Does having pets in our lives add to our ability to be creative?
I had a sit-down visit with Voxair Manager, Patricia West, in the Voxair office at 17 Wing. Patricia has been the Voxair Manager since October of 2021 and came to this role from a varied career past; Cemetery Manager at Green Acres Funeral Home, Development Coordinator at Mennonite Heritage Village in Steinbach, Inuit Art Centre Community Campaign Coordinator at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Digital Marketer at Agrihub and owner of West Five Story Mfg Co, her own natural skincare company.
Patricia has four children between the ages of 10 and 22. Together they live in Landmark, Manitoba. The family shares their home with a 15-year-old black and white cat named Oreo; River, a 4 ½ year old Siberian Husky Beagle mix dog; and the newest member of the family, Rocky the kitten who joined the family on July 20/22.
So, does having the pets in our lives add to our creativity? It certainly can have an impact, and we may not even realize it.
When Patricia stepped into the Voxair manager role, it was in the middle of Covid. The website program was outdated and there hadn’t been a print issue since the fall of 2020. The website was redesigned using a different software program which allowed access from anywhere. This was especially helpful with the winter weather and so many blizzards that prevented being able to make it into the office.
Patricia can now work both from home or the office. While at home, Patricia can work and ensure her family and pets’ needs are met. River, the Husky Beagle mix, started out with concern for the new kitten’s well-being. Now she’s taken on more of a sibling role, playing and wrestling with her most of the time. Oreo, the black and white cat, enjoys the senior cat role in the family and Rocky, the new kitten, is full of life and excitement and a bit of mischief. Mostly the new kitten loves to chase balls, curl up in blankets, play with string, shoelaces and straws, and climb up to her favorite nap spot on the pillow on Patricia’s daughter’s lap.
Working from home allows your pets to become your co-workers. Have you ever been in a Zoom meeting that included a pet, either on purpose or because the pet wanted to be the center of attention? Take your pet to work day has an entirely new meaning when you are working from home.
Pets do have an impact on our creativity.
Having pets can give us confidence. When we can train our pet to fetch a stick, go to the bathroom in the backyard or sit for a treat, our pet has given us the confidence in our ability to train another being to achieve a certain behavior. We need confidence to be creative!
Having a pet can allow us to be playful. As adults, we spend so much time being serious, with our jobs, our day-to-day lives, that just surviving in this world sometimes takes more energy and stamina then some folks can handle. Sometimes we must be reminded to slow down and have fun. That is one of the best reasons to have a pet! When we stop being so serious, our inner critic can find a new role by being creative.
Having a pet can bring more attention to mindfulness. When we see how our pets react to their world, we can become more aware to the basic responses of our senses. A pet’s senses are generally far more intense than a human’s. If we pay closer attention to our responses, we can creatively express ourselves better.
When you have lived with pets for awhile, you can develop an ability to detect your “heart energy.” Feeling your heart energy happens naturally and it is a way of communicating without saying anything, you just know what the animal is thinking in a way that is like reiki. That is the same way that natural energy can flow into your creative projects. Our creative ideas come from things and beings around us, and when we open our heart energy to understanding our pets, we also open our creative path.
The feeling of “Love” that we have for our pet, and that unconditional love that we get from our pets, is a feel-good emotion that allows us to enjoy self love, kindness and understanding. This puts us in a state of well being and allows for creative ideas to flow.
Pets can inspire us in different ways. Albert Einstein would watch his cats when he was developing new theories and it was an injured dog that inspired Florence Nightingale to become a nurse.
So, if you are trying to come up with a creative idea and you are hitting a roadblock, why not take a break with your pet? Go for a walk, play a game of fetch, or give your pet a belly-rub! Being with your pet can improve your mood. It can lower your stress levels, putting you in a better frame of mind to be creative.
If you know of someone in our military family with a great pet story that we could share in the “Pet Post”, contact Kelley Post @klpost@hotmail.com