.
Setting intention.

Is it the focussing of the mind on the bigger task, the wanted qualities that keeps you on track? Is it a magnetic force which is activated by the act of setting intention? Is it both? You get what you notice. Does it matter how it works? Because it does work. 

There comes the time in the creative process when all the work is done, bar the last step. Some call it 'shipping'. Most of us probably think of it as putting our creations out there to be judged.

It's pretty damn scary.

It took me a full year to make the cookbook paintings available for sale. Oh, there were reasons. Setting up a web store. Finding the best method to record the paintings. Researching costs. Learning how to successfully photograph oil paintings. You know, reasons.

What if no one likes them? What if they don't sell? What if I post them off and then the archive file is buggered? What if. What if. What if. None of that happened.

Silly billy.

The whole point of bringing some new piece of wisdom and beauty into the world is to put it out there for people. Make it available, accessible. The whole point of creating a painting is to put a spark on canvas that someone, to whom that spark speaks, can put it on their wall and be reminded every day of it's message.

So I apologise.

For letting the fear of putting my work out there get the better of me for so long. I am determined to not let that happen ever again.