When I was brainstorming new ways to support my readers in 2014, I started out by thinking about where people get stuck most when attempting to connect with their inner creative spark. The simple answer? The biggest challenge is being able to tap into, utilize and share our natural creative talents as part of every day life.
Creativity is not a “special sauce” you take out of the cupboard once and a while when you need to kick-ass on a project or impress someone. It’s a natural part of every single person and an essential ingredient of how you show up in the world. It needs to be acknowledged, exercised and loved on a regular basis, just like your physical body. And as noble as it seems to make big sweeping changes and start fresh with a whole new life in the new year, it’s the day-to-day insight and focus that brings you closer to the change and creative infusion you desire.
That’s why I decided, on this first official Monday in the new year, to make a new commitment to you and to myself. Each Monday I’m going to share a new idea or perspective to help fuel your creative soul for the week. Maybe you connect with these posts every week, maybe you just work with the ones that resonate with you at the time. My desire is to simply offer you something to connect with for the week, however you choose to work with it.
So, to kick-start your creativity this week I offer some simple questions to ponder:
As the new year starts, pay attention to where you feel stress. Do you feel like you should be somewhere different than you are? Is there something unresolved personally or professionally that’s still bothering you? Is there a creative project you’ve abandoned that’s still in the back of your mind?
Taking the week to reflect on some of these questions will help you notice where your focus and energy are going right now. It’s challenging to move forward with new ideas and projects with old energy clogging the way, so it can really pay off to spend time working through and releasing old feelings and out-dated thoughts. It’s also one of the best ways to make space for new, surprising things to show up.
As with any inner work, it’s most effective if you can find some time to be alone and let things flow. In fact, it’s a great practice to just sit and meditate at least 15 minutes a day to just see what happens.
Good luck this week and I would love to hear what you discover if you want to share!
Photo credit: Koru