Mind Body Thoughts and My Creativity

Written by Don Shetterly

If you've been around the blog long enough, you probably know that I'm an author and music artist.  If not, let me take a moment to just introduce myself and what I create.

I am a survivor of child sexual abuse.  At age 26, I suffered from Conversion Disorder and dealt with paralysis, suicide attempts, depression, and anxiety.  I was a workaholic and perfectionist.  I could not let anyone down, even if it meant total destruction of myself.  As much as I thought I knew how to deal with stress, I honestly had no clue!

For years I fooled myself until it caught up with me, and my world came crashing down.  The two books I have written are part of my healing journey through the torture and trauma I experienced.  I am currently finalizing a new book with an expected publishing date of early 2018.

If you found this page through a tweet I posted, it most likely corresponds to one of the books below that is idenitifed by the picture in the tweet.  

Hope And Possibility Through Trauma

Hope And Possibility Through Trauma is my full-length book helping those who have been through so much in life.  If you've experienced childhood sexual abuse or trauma or other horrific moments in your life, this book will speak to you and help give you hope and possibility that you too can heal.  Available on Amazon.

A Journey Through Words

A Journey Through Words is a full-color spiral bound book of poetry and other writings.  It is filled with many poems and thoughts, created as I was struggling to find my way through the difficult moments of healing.  It includes raw thoughts and emotions from where I was at in those moments.  Available on LuLu Press

Relaxing Piano Music

I create relaxing piano music that can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, CDBaby and many other digital download sites.  It is piano music without any lyrics, from my heart.  Connect with the feeling and emotions of what you hear in the songs I have created. www.DonShetterly.com

From My Heart With Love

These things I have created are part of the way I help support my life and my purpose of working to help others.  I know how difficult it is to deal with pain, and through my creativity, words, and music, I want to be there for others.  I want to help shine the light for them to find footing on their own path.

Many have asked me to allow donations, and if you want, you can always do that at https://www.paypal.me/DShetterly .  However, I would like to ask that you help support me through the creative works I have available.  Click the images and links above for ways you can do this.

I continue to do the things I do out of love in my heart, and I just put these options as a way for others to join this cause.  I know many are hurting and I work hard to be a voice of support and help through the painful moments of healing in life.

Stay tuned, because there is another exciting project coming very soon!

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Writing Helps the Mind and Body

I've always been a proponent of words and creativity throughout my life.  Writing has helped me so much in putting together some very difficult circumstances of life.  Writing helps the mind and body by allowing you to express yourself in a way that may not be easy to do.

For those who have been through trauma, child abuse, and other horrible experiences of life, writing gives you an outlet.  It allows you to venture into a world where you would otherwise not go.  It gives the brain the creative permission to look at things from a different perspective.

Three people that come to my mind immediately (and I know I'm leaving out a ton of others), use writing in a very unique and powerful way.  I enjoy reading the blogs of these individuals because they are just so down to earth and real and unique.

Trevor Marty...

One of these bloggers is Trevor Marty.  Now, Trevor plays some awesome music and he's a very creative person.  He's very real too and compassionate and caring and overall one heck of a great friend to know.  He has a simplistic way about him that just gets down to the heart of the matter in whatever he does and I really admire that about him.  One of his most recent endeavors is sharing adventure stories of his cat, Ms Mama Macy.  You've really got to check it out!

(click image to read blog)

Writing can be fun as in the case of my friend Trevor.  When writing is fun, it expands your brain and gives you new neural pathways to explore.  I remember as a kid that exploring the barns and corn cribs of the farms we lived on was like traveling to another world.  Writing allows you to do that and sometimes escape the world you're currently in.

When we can escape the world for a moment, it sometimes gives the mind and body a fresh new perspective.  It allows us to see something that we might not have seen and so the mind and body can come together as one, working towards a common goal of awareness.

Surviving My Past.net

Another great blogger is Matt, my friend who writes SurvivingMyPast.net .  Matt is one of the most caring people I've met and is always supportive, no matter how upside his day may be going.  He's very real and open and honest and this shines through in his writing.  I seem to identify so much with what he writes.  Even issues that I thought were healed and sealed in my life, were opened back up with me being able to see them from a different perspective.  He's got a way in doing that.  You should really check out his blog and YouTube podcasts especially if you know of anyone that's a male survivor of child abuse.

(click image to read blog)

For a long time, I used writing as a tool to heal my life.  There was no way I could verbally express much of this to anyone.  Yet, I had so much pain locked up in me and the only way I could find some sanity in a day was to write.  I didn't write for others to read it.  I wrote to help make sense of it in my own life and in my mind and body.

Savage Lost...

The other person that is one awesome writer is my partner in life.  He writes about the history of music, but in a way that if you did not experience it, you feel like you were there when it happens.  He has such a great way with telling a story that captivates you.  Its more than history to him.  It is about living through these wonderful moments of years gone by as he and many others were dealing with the ever changing kaleidoscope of life.  Take a look at one of his articles from Savage Lost (1960 Florida Garage Bands) he wrote and see if you don't feel like you're right there living the music scene with him. 

(click to read image)

We don't have to be perfect writers.  I don't consider myself to be a perfect writer.  I just write from my experiences and my heart.  That's what these folks do that I've mentioned.

I'm an individual that is constantly expanding my horizons and so I love to read things by different people.  I don't want everything to be the same subject every day because that doesn't help the mind and body grow or evolve.  I challenge myself to read things that I normally would not read and I challenge you to do the same.

For me, writing is about putting down on paper all the thoughts in my head.  Some days, I think I do it more for myself than anything and other people benefit as a result.  Yes, it takes courage at times to share it publicly, but don't let fears and insecurities hold you back.  Just put the words out there!  You'll be amazed at what happens after that.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Is Humanity Lost?

Some days I really wonder about the human species.  I wonder if the animals truly are the more advanced life forms on this planet.  Heck, for that matter maybe the plants are more advanced than humans.  Everywhere you look though, humanity is either asleep or just down right as hateful and evil and greedy as they can get.

So is humanity lost?  Let's explore a few of the faces of humanity that seem to be getting all the attention these days and see if it is truly lost.

Humanity is not greed.  It seems that everything these days is done out of right-out-greed.  The dollar controls every action in corporations and the news media.  Politics is no longer about the best ideas, it is about who has the money to control it.  Okay, maybe its always been that way to some degree, but in the past few years, it feels like greed is taking way too many steroids or drinking way too much caffeine.

Humanity involves creativity.  Creativity is asleep at the wheel.  What is created these days seems to be flat.  It is a rerun of the same things that are done over and over until we're so exhausted by them, we no longer know what creativity is all about.  Songs are nothing more than electronically synthesized music that makes the sensitive souls cringe as if someone was scrapping their fingers on a chalk board.  Music that is turned out these days has no soul.  It lost its soul.  Entertainment and movies has to be "greater" and "more action oriented" and "more extreme" to get anyone's attention.

Good Meditation Music - Missing In Action

I wonder these days if true creativity connected to the mind and body has just disappeared.  I mean, it seems like the majority of music is missing depth when it comes to creativity.  Yes, I realize that everything is digitally synthesized these days and that is what everyone is accustomed to, but it really is lacking in depth.

Today I was searching for some good meditation music and I clicked on a link to a song, but my ears could not even stand two seconds of it.  It had some type of drum beat in it, a whooshing type of sound, some other instrument trying to play a melody and then someone singing.  The sounds clashed together kind of like clanking symbols.  Instead of being music you wanted to listen to, it was so irritating that screeching fingers on a chalkboard would have sounded better.

Unfortunately the example I just gave from my search of good mediation music is not an isolated example.  It happens constantly and in fact with the sensitive ears I have, it is almost impossible it seems to find music I can connect with and enjoy.  I know there is music out there, but it is so hard to find these days.  Also, I do realize that not everyone has the same taste in music that I do have or the same sensitivity.  I will say though, the body does know the difference even if your ears and your brain don't pick it up on a conscious level.

My Creativity Comes And Goes

Some days I find that I can create for hours on end and other days, it just plain sucks! My mind is one of those highly creative engines that runs almost nonstop. Sometimes in life, I have to beg it to stop and give me some rest.

Lately though, it is like the creativity is flooding my mind to the point of drowning. My creativity comes and goes almost as fast as the sun sets and rises. I love it when I can sit down and just write, paint, create music or come up with a million ideas all at once. However, usually when I go through very intense moments of this, I crash.

One of the ways I have been helping myself to efficiently be creative is getting plenty of down time and rest. I do this through relaxation and meditation even if it is only for 30 minutes. I am amazed that if I just stop for 20-30 minutes and totally let my mind and body let go, I can come back with much more energy and creative empowerment.

Creativity is where I find my greatest joy in life. It is the one thing that gives me more power and energy in my day than any other single thing I can do. There is a price of exhaustion that comes with it if I fail to manage it, but no other thing gives me greater satisfaction.

The Hunt For Creativity

Fragments Of Awareness

This past weekend, I went to a couple of events that had creativity on display.  While they were two totally different events, the hunt for creativity might have left some empty handed in one event, but fulfilled in the other.  Generally speaking, we have lost our creativity in this world.  What people consider to be creative is usually nothing more than a lot of bright flashing lights, fast moving images and video with sounds that have been regurgitated.

In the one event this week, the items that were displayed looked almost the same from one booth to another.  The colors were even similar and the items were hard to tell apart.  The atmosphere was more subdued and the excitement level of energy was low.  Yet, it appeared that these people poured their life and soul into what they were doing.  It just lacked creativity.

Creativity Keeps Me Going

Painted Kitties by Jeff and Don

I'm kind of like John Boy from the Waltons when it comes to creativity.  John Boy also stated that if he didn't write things down, all the stuff would get jumbled in his head and he wouldn't be able to function.  For me, if I don't find creative outlets for myself, then I get extremely bored and agitated. 

Most of the time, I doubt anyone would care what I create.  Maybe they would but I have no idea.  I still remember as a small child always "making things" for my family members.  They often would laugh at me, sometimes behind my back and sometimes in front of my face.  For some reason, I would still make them things.  Yes, they were simple things but were always made from the heart with love. (not that my family understood what love meant).

Creativity And Judgment Are Opposites

Recently, I saw a video response on twitter to a question by an artist regarding the art of creativity. The question that was asked about the advice Yanni would have regarding the creation of their own music. Yanni's response can be seen in the following video but it was exactly correct in what I have found in creation of my own music.

The best music, writing, paintings I have done were when I was totally in the zone and not judging what I was doing. In those moments, I was not aware of the process, but just allowing it to come through and surrendering to it.

Judging can come in many forms of thoughts and questions running through your mind. From what key do I play next, to how does this sound, to what word should I write or color should I use to many others. There is a great book on the art of Mindful Creativity written by Ellen J. Langer. When we are critical or judgmental about our creative work, we are in a mindless state, not a mindful state. In those moments of judgment, we are not in the zone.

And judgment can come in very subtle ways that inhibit us from connecting and creative to the flow coming from us. We may often think it shows up through distinct ways but if we observe our thoughts and our questions in those creative moments, we will learn more about ourselves and help our self go deeper into creativity.

It is a frame of mind and the more we practice allowing our self to surrender into this space, the more we can connect to our creativity. It is not always easy to do this with the demands upon our day but creativity also gives us a greater fulfillment in life. So take a moment and listen to the following video response by Yanni because it is very true. Check out the link below to Ellen Langer's book because even though it has an emphasis on painting, it applies to all who want to be more mindful not only in their creativity but in their life.






Further Reading
1) Music by Yanni
2) Book by Yanni - Yanni In Words
3) On Becoming An Artist (Mindful Creativity) by Ellen J. Langer





Blog Post & Images (c) 3/15/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

The Many Dimensions Of Life

© 9/21/09 Don Shetterly - #1 (click thumbnail to enlarge picture)

This is the first painting I’ve ever painted outside of elementary or junior high school. I don’t really see myself as a painter but I do enjoy putting colors together and trying to find the different depths of dimensions that the eye may or may not pick up.

Maybe in some ways, this is how I see my current life at the moment. I guess if it is like my music, my creativity usually depicts my current mood, moments and life
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In life, there are many dimensions and so is the same true in this picture. Even if you look at any one part of it, within those parts, you will see different dimensions through the use of colors, textures and the layering of the colors and textures. The dimensions of this painting are many and vary from the obvious to the almost hidden from view.

As life goes, there are always mountains. Sometimes we are climbing the mountains and other times we are looking at the mountains from afar. Within the mountains, there are many beautiful trees and snow covered peaks, but underneath, there is the grey rocky soil.

Nestled within the mountains is a lake of refreshment and peace and calmness. It is full of depth in itself and offers an oasis within the mountains we climb. While it may look out of place to the overall aspect of the mountains, this is usually true of how we find those peaceful moments within the challenges. They are not always straight forward and obvious but sometimes often hidden from view and from a different viewpoint than we may normally look.

Running through the lush hillside of earth and grass, is a winding river with many crooks and turns. Even sometimes before we get to the mountains, we follow a path which may not be straight and known. Often it is filled with the unknowns and the surprise bends and turns. But it leads us further into the mountains and the challenges and it also points the way to the lake we will need in the future.

Our house or our life is filled with colors and in this painting, it reminds us that each day we get to choose the colors we want to create the story book of our lives. There is no right or wrong in what we choose but there are many colors to choose from. Our life and our house may have many windows in it which some are open and others are obscured from view.

Following upwards to the sky, you may notice all kinds of things from the different colors and textures to the hint of clouds. Never when you look at the sky do you see one solid color. There are always varying colors and often clouds to some degree in some part of the horizon. Our life is much the same way in that even the way we see it, there is so much more. It isn’t just a one color “blue sky” type of life. It is much more than that.

Last but not least is the angel that stays close to me. I never fully feel alone even when I get moody and I’m struggling because I know the angels are around me. There is way too much evidence to refute any suspicions and denials. While my depiction may not be like others would see them, this is how they reference in my mind and my life would not be complete without an angel around me.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an effortless, simple process that consists of drawing novel distinctions, that is, noticing new things. The more we notice, the more we become aware of how things change depending on the context and perspective from which they are viewed.


Pg 5, "On Becoming An Artist - Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity" by Ellen Langer.

Are You Mindful and Creative?

At one time in my life, to be creative in my mind, meant to be a painter, a writer, a musician among other things. Creative meant to me, something you did in your spare time that was only for these things. Outside of that, I always figured that creativity really had little place in my everyday life. Sure, many of the companies I have worked for gave lip service to thinking outside the box, but few rarely nurtured the concepts past an evaluation period or company meeting.

For most of my life, I did not think I was that creative. It was not something that was allowed to be in existence while I was a kid growing up except for when I put together model semi trucks or various crafts my mom would buy me for Christmas. It was always about finding a job that you could make decent income at and functioning in life like our society requires us. There was no time for creative moments unless you did them on your own time and there was no support for this.

Yes, I was able to practice and learn the piano as a kid, but whenever I tried to be creative and just play from my center of creativity like I do today, it was often met with criticism by those who could not even play one note. I still remember the time I was creating in the moment with some music and while it wasn't a polished piece of music at that moment, my father made sure he told me that I made many mistakes. This was not helpful and it led me to hide my create in the moment capacity if anyone was around within hearing range.

Following the rules of society, I went to college and pursued a degree in a field of study I enjoyed. After graduation, I found a job that was fun and rewarding which turned into a more technical computer role. As I began to look at life and evaluate where I was, I saw myself as someone working on a computer in a solitary office cubicle for the rest of my life. I did not see the creative side in me at all and so I brushed it aside. It was not until events later in my life that I began to embrace the creative side of myself which had always been there. I just had not been open to seeing this side of myself because I did not feel it would serve any purpose to accomplishing what society expected of me.

And as I evaluate all of this while I just started reading the book "On Becoming an Artist: Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity",
maybe - just maybe - I'm more creative. In fact, I know I am more creative than I ever let on to be. I'm just beginning to embrace that creativity and allowing it to be more of who I am, rather than something I pull down off the shelf when I feel like I have the time.

In the book, I am seeing that to be mindful is to be creative and to be creative is being mindful. Being creative gives us the essence and enjoyment of life that we so deserve. Yet, if we only attempt to use it on occasion, we are missing so much for our lives. Being creative and being mindful is not just for a select few but it is present in each one of us, if we allow it to be. It does not matter how we choose to be creative but that we choose to be creative and mindful. Creativity and Mindfulness are like partners that go together.

Page 4 - On Becoming An Artist - by Ellen J. Langer
This book is about the roadblocks that stand in the way of our natural creativity. It is intended to be a guide to opening up creative engagement on a daily basis in all that we do.

Reality Vs Reality

I'm often amazed these days at what the word "reality" means. At one time I understood the word to mean being real or the state of being real. Yet, today the word has been stretched to mean perceived to be real or perceived to in a state of being real. Notice the slight play on words there of the word perceived. The lines have now been blurred and so what is real today may not actually be real. Is that a bad thing? It all depends upon how you look at it and let me explain.

My mind is a very creative one in which I can create scenarios and story lines and images that are more colorful than any movie I have ever watched. I can do these in a quick moment without much though or hesitation. In fact, I live in a world of creativity and my mind is constantly engaged in creating all that is available to my mind. So am I living in reality when I do this? One could argue I am not but then on the other hand, I know that I am able to come back to reality or that which grounds me in current life. My creativity isjust one part of my life but to come back to a place of being grounded is where my life rests.

Throughout a day, I notice that there is a perceived reality around us. Whether it be through TV reality shows or "live news coverage" or the advertisements we watch in any given TV experience. All of these events are not reality no matter how many times the word "reality" or "real" is put out during these events. They are not reality no matter how many times the images suggest that what you are watching is just as real as if you were there yourself.

Take for example reality TV shows that we've all watched and most likely have heard from the participants after taping was over that what the viewer got to see was hardly reality. Or take the advertisements where the paid actors appear to be real life individuals proclaiming how much money they made or how much more beautiful and skinny they have become. Take the online internet forums where you interact and get to know other "screen names" thinking that you really know the person on the other side of the screen, when all you know is the screen name and what they type. While it is possible, these things could be real, often the images, words and scenarios you see are perceptions of reality but not really reality.

The examples could go on forever and if you take a moment in your day and observe these, you will see many more than I have even mentioned. Of course, one could ask is it wrong to engage in perceived reality around us in our every waking moment of the day. It all depends. Are you able to step back out of these perceptions and see them for what they are. No, I'm not saying that you can verbally say this but you can be very honest with yourself and see through the perceptions as they are being played out in front of you. At some point, our minds get so bombarded with these things that while we may be able to do this initially, we soon lose track of reality and begin replacing it with the perception of reality.

Maybe the moral of the story is we need to take the perception of reality in small doses and make sure we mix in with it true reality. True reality could include things like touching the earth, the plants, feeling the sun and the wind, hearing the birds and the nature sounds around us or just holding someone dear to us in our arms. For these things are the true essence of life and the perception of reality is but a momentary trek in to a world of creativity. If we keep both things in perspective and in balance, than our lives will be much more full and richer as a result.