MONDAY BYTES — December 12, 2016
Ever feel like you’ve got a starved imagination? Like your creative flow is running dry?
It’s as though all you’ve been having is junk food and now you’re craving healthier fare.
I spent what feels like half the weekend in the holiday hell of consumerism and muzak, so I’m feeling depleted. Maybe you are, too?
And we’re all so terribly busy. Fully occupied taking care of business, putting out fires, keeping up with the Joneses (insert your favorite metaphor here). We spend the majority of each week on the mechanics and logistics of making a living.
How much time do we give ourselves for the creative, imaginative, risk-taking, day-dreaming part of our art? Whether you’re performing, writing, teaching—or whatever creative endeavor you’re involved in:
How do you feed your creativity? How do you renew and expand your imagination?
For a more inspiring new year, I’ve got 15 Creative Interventions for 2017—tips for igniting your artistic imagination.
Feed your creative imagination: get them all by clicking HERE
1. Take a walk and notice your world.
2. Read a book that challenges you—that asks you to look at life from a different angle and stretch your mind. (Here are the 5 books mentioned last week you might want to dip into).
3. Practice empathy—trying out seeing the world from someone else’s perspective.
4. Take a break from social media and sit quietly. Breathe and quiet your mind. Get centered.
5. Get curious: not everything we question can be immediately answered by Google. Some things take us on creative journeys of self-discovery. Notice what tickles your curiosity and pursue it.
6. Draw—draw what you see in a corner of the room, or in a corner of your mind’s eye. Draw without censoring or editing—just for the creative stretch.
7. Make something—even trying a new recipe may be the impetus to getting started on that artistic project you’ve been avoiding. I made this black bean soup last week—with some improvising to avoid the ham hocks—it’s great. Making something tangible makes me feel capable and ready for more challenges.
8. Visit a museum: I love turning off the word processing narrative going on in my head so I can instead focus on the visual. It’s like a secret passageway to a wonderful alternate universe.
9. Get grateful: what are you grateful for right now? “I’m grateful for the heat in my house, for my new socks, for the breakfast I made this morning, etc.” Why gratitude gets us closer to creativity I don’t know—it just does. Check out how to get to the grateful flow.
10. Join a book group—one where you need to read books you’d never otherwise (my friend Florrie swears by this!)
11. Try Creative Mornings—the free monthly gathering and inspiring talks now happening in cities around the world. It’s the brainchild of Tina Roth Eisenberg. These have been a great shot in the arm for me. It’s a way to . . .
12. Connect with your community—find your tribe: the people who inspire you. Have the conversations you’ve wished for. Arrange to have the lunch meetings and organize a regular conference call with your peers and mentor each other.
13. Remember what your most recent bout of creativity felt like. What was the environment and the circumstances? Based on that, what would help get you back into “the Zone”?
14. Picture the life you opted out of—the alternate life you avoided by making the choices you’ve made. It may not be that the alternate life would have been terrible, but it’s good to recognize we’re each living the life we have—at least in part—designed for ourselves. It’s gotten us this far—where to next?
15. Daydream: imagine we’ve traveled forward in time and it is now one year from today’s actual date. And we’re celebrating how you made 2017 your most creative and artistically rewarding year ever!
Looking at the list, these all seem to be some form of pattern interrupt. Getting us out of our habitual thinking and behavior and getting us to wake up and be more fully present. Getting into a state of wonder.
I’d love to get your inspired additions: let me know what has worked for you. Always happy to get your comments and insights: easy to reach me HERE.
This week: Imagine that in 2017 you have an extra hour every week set aside for cultivating your creativity. What would you choose to do with that time? Let me know HERE.
all the best,
Want a custom-tailored plan to better manage your creative career projects and get your work done? Let’s set up a time to talk – reach me HERE.
Dream Big, Plan Smart, Live Well
