Skip to content
August 26, 2014 / alice

finding creativity is more than a checklist

Screen shot 2014-08-26 at 9.21.41 AM

Last week on facebook I quickly posted about more and more articles popping up all over the web (as well as in Facebook feeds) about how to be more creative. I wasn’t able to make time that day to write a blog post on this topic but I am coming back to it now.

I want to write my own version of this list describing how to be in touch with your creative side. Hopefully I will even get to write and illustrate my own book on this!  But there is something else that these lists don’t share with you that is just as important as the items on these lists.

1) Each person will find their own creative inspiration in different things.

The beauty of life is something called bio-individuality. This word mostly comes up in integrative and holistic approaches to nutrition but it is applicable here too. Bio-Individuality teaches us the way our bodies need nutrients and process foods is unique to each person. There is no one right way to eat for everyone. The same for creative inspiration. Each of us will find activities that nourish our creative spirit and feed our souls differently than person sitting next to us, our sibling or our best friend.  Part of finding creative inspiration is allowing yourself to PLAY in order to find what lights your creative fire. Creative inspiration is totally, utterly, and completely personal.

 

2) KNOWING what sparks your own creative vision is part of being able to tap into your creativity with abundance.

Allow yourself time to re-find or newly find your creative passion. Free yourself to think, be, explore without judging yourself or your creative endeavors. Also think outside the proverbial box a bit. For me I get inspired by nature, commuting (car rides, public transportation, bike rides), other people’s art– the list is kinda endless actually. But I wasn’t always able to ramble off a list in moments. This takes practice. For you it may be digging in the dirt, cooking, doing math problems– I don’t know. But YOU DO if you take the time to listen to it.

Here are some other blog posts I have written that talk about each of us being an artist and about how broad the definition of an artist is.

we are all artists
defining and embodying your artist

 

3) Identify what creativity (or art or artist) means to you, write it down and then dissect it.

Get DIRTY with your list. See what is holding you back from believing what you want to believe or intuitively know about creativity. Make a list of what you want to believe (your truth) and what comments, thoughts or other ideas are holding you back from listening to your truth. Think of this as a scavenger or treasure hunt- Have fun.

 

I do encourage you to check out these lists because they can be a stepping stone to investigating your own creative practices.

Find 3  lists- stop and read them. Then identify which items you like or practices you want to start engaging with. Here are a couple ways to go about this (or make up your own way!)

Write those items down by hand or type them up. Put them up somewhere to be seen regularly.

Print out the lists. Highlight, cut out, make a collage of the things pulled at your heart strings and what got you excited. I mean REALLY excited.

__________________________________________________________________

The next part is the hard part though…..

START DOING IT!!!!

Don’t do them all at once- like an animal hungry for your own creativity.

Be gentle. See where your stumbling blocks are. Give yourself permission to make mistakes. PLAY.

Start small and watch yourself bloom.

IMG_0532

cactus bloom in progress

 

 

One Comment

Leave a Comment
  1. angela / Aug 27 2014 10:59 am

    So right! I needed to see that word, “play.” Thanks, Alice!! (ps – the cactus bloom is purty)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *