Conscious Creativity

(soft, tranquil music) My name is Eileen Hall, and I am a creative director and artist based in London. My sketchbook has been a companion of mine for many years. I take it with me everywhere, and I like to draw and write my thoughts in many places. I write poetry, and I also like to sketch and doodle a lot in order to process my day-to-day life. I find that my mind enjoys wandering through the pages of my sketchbook. This whole aspect of writing it down means it also feels like I'm externalizing it or taking it out of me, and I have to slow down my thoughts in order to be able to write them. Just the act of doing that means I feel that I'm entering more of a meditative state. I've been using my painting practice as a type of mindfulness meditation for many years now, and so it means that I use it as a space to slow down, to bring more awareness and presence into my being, and I allow my mind to rest and stop thinking about the to-do list or the things I have to get to and instead ask my mind to come into a dream space, a place where my imagination can open up and go a bit wild and really bring a lot of lightness and joy. I do this because I also want my paintings to give that feeling for people. I want them to feel this watery, flowing, meditative nature through the work itself. I slow down, I take my time, I get lost in the colors. Life gets less complicated and I'm able to find real freedom in that sense of expression. Everything that's going on for me. I also really enjoy getting into the very sensory nature of the topic itself. So if I'm gonna paint something that looks like water, I try and imagine the water. And I sit with the image of my painting until it feels like it's got its own life force in a sense. At the end of each of the painting sessions, I always feel very light, very joyful. I feel like I access this space of grace and ease that is really a beautiful experience to have each time. And by the end, I actually always feel like I've been meditating the whole time. That always brings me back to space of real connection and belonging in my life....