In which we're still talking creativity
Creativity, part deux, mon amis.
*Meditation each day. There are numerous studies to support the fact that meditation alters brain activity, leading to relaxation and more productive creativity. We will assume this is true, but even if it isn’t, meditation is a nice rest for your shoulders, arms, and brain.
*Self-help or creativity reading each day. I include Sarah Ban Breathnach, Julia Cameron, and all poetry in this category. Anything that supports your creativity and lets a breath of fresh air into your reading is to be encouraged. And a single page or poem each day is all it takes.
*One day a week for nothing but play. No, really. No bill-paying or laundry, no grocery shopping or cleaning the toilet. Organize your week so that one day is entirely free—or half day if that’s all you can manage, but make it a solid block of time rather than several hours scattered over the week. Use that time to do playful, silly, or self-indulgent things. These can vary widely depending upon your whims. It might just as easily be a snowy hike with the dog as a bubble bath with a glass of cold champagne. Go out for tapas, plant an orchid, break open a fresh pack of crayons and color. Whatever feels like play IS play to you. Just don’t do things that you could check off of a to-do list.
*Make a procrastination list and dismantle it, piece by piece. We all have things we dread doing. They loom over us, bugbears that steal away our peace of mind and tug impatiently at our creativity. Do away with them by writing them down, all of them. Then take one item at a time and finish it. If you can’t face an item, break it down into what SARK calls “micromovements”, the tiniest steps toward completion. (The beauty of this idea is that starting a micromovement or two generally gives you enough momentum to finish entirely. If not, at least you’ve made a start.) Reward yourself as you work through the list. It might take a day, it might take months. Regardless, finishing those tasks is an accomplishment and it will free up part of your brain for your more creative endeavors.
So, there you have the creativity manifesto, nine easy steps toward protecting and enhancing your creative mind.
*Meditation each day. There are numerous studies to support the fact that meditation alters brain activity, leading to relaxation and more productive creativity. We will assume this is true, but even if it isn’t, meditation is a nice rest for your shoulders, arms, and brain.
*Self-help or creativity reading each day. I include Sarah Ban Breathnach, Julia Cameron, and all poetry in this category. Anything that supports your creativity and lets a breath of fresh air into your reading is to be encouraged. And a single page or poem each day is all it takes.
*One day a week for nothing but play. No, really. No bill-paying or laundry, no grocery shopping or cleaning the toilet. Organize your week so that one day is entirely free—or half day if that’s all you can manage, but make it a solid block of time rather than several hours scattered over the week. Use that time to do playful, silly, or self-indulgent things. These can vary widely depending upon your whims. It might just as easily be a snowy hike with the dog as a bubble bath with a glass of cold champagne. Go out for tapas, plant an orchid, break open a fresh pack of crayons and color. Whatever feels like play IS play to you. Just don’t do things that you could check off of a to-do list.
*Make a procrastination list and dismantle it, piece by piece. We all have things we dread doing. They loom over us, bugbears that steal away our peace of mind and tug impatiently at our creativity. Do away with them by writing them down, all of them. Then take one item at a time and finish it. If you can’t face an item, break it down into what SARK calls “micromovements”, the tiniest steps toward completion. (The beauty of this idea is that starting a micromovement or two generally gives you enough momentum to finish entirely. If not, at least you’ve made a start.) Reward yourself as you work through the list. It might take a day, it might take months. Regardless, finishing those tasks is an accomplishment and it will free up part of your brain for your more creative endeavors.
So, there you have the creativity manifesto, nine easy steps toward protecting and enhancing your creative mind.
Comments
To plan play time with no
To plan play time with no strings attached is great advice. And I totally agree with the idea to actively support one's creativity. For a creative person, it is absolutely necessary to stay SANE.
All true and great advice! I
All true and great advice! I can't ever meditate though. That's when I start making lists of the things I have to do.
I would think that the story
I would think that the story is the thing, and in your case, the style is almost as important because you are pleasingly "readable", but what about research? Is it a catalyst for the imagination? I mean how can you see something like East Riddlesden Hall and not want to start taking pictures, or sketching floor plans, or see how it "feels" at dusk, or in the dark?The fact that you compose at the keyboard bothers me a little. You once mentioned the "Bohemian" style of JK Rowling, sitting in a coffee shop with a pad of legal paper. What a romantic image! But, please, don't go out and get a quill pen on my account, you're doing quite well without it.