I have been doing some reading about…being in the "Zone".  There is a scientific study on this called being in "Flow".  Yep, this really exists. 

Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Proposed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the positive psychology concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields.[1]

According to Csikszentmihalyi, flow is completely focused motivation. It is a single-minded immersion and represents perhaps the ultimate in harnessing the emotions in the service of performing and learning. In flow, the emotions are not just contained and channeled, but positive, energized, and aligned with the task at hand. To be caught in the ennui of depression or the agitation of anxiety is to be barred from flow. The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy, even rapture, while performing a task[2]although flow is also described (below) as a deep focus on nothing but the activity – not even oneself or one's emotions.

Colloquial terms for this or similar mental states include: to be on the ball, in the moment, present, in the zone, on a roll, wired in, in the groove, on fire, in tune, or centered

Sometimes on our Monday night LIVE everyone jokes that I am in the Zone.  I try so hard to juggle the chat, the questions, stay up on what everyone is talking about while trying to paint a picture.  That is a lot of balls in the air to juggle along with trying to make it entertaining.  Monday nights LIVE with Tracy Weinzapfel has grown a life of it's own and the crowd keeps growing.  I am so humbled by that and LOVE that creative time. Although a lot to juggle it is such a place of creativity, inspiration, friendships and more. 

So when I get in that "Zone" everyone just let's me go and in 1 to 1.5 hours I am spent creativily but I LOVE it.  When I am writing, taking photographs and painting I get into this Zone.  Eating, drinking and sleeping are all put aside for that creative time.  Do you know what I am talking about?  No matter what your interest is I think we have all experience that when we lost track of time, forgot to eat/drink, forgot to pick up the kids (ok, only happened once!) and just forget everything going on. That is bliss for me.  Lately some of my pieces that I have created LIVE have given me that Flow…….

TWB_6934a

See how this canvas came to live HERE:


Video streaming by Ustream

 

and this canvas which I had so much fun creating…….

TWB_6936a
Here is our LIVE time creating this canvas HERE:


Video streaming by Ustream

 

Ustream_twStudiosI have made some great improvements to our Monday nights LIVE and stay tuned for more announcements to come.  Our next show is Monday, May 14th at 6:00 pm (Pacific time) HERE on Ustream.  If you missed the LIVE shows they are recorded so click to see past shows too!  Tell your creative friends to join us!  Also I have received emails with some ideas of what you guys want to see, possibly challenges?  I LOVE that idea and am working on some ideas so please email me at [email protected] with your ideas!  I am proud of the wings that have grown on this group and watching it fly is something so great. 

So the next time you reach that Creative Zone know there is something to it and it is amazing.  I would love to hear what gets you to that place.  I just realized I got lost writing in my blog and it is past 11:00 pm! 

Keep on Creating…….

Tracy

"to be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment" ~Ralph Waldo Emerson