Creating within a ritual of space & time

Consciously searching my room as I lay awake before dawn, I create a ritual which I find comfort in following. I look while still quiet.  Get up and stay warm, perform morning rituals and then meditate and do a few yoga stretches. It allows me the space and  peace of mind to allow the brush to follow the memory of vigils more closely. Vigils is the time before dawn, when it is still dark and all the world is quiet.   I am  inspired to  put down the colors and shadows that we see and focus on the moment in color and shadow. I paint by candlelight to be sensitive to the tonal quality of my brush strokes. 

Elizabeth Gilbert's observations and rereading Twyla Tharp's "The Creative Habit" have bolstered me as I wade through this period of time when I find no familiar landmarks in my working. This structure of my practice seems to allow an easier flow. 

It is sometimes difficult to balance inner and outer life, but maintaining a balance seems to aid the flow of ideas. I guess what I'm saying is that world responsibilities sometimes trump the inner call until finding quiet time and space allows that inner spirit to be.