The Quest

“Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it.”

~ Pema Chodron

I am Meris Walton and ever since I was a child, I’ve wondered how to nourish myself while also tending others. I remember my mother calling me in for supper when I longed to linger outdoors in the summer evening with fireflies and friends. Or I’d be in my room, crafting poems or doodling dreamscapes, only to hear the call to dinner once again. I wasn’t hungry for meatloaf; what I craved was creativity and play. I knew implicitly what my soul hungered for, but I didn’t know that I knew it, at least not yet…

The Journey

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”

~ T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

As a teenager, I did not think of myself as creative; my friends were the “real artists” in my life. Their paintings were displayed in school corridors and their sculptures were propped up on pedestals. I was praised for my grades and my SAT scores. Despite my delight in playing with pastels and massaging wet clay into whimsical shapes, my inner critic haunted me and my ego taunted me. Once, while participating in a figure drawing class, I figured out fairly quickly that my own sketches did not match the teacher’s standards. She graded us on a curve and I was on the wrong side of the bell. My GPA and self-esteem were badly affected and I stopped drawing. But on weekends, I would wander through the museums of Manhattan, and I loved to hang out with painters, photographers, and dancers. Privately, I still wrote poetry and short stories, dreaming of one day becoming a writer.

When I got to University, I started out enthusiastically as a Creative Writing major. However, after my well meaning professors constructively criticized my compositions with those thick red pencils of theirs, I took their judgements to heart and concluded there was no way I’d make it as a writer. Meaning no way I’d “make a living” as a writer. Like so many others, I confused being an artist with making money selling my art. So I decided to be practical. I would study the science of nutrition, and learn how to feed myself and nourish others. And sadly, I stopped writing poetry.

Creative Alchemy

“And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Thankfully, my wise and pesky soul did not abandon me. I continued on my journey, stumbling, bumbling, and brailling my way through decades of confusion. And I’ve been humbled more times than I can count in my quest for soulful nourishment. It’s a good thing I have a resilient sense of humor, along with fabulous friends and family, because I’ve laughed and cried quite often, and still do! My journey has been one of both bewilderment and clarity. Despite the joy I experienced when engaged in creative expression, I came to believe the false notion that I was not an artist, that I had no talent for painting, sculpting, drawing, or writing. Because of this negative belief, I listened to the practical advice of my logical left brain. Reigniting my childhood desire to nourish myself and nurture others, I studied the science of nutrition and pursued the precepts of holistic health. Today I am honored to be a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition. For much of my thirty plus years as a practicing holistic doctor, the artist part of me lay fallow, buried for a long time, but no longer.

Paradoxically, I can see now that there has always been a kind of creative alchemy at play within me. While pursuing and earning academic credentials, I also waded in potent soulful estuaries. I was delighted to discover that the practice of Chiropractic medicine is both an art and a science. My in-depth study of both Craniosacral Therapy and Homeopathy, with their emphasis on somatic perception and honoring the bodymind, fed my creative, intuitive self. And through the deep fluid dives of Continuum Movement, I cultivated an appreciation for the therapeutic potency of play. Vipassana Meditation, Yoga, and Tai Chi supported and sustained me throughout the decades, until life events rocked my world, catalyzing the rediscovery of the artist within me.

The Discovery

“Each of us is an artist of our days; the greater our integrity and awareness, the more original and creative our time will become.”

~ John O’Donohue

What I discovered on my walkabout is that nobody else can teach us how to live an original creative life. And because an original creative life is so enriching to the soul, it is essential to become aware of what brings us fully alive, to claim it, and to wholeheartedly embrace it. When I participated in my first Intuitive Painting class, about twenty years ago, my soul’s craving for creative self-expression was met at last. With time, I learned to trust the brush and my own appetite for color, shape, and image. Over and over I returned to a lavish buffet of tempera paints and blank pages. I filled palettes to the brim with glitter. I picked huge bouquets of paint brushes. Then creative cross-pollination occurred! I began to write poetry again. This led me to edgy Improv classes, and to risk reading my original poems in public, twice daring to perform a solo autobiographical piece on stage, despite lifelong debilitating stage fright!

The Invitation

“It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.”

~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer, The Invitation

As a holistic doctor, I have learned firsthand how essential it is to nourish soul, mind, and body in order to heal. I am so grateful for the array of psychotherapeutic and somatic trainings in which I’ve participated over the years. All have been like precious river rocks under my feet as I’ve journeyed home to my own creative heart. I have been able to find my way back to the nourishing and joyful practices of painting, poetry, and play. I’ve welcomed and reclaimed my artist’s heart without sacrificing the holistic scientist doctor part of me. And in the process, I discovered that they are not mutually exclusive. I do not have to choose one or the other - I can cherish all parts of me! The long and winding road of my life has not been a meandering mistake, but rather an alchemical process of transformation. I now celebrate being a Creativity Alchemist. This is my meditation and my soul medicine, and I’d like to share it with you!

As a Certified Master Facilitator of Intuitive Painting & Expressive Arts, I wholeheartedly welcome you to Creative Resonance, a nourishing montage of Painting, Poetry & Play for the Soul. I would be honored to tend and track you as you trek more fully into your own unique vivid life. And because life itself includes every color in the rainbow, I invite you to join me in creating the vibrant life you long for, right here, right now - your very own original creation of authentic joy and unconditional love.