“The place in which I’ll fit will not exist until I make it.” ~ James Baldwin (1924-1987)
Frank Zappa said, Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”
Let’s make places where the oddballs fit. And change the world.
Facilitating Creative Breakthroughs
“The place in which I’ll fit will not exist until I make it.” ~ James Baldwin (1924-1987)
Frank Zappa said, Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”
Let’s make places where the oddballs fit. And change the world.
The creative process is innate to human life. We don’t need to make complicated plans to search for ideas. We simply need to make room for them to visit.
The times I’ve been most unhappy with my teaching were the times that I didn’t allow enough of a pause. Instead, I rushed on to the next thing without properly giving the topic at hand the time that it deserved.
When we give something–a project, a seminar, a relationship, a dilemma–space, a solution (or the next right action) naturally presents itself.
“Creativity is an intelligence. When we respect its needs—for freedom, not knowing, beauty, a big vision, intrinsic motivation, and space—it will flourish.”
1. Creativity needs space, both internal and external
– How can you give yourself internal space? If something is on your mind, take care of it before diving into new creative work.
– How can you give yourself external space? How can you give yourself the physical space to create?
2. Creativity is intrinsically motivated
– In this moment, what feels important to you? What does your heart have to say? Do you have a long-standing desire that won’t go away? That’s a directional pointer.
– Many creativity experts have suggested automatic stream-of-consciousness writing as a way to tap inspired ideas.
3. For your creativity to flourish, it wants your biggest vision
– Big visions are just that—they’re bigger than you. They’re bigger than your mind knows how to immediately solve. Be honest with yourself: What is your full vision? Don’t make the mistake of leaping too soon to the practical questions of how it can happen. Let yourself dream big, and then look for the next little action step or inquiry to take you deeper.
4. Creativity is nourished and fed by beauty
– What in your environment, situation, or relationships feels draining, ugly, or dull? Weed those things out.
– Make a list of five things you can do this week that would feel beautiful or celebrate beauty. Then do one of them. (Better yet, invite a friend to do this exercise with you and then share what you each discovered.)
5. Creativity is subversive
– How can you create your own “world”? Is there a medium or terrain that intrigues you? Take a little action step to create a make-believe world for yourself.
– Where (or how) do you need to allow yourself freedom from what others think? Close your eyes for a moment, take a few gentle breaths, and let your heart tell you. What pops in? This is your creative edge. It’s yours alone to traverse.
6. Not knowing is the starting point for the creative
– How can you work on your project from a state of not knowing? How can you set aside what you know and look at it with fresh eyes?
– How can you let yourself flow like a river? How can you let yourself flow and not know?’
Read the full article here: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/six_ways_to_break_your_creative_blocks
It takes courage to follow a creative path. It takes fortitude to go against the norm and follow an inner call. It takes resourcefulness to reassure parents and well-meaning friends & colleagues that you’re not crazy or out of your mind. But when we follow the nudges that don’t make any sense, that’s when whole worlds open up. Click here to read the article.
I’m SO excited to be part of the Tiny Buddha tribe. ✨
Personal Growth: 5 Secret Gifts of the Arts
1. The arts give us experiences of depth and insight that we can’t get from other sources.
2. The arts teach us how to work within a material. All art forms employ some means through which inner images and visions can become real.
3. Through their capacity for metaphor, the arts allow us to say things that can’t be ordinarily said.
4. The arts teach us how to make good judgments about qualitative relationships. Unlike finance or business in which correct answers and rules prevail, in the arts, it is judgment rather than rules that prevail.
5. The arts demonstrate the range and variety of human emotion and feeling, and help us connect with those emotions. We’re able to tap feelings and memories with art that we can’t tap any other way.
Inspired by and adapted from Elliot Eisner, 2002, The Arts and the Creation of Mind. Yale University Press.