Sometimes a creative block isn’t really a block as much as a worn out creative crutch. It may seem harmless, just part of your routine, but it can also be the reason you feel too comfortable, unwilling to stretch beyond your comfort zone. A creative crutch serves as a very effective distraction that straddles the line between contentment and limitation. It keeps things moving along in ways you know, in the familiar grooves and patterns. The tricky part is that just beyond … [Read more...]
Share an Insight from your Creative Path to Inspire Someone Else
October 16, 2014 By Leave a Comment
The creative path you walk is part of your unique, natural self-expression and a very powerful ally in the self-discovery process. To create is to grow as a person, and to grow as a person you need to be willing to really explore if what you create feels natural and true. This is how your creativity and inner self continue to evolve, hand-in-hand through self discovery. As you move along in life, dancing the line between deeper creative expression and self-discovery, there … [Read more...]
Creativity Kick-Start: Release Romanticized Versions of your Creative Self
October 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Part of growing into a more evolved expression of your creative self is knowing when to release what’s no longer needed from the versions that have come before. While bits and pieces of your creative identity always build on each other to shape who you are now, it’s easy to have a bit of “selective memory” and romanticize what could have been - had you stuck to old dreams and plans. This can keep you stuck in an energetic loop of riding the waves of the past, holding onto … [Read more...]
Creativity, Intuition and What Following your Heart Really Means
October 9, 2014 By 1 Comment
Follow your heart - it’s a common phrase that’s true yet over-used, insightful but also a bit nebulous, until you realize the power of it's simplicity as a reminder to practice listening to your intuition. If you make a regular effort to get quiet and turn inward, even in the smallest of ways, your inner voice starts to slowly emerge from the background with more clarity and vitality. What seemed like a bunch of unclear, out-of-focus background noise begins to shape into a … [Read more...]
Creativity Kick-Start: Switch Up Artwork and Decorations for a Creative Energy Surge
October 6, 2014 By Leave a Comment
The items you choose to decorate your home definitely have an impact on your creative energy and inspiration. Family antiques, mementos from trips, photos, paintings, posters or sculptures draw your eye, each contributing to the creative vibe of your personal space. In many ways, the familiarity of your artwork feels reassuring, like a little bit of beautiful, comfy consistency in the chaos of life. It can also lull your creative spark to sleep. Over time you get used to the layout and flow of … [Read more...]
Creativity Tourist Trap, a Crafty Mind Trick
October 2, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Creative flow leads you towards inspiration through feeling and intuition, but when the mind parks you at the same pit-stop for a while, you may actually be stuck in a creativity tourist-trap. The place looks great and feels fun, but is actually serving as a distraction. The scenery and activities, while familiar in a comforting way, aren't motivating or inspiring you to actually do anything that feeds or expands your creative fire. And yes, a pause is just as … [Read more...]
Creativity Kick-Start: Collaborate with a New Creative Partner
September 29, 2014 By 1 Comment
Creative inspiration is catchy, especially when you connect with a collaboration partner who helps bring out new, deeper aspects of your gifts and personal expression. The rush of joining efforts with a like-heart fires up the mind, body and spirit, offering you a chance to see everything with a fresh set of eyes, including what inspires you. The shared understanding you have with a collaboration partner also leaves everything open as you play off the creative energy of … [Read more...]
Can you Tell when Judgment Creep Snuffs Out your Creative Spark?
September 25, 2014 By 1 Comment
Have you ever dealt with judgement creep? It’s the naggy, negative self-talk that drips with comments about unmet expectations and snuffs out your creative spark. On the low end of the spectrum, judgement creeps starts out as a subtle sense that some of your creative projects or work feels “off”. You are unsatisfied with what you’ve created or place your focus on “getting it right” next time. It may take a little time, but after some space you can see the value in your … [Read more...]
Creativity Kick-Start: Write Down Top 5 Wishes Each Week
September 22, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Wishes are a fun, free way to engage your creativity and brainstorming fairy dust. They bring out the child in you who believes anything is possible, and knows something magical can happen at any moment. And that child is a good creative ally to have around! Wishes are also an invitation to remove yourself from what you already know, and expand into how it feels to ponder the unknown without being fearful or specific about the “how”. All you need to do is show up and start … [Read more...]
Why I Do What I Do and My Path to Creative Freedom
September 18, 2014 By Leave a Comment
To have true creative freedom means knowing who you are at your core, and that’s a journey - not a destination. In the spirit of creativity and sharing more of it in the world, here’s a little insight on Why I Do What I Do at this moment in my life. Many thanks to Carrie Brummer of Artist Think and her invitation to join this blog chain featuring creatives and their call to walk the path that has no speed limits or paved roads. In my heart, I’ve been a writer since the age of 10. It came … [Read more...]