How to uncover creativity in 9 steps

journal 011010

I keep thinking about the drawings I would like to make. I want them to express my understanding of the spirit and sacredness in each moment. I just can’t seem to focus on the thing that seem right for any length of time. I keep shifting from one concept to another that seems better…but my expectations are dashed and I feel deflated and defeated.

How sad.

I know I can do this.

So I pick myself up with my Moleskine sketchbook and go out with my dear husband to draw in a nearby arboretum.  How lucky I am to live near such a beautiful space. ifind the first place to comfortably place myself and my sketchbooks. I dedicate my time to only observing…not judging. I document what I see and feel.

What I notice, changes, as I observe and make my marks. I give up the certainty of knowing where I am going in my work. I let my hand and spirit lead. After a few attempts and without expectations I find my drawing has revealed more than I expected to me. You may see the drawing on the left. Click on it to see other journal sketches, most of which I have done since the new year began.

The same process can be followed in your life. Sometimes you just can’t control things the way you want. Life isn’t going the way you imagined it. Whoever told us that it would? Being creative occurs when you take what is in your imagination begins to take form in something tangible.

“Every moment you choose, is art.”  Ikko Tanaka

Does that ever happen to you?  You know you have some great ideas inside of you, but don’t quite get them on paper the way you would like. Or you have an idea of a difference you would like to make in the world and it never seems to happen.

Get physical! Just start! Over thinking can sometimes be a way to procrastinate making the commitment to yourself.

• Make a physical movement and  begin to create your idea. Begin to change things physically around you to support your creation.
• Set a time limit. Take one day at a time.My initial limit was two hours.
• Do not expect to know the outcome of your efforts.
• Respond to your own work as you are creating it.
• Be ready to begin again and again and again until it feels right in your gut.
• Be honest with yourself. Do not make a mark, write a word, sing a note or teach a lesson just because it looks like it is ok. Make this “mark” because you  feel and know that it is true.
• Set it aside to look at later.
• Love the great parts of what you have created.
• Begin again the next day.

As the poet Wallace Stevens said, “Art helps us to live our lives.”

“Art reveals meaning- through the process of creation and the process of observation.”

Shirley Tilghman at Princeton’s 262nd Commencement 2009

Find other ideas about how to jumpstart creativity, I recommend you read Mary Jaksch’ blog post at   Goodlife Zen,and check out the video of Alan Watts at the end speaking of work as play. Find more ways to get at that creative side of you at Zen Habits with Leo Babauta.

Don’t forget your 6 changes for the new year. Keep on going boldly through your days!

Living everyday creatively

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I am always shocked when people ask how I find the courage to think outside of the box.  They wish they were so lucky to be born with talent to draw and paint. They wonder how I manage to t find the time to create .

The fact is, I thrive on making new things and coming up with new ideas. I get up 2 hours earlier than I have to in the morning so I can make time to express my thoughts and sustaining images in paint and graphite. I work at a job that by its nature, constantly demands that I teach my students to understand the power of creativity that is latent in each one of us., just waiting for us to discover that it really is ours!

I write this blog because of those people who wish to exercise their creative abilities in their lives. I want to share the importance of being creative…of understanding the ability that we all have to think in new pathways , to make our ideas visible and audible.

Honestly, I also need to constantly remind myself to stretch my imagination. Through the process of teaching I have found that that I learn so much more when I teach. So this blog engages me in articulating my process of working and shares my belief in the necessity of developing yours and my creative imagination.

Ken Robinson, in his book, “The Element: How finding your passion changes everything”, writes

”  You can think of creativity as applied imagination.

You can be creative at anything at all – anything that involves using  your intelligence. It can be in music, in dance, in theater, in math, science, business, in your relationship with other people.”

In this spirit, let me share a  blog that plays with the imagination and creativity. It is called creative every day and Leah shares a simple process of creating a design by playing with an idea.

Playing is a great way to get some creative juices moving!

Have fun! I love to hear about what you are imagining and then actually creating in your life!

Resolve to take action.

journal 01022010 bvw

“You can only generate ideas when you put pencil to paper, brush to canvas…when you actually do something physical”

by Twyla Tharp, choreographer

Imagine, then create your year in 2010

Every day you can create a new way of looking, thinking, changing. This is your challenge as a human being. You are endowed with imagination, or the ability to see things in your mind’s eye. When you make what you imagine, real, you are using your creativity!

So it is with New Year’s resolutions.

Imagine what you can do with your life this year. Now make it begin to take shape by actively, step by step, making it real. Make a commitment to yourself. Your resolution is not necessarily related to making artwork, as mine happens to be. It just has the attitude of an artist . When you imagine something and then create  it, you are an artist in your life.

Seriously investigate the details of Leo Babauta’s method at this link. He has really simplified  this yearly conundrum. Leo suggests that you;

Choose six habits you would like to change this year.

Choose one to focus on for the first two months.

Commit to creating this habit.

Choose a trigger to remind you to do it.

Progressively increase your commitment.

In eight weeks you will have accomplished what yo set out to do.

Take small baby steps. Reward yourself. Publicly commit to doing this.

Here is my first journal sketch, as promised.  I have linked the image to my online gallery of journal sketches. I included a few from 2009 that were inspiring to me. I have promised to post publicly, because I believe that it is important to be transparent as I am making my resolutions happen this year. I encourage you to take this opportunity to make your efforts together with me. Let me know how it works for you and what you are doing to stay on track.

I also found a fantastic book that I am reading. Is inspiring as it champions the the innate value of the creative imagination and its existence in all humans. It is called “The Element: How finding your passion changes everything”‘ by Ken Robinson, Ph.D. Be sure to check out his dynamic website , too!

Wield the power to become what you imagine!

 It is all about how you perceive yourself, how much  time and resources you think you have.

If you have always desired to create something…to make something happen, like a business, a book, a job, a sculpture, a trip, a degree, learn a language you can.  If you have always wanted to love what you do and work at what you love, you can!

And now is the perfect time to start.

A fresh new year is upon us!  I know, you’ve made new years’ resolutions before, only to fall away before the end of January. So have I.  My successful resolutions  have been nurtured organically, gently and consistently. I  found a very helpful site! Leo Babauta of ZenHabits has done it again!  He has come up with a method of making resolutions that is simple, clear and productive. His site for this purpose is 6 changes. Please be sure to check it out for the specifics!

I am so motivated that I have already chosen 6 things I want to transform. As you might have already guessed, the first is my artwork. Actually, I just want to work more regularly and often on it. I already have the time slot in place for it, but am currently not making the best use of the time. Sometimes I am tired or don’t feel I have enough room or time to create what I want. Sometimes I don’t know what I want to create because I have so many ideas and lose focus. Since I also teach art full time, my time has to be focused and well defined.

Leo’s suggestions are well defined on 6 changes method, I will choose a trigger event to precede my work, work without pressure, taking small steps . I am making a public commitment on this blog by posting and reporting on my progress. Beginning January 1, 2010, I will be making 5 art journal entries and two paintings a day . I will be posting one daily on this blog with a link to all of them on my website.

So, I would love to know what habits you would like to empower yourself with to elicit change in your life. We can support each other in our goals. You can contact me in comments here or on twitter at bethvw.

I’m in. Are you?

Breathing space into cracks of time

Have you found that there is never enough time to actually accomplish all that you “desire” to do?

Sometimes I get up in the morning with a list a mile long that is leftover from yesterday. How many times have I put off painting or drawing for other things that seem more important?  How long have I been promising myself that I will revisit learning French, write a note to someone, bake bread or visit an old friend?  It just seems that it is easier to take the habitual road than to break new ground.

But I’ve done it before.  I’ve taken that  first step to initiate a new idea or  project in spite of my perception of time’s scarcity.

• List things that you know are important stepping stones when viewed from the  perspective of your entire life. Ask how you would feel if you never tried this? Where does it fit in your life, if you live each day as if it were your first?
• Think of the fleeting moment that is your life on earth and how this currently deferred venture will fit in?
• Pray.
• If it meets the criteria,  make a plan to integrate it into your day. A daily habit is great because it helps to bring you to the table.

• Find a little time in between things. Do not over schedule or pack time too tightly. At the beginning or end of the day is simple and not jarring.  For an early morning person, rise earlier. If you are a night owl, stay up 30 minutes later. But don’t do both at the same time. Sleep is a necessity for creative thinking. Leave a window in between projects that is larger than you think you need.
• Set aside 30 minutes each day.
• Re prioritize your life. be more expedient at the things that you are already used to doing and give yourself a healthy but finite time to do them.
• When you enter that newly found time space, breathe in and breathe out.
• Slow down.
• Allow yourself the deep luxury of being in the now moment.

Finally time opens up, welcoming you into the flow.

Drawing on meditation

Drawing is the discipline by which I constantly discover the world. (Frederick Franck)

tangled garden beauty by bvw

Imagine your life…now live what you’ve imagined.

 

Helen reading by bvw

 

Act as if.

It is very effective.

I have had and do have times when I can’t seem to get my imagination to go past what I already do in my current “real” life. I am trying to change my direction, but it just doesn’t happen . I guess you could say I am in a rut. At this point, I know I have to free myself to fulfill the potential of my vast imagination. The only way to do that is to let go of my self taught or life taught parameters and choose to go beyond them.

Suddenly, everything is possible. And it really is!

It is all about what you believe is possible. Allowing yourself to “image” or” make a picture in your mind” of what you would like to accomplish is one of the  thinking tools of creativity as defined by Robert and Michele Root- Bernstein in their book “Sparks of Genius”. Their research outlines 13 thinking tools that they have discovered are used by the world’s most creative people.  use the ideas in this book to remind myself of ways to sharpen my creative tools. I will be occasionally referencing them as I explore ways to increase creativity in your life.

To simplify, to get out of a rut of thinking the same thoughts and doing things the same way. Here are 5 concrete steps:

1. Set aside at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted time. Sometimes, just doing this takes imagination!      Some suggestions I have found to be helpful are:    Get up a half hour earlier; sit in your car at lunch time; put dinner up and sit in the kitchen while the meal warms up; go to your room; take a walk with the dog; go to the beach or a park nearby; have a cup of tea or coffee where nobody knows you so there is no extended conversation; go to the library and look busy. (You really are!)
2. Now make pictures in your mind of how your life “is” when you are living the life you imagine. This is the most important step!
3. Describe this in a journal. A journal to write, draw or collage in is a great place to automatically put down your thoughts. It also saves time AND your thoughts because you never actually lose the previous ideas. The journal is always there for reference.
4. Act as if you are already doing this! If you want to be a successful writer, you need to write as if you already are. What would a writer’s day look like? What would be the priorities in his/her life?
5. How would you define success in accomplishing your newly imagined goal? Defining exactly what you want is important because each person can have a totally different idea of what achieving “success” in that area is.
6. Make a list of things to do that would accomplish this. Start with a simple item that you can accomplish today and determine when, today,  you will do it. Set up another goal for the next day.
7. Focus on this goal and how to continue to advance, expand and change it on a regular basis. Continue to use your journal and your reserved time. Adjust the time more or less, depending n your schedule and the time needs of your chosen path.

Let me know how you are creatively re-imagining your life. It is always astounding to see how concentrated imaging makes a path for transformation in life! Take a look at some other people who have transformed their lives and documented it on their blogs! Zen Habits has a detailed of how he makes changes and an interview with Colin Wright in Far Beyond the Stars.

Yoga-think your life into balance

Sometimes it is just overwhelming to even think about one more thing to juggle, even if it is balancing out your life. Believe me, I know how it feels. So that is the time to stop thinking. And start consciously moving…into yoga!

• Move mindfully.
• Walk with intention.
• Breathe slowly and deeply, into your abdomen.

I find that one of the most important parts of doing yoga, is making the space and intention to do it. Once  I am in the studio, I know I will not leave until after shavasana. That is the part where you lie down and totally relax for 10 minutes. It is my favorite part! So I tend to be in the now moment for the entire practice, because I know I cannot leave for that hour.. Even if the going gets tough, I’m there. Shavasana and feeling balanced is my reward.

Oh dear, you are probably wondering what that has to do with life balance.

When you physically create a practice, when you practice breathing and moving mindfully, it begins to crossover to your creative, intellectual and spiritual habits. I find myself resorting to yoga breathing when I am in a stressful situation. For that I use the long deep in and out through the nose breathing. It is very calming. I find that I am more likely to do things mindfully and calmly.

What if you want to accomplish something, like writing, but are working two jobs and just can’t find the time?

• Be in the now moment.
• Breathe in and out slowly.
• Ask yourself to give yourself a half hour, 2 days a week.
• Treat yourself afterwards; perhaps a nap? a cup of tea?
• If you aren’t inspired, write anyway.
• Don’t judge yourself.
• Be regular and without pressure.

It is the intent and regular practice in yoga that takes you where you want to go. Many times in yoga, your ability to do a posture will change from day to day. You listen to your body.

As Madeleine L’Engle said in her book called “Walking on Water”,

To work on a book is for me very much the sane thing as to pray. Both involve discipline. If the artist works only when he feels like it, he’s not apt to build up much of a body of work. Inspiration far more often comes during the work than before it. because the largest part of the job of the artist is to listen to the work, and to go where it tells him to go…To pray is to listen also.

How do you ge ytourself gently back on track?

For more great ideas about focusing creative energy, absolutely visit the blog Write to Done. Also try Unwrap your Mind for another dynamic yet gentle approach to finding your way to reach your potential.

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Why being creative is the next best thing!

home by bvw

Creativity is becoming increasingly important in the world theses days. As we struggle to find solutions to the problems an issues that are currently preoccupying us, vast knowledge is not enough! Daniel Pink writes in his book “A Whole New Mind”,

“Today, the defining skills of the previous era_ the “left brain: capabilities are no longer sufficient. And the capabilities we once disdained or thought frivolous- the “right brain” qualities of inventiveness, empathy, joyfulness and meaning- increasingly will determine who flourishes and who flounders. For individuals, families, and organizations, professional success and personal fulfillment now require a whole new mind.”

How can you incorporate more creativity in your own life?

Change your perception.

Yes, that’s right. Change how you look at things. When I was in high school, in Latin class, my teacher taught me that if the world was overwhelming us take a walk to an imaginary mountain nearby, and climb to the top. Then look at the troubling situation from a different perspective. I never forgot that gem of a suggestion. It changed my life.

Changing your viewpoint opens up all sorts of options that you never noticed before!

Try it and let me know how it changes your life.

Recognizing beauty is explored by Patrick in  Unwrap your Mind . I love the way he analyzes and explores in his inspiring blog.

Also , check out my guest post today about “Art & Soul” on The Religion Network .