“In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.”
~May
Here I sit, exhausted, after working our challenge for the last few days. Exhausted but energized, and ready to go! We have all read so many articles, stories and blogs about the early bird getting the worm, and people being most productive early in the day, and how getting up straight away will make your day go faster and more productively. Truth be told, the entire purpose of this blog when I began, was in fact to talk about how the early bird gets the worm, and to tout the benefits getting up at the butt crack of dawn to find time to be creative….well, in working those steps I can report this:- I am not so much of a morning person, and waking up early has never really been my thing.
- Most of my life I have HAD to get up early to get to school, get to work, or to care for children.
- I now relish the fact that I do NOT have to get up early, but often I’m worse off for sleeping in.
Part of me firmly believes that waking earlier does not necessarily have a direct effect on our creative productivity. Some folks are early risers, some are late. Some folks get to bed early, some are night owls. I believe that the key is to find the time that works for you and learn to use it the best way you know how!
“The early bird gets the worm.” ~Camden
My better half is up before 5:00 a.m., to find time to work out prior to work. I admire his fortitude, he rarely misses a day, and I’m often felt compelled to join him in this morning function. When I was getting out of bed and jumping in the shower – to get the FIRST one of the day, before he, and each of my three children use the very last drop of even lukewarm water…I did find that I got a great deal more accomplished during the course of my day. It wasn’t just because I got up early though…as I originally thought.
My day, like most other folks, is generally dictated by certain tasks that need to be accomplished, and is broken down into blocks of time. My morning time was completely undisturbed, unhurried, and all my own…which is why I was able to be more productive initially, then when my “regular” day began I was already prepped and ready to go. As well, if we wake up one hour early each of the 365 days of the year, that would be an additional 365 waking hours, which equals 15 full days of being fully awake per year…of COURSE we could get more done! But is rising early the only option?
Of the challenges artists share about being creative, finding the time to do so is over all the largest issue. How do we take time for our own creativity when we have so many other demands made upon us such as outside jobs, family, schedules, errands, chores, responsibilities? How do we sit down with tools, paint, paper & pen or cameras when there are lunches to be made, dishes to be done, bills to be paid? Especially, because truth be told, I must admit that I am a bit of an all or nothing kind of person, which of course works into my art as well… I feel as if I am not able to finish a whole project at once, then I do not want to begin it, until I can find an adequate block of time. Which of course, rarely happens if I am not diligent.
Here are a few facts that we ALL know, but must often be reminded of:
- There will always be other things to be done, important other things. If you wait until everything has settled and all the other to-dos are finished, you will be waiting for a very long time…maybe forever.
- That 24 hours per day is more than enough time to meet the demands on your daily life, you simply need to work out the details.
- The Universe WANTS you to be creative or you would not possess the gifts that it has given you, and the Universe also expects you do the work…the world is waiting for your works!
- You have more control over how you spend your precious time and energy than you truly would like to admit to yourself. Sounds harsh, but deep down, you know it’s true!
- You possess the intelligence and desire to reclaim your creativity and your lost time, so that you can have a more creative life. Often change is the only way to make that transformation, because doing the same thing again, is clearly not working.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~Einstein
If we begin with the full belief in those facts…and they are facts, then we can move on to the next piece of work and on to our challenge!!
Let’s begin with a very core belief, a belief that is the foundation of almost all traditions of wisdom. This core belief is that we are all hungry for fulfillment; and there is nothing you can buy, own, or rent that will fill up that hunger for a sense of wonder and fulfillment. Nothing.
The good news is that creative expression, regardless of the type: writing, dancing, cooking, bird watching, jewelry making, painting, quilting, etc. can give any person almost everything he or she has been searching for: peace, meaning, enlightenment, beauty. Everything.
The bad news is that well, you must make time for the creative expression to reap the rewards.
This is why is it critical to figure out how to integrate your creativity and self-expression into your life right now. Doing that may not look like a three-day workshop or even a whole day of creating with hours on end of uninterrupted time. But it can in fact be something that will bring you to life, nourish your heart and sustain your creative soul. It can.
I would like once again to remind you that we are working on our Creative Courage, and that the only way to grow our courage is to do what we are afraid of first, and then the courage comes. So when you read further please do so with an open mind, think about making change, and helping yourself be who you really are. Build your courage. Fulfill your wonder. Bring yourself to life!
“One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude.” ~ Goethe
There are only THREE creative habits that you need to cultivate to create the world you love. Sounds simple, but as we all know…it’s never THAT easy right?! I’m going to help us figure out just how easy it can be, working it so that it becomes easy, natural, and part of our lives. We need to listen to our hunger, and follow where it leads. To do that we will learn how to:
1. Find Solitude 2. Find Time With Others 3. Create A Universe
Finding Solitude…
To most Artists and Creatives this is the largest block in our creativity….it is a block because we can not seem to find it. But in fact, we must. If you do not believe me then please read what some of the creative masters throughout time have said:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: “When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer–say, traveling in a carriage or walking after a good meal or during the night when I cannot sleep–it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly.”
Pablo Picasso: “Without great solitude no serious work is possible.”
Albert Einstein: “On the other hand, although I have a regular work schedule, I take time to go for long walks on the beach so that I can listen to what is going on inside my head. If my work isn’t going well, I lie down in the middle of a workday and gaze at the ceiling while I listen and visualize what goes on in my imagination.”
Carl Sandburg: “One of the greatest necessities in America is to discover creative solitude.”
Franz Kafka: “You need not leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You need not even listen, simply wait, just learn to become quiet, and still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
Nikola Tesla: “The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude. Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone—that is the secret of invention: be alone, that is when ideas are born.”
Solitude doesn’t need to mean being completely alone, for those who have small children, or large families, or virtually no time to themselves, can still find solitude. When I was home with five children under the age of six, my husband leaving at 5:30 a.m., arriving home at 6:30 p.m.., kindergarten, pre-school, naps and everything else; there was no set daily time for me to be alone. There were small pocket so time for me to grab for myself, but they were generally spent, cleaning, cooking, making phone calls or other acts that were for everyone else. I was slowly losing my creative mind…literally and figuratively.
So, to find my solitude, I ate while I was cooking dinner for everyone else. I made sure everything was on the table or within reach; and when it was time for dinner – I left. I went into the bathroom, with an iPod, I turned on the fan and I locked bathroom door. So even if someone did knock, I didn’t hear them. Sounds silly but if that’s what needs to be done, then for the sake of your creative spirit…cultivate the habit. Teach the people around you how to treat you, and part of that is your time alone. Even if it’s only 15 mins a day, stuck in your bathroom, with an iPod sitting on the commode!
Whatever must be done. Must be done. Period. Without solitude, there is no creativity.
Finding Time with Others….
While this may sound completely contradictory to the first habit, when it comes to nurturing your creativity, participation is also key. This can come in many ways and forms, but it does require connecting with, being inspired by, and collaborating with others. But how does one balance both solitude and participation? First they must obviously come at different times, and that take conscious effort. Although we are more often more quick to find time with others than we are to find solitude for ourselves we must make certain we do both. We need inspiration from without, but we need creation from within.
Chase Jarvis says: “Devour Popular Culture. Consuming the works of others inspires me. And it’s not just museums and the “establishment”. I devour magazines, books, street art, performances, music, etc. All things that make me think critically (and whimsically) about the world. You get the picture. Inspiration can come from anywhere.”
Ali Edwards states: “Take notes. I am a really good note-taker. It’s essential for me to write down my ideas when they come to mind…otherwise, poof, they disappear way too quickly as I move on to the next task (diaper changes, wiping noses, tending to the stuff of life). I use my phone, my computer, and a notebook to jot down thoughts and ideas.”
Finding time with others can include just about anything, from a night out with friends, to a class in anything at all, to simply perusing an art show of some kind! The purpose is, and we must remember this…is not to go out alone and spend time alone in an activity. It is to interact with others, to talk, connect, collaborate, learn and live. I’ve said a thousand times, I could easily be a shut in, especially in the Wisconsin winters….but it is imperative to get out, be social, be involved, and be alive! (Yes, I’m trying!!)
Create Your Universe…
This includes both finding time and finding space that you feel comfortable creating in. There are literally a million and a half ways to do this, and you will have to work on your own to figure out how to create that specifically for yourself. If you are a writer, you may need but a pen and notebook. I am lucky enough to have carved out a studio in my home where I can close the door and do my works. I understand not everyone has that, but there are ways to make it happen for you. The key is that when we feel the need to be creative we need to do it NOW, and if our Universe is not available, our creative hunger is not satisfied. If we feel deprived for too long, our need for creative expression can become deep, intense and painful. And when our needs seem to be unattainable we become frustrated, overwhelmed, depressed and angry. So create your universe, and use it! Create when you feel hungry to create, and you will stay satiated, and your life will blossom.
So, when I say make space, I mean make just the space you need for now…then allow it grow over time. But if space is the block, please moderate your expectations. Just like the “iPod Potty” trick I used to use; I used to have a bag of tools, another bag of supplies and a small blanket. When I wanted to create, the blanket was my studio. I would lie it on the floor, or on the counter, or table…and I would unpack all my supplies, and I would work. I graduated from that to a small tale in a closet, then a larger table in the laundry room, to an unfinished room in the basement, to a finished room in the basement, then to a studio in our FROG room….we don’t always get what we want, but I can guarantee that the Universe wants you to create, and the Universe will give you what you need! You just need to want it bad enough, to think outside the box and then find it! So a corner behind a room screen, a coat closet not really used, a basket with a sketchbook and pencils…open your mind, find your space, it’s the first step in creating your universe.
Next, we address finding time. This actually coincides with finding space, which is why they are one and the same rule. Depending on the type of Creative or Artist you are, what type of time you can find, also vacillates with what time of time you can find! So let’s think about this outside the box, like we talked about last week in Evil Creative Genius. Finding time to be creative is different then finding time for solitude or time with others. It’s a different manner of creative thinking.
I am both a procrastinator and a time management junkie, a hippie bohemian artists as well as a type A, Martha protégé …although it seems contraditory, it actually helps me to think more creatively. Try to think in this same manner..on Sunday craft a general plan for the week, so your to-do items get done, but you have time that can be planned or un-planned. It actually feels great to give up an evening of watching t.v., cleaning the house, or an hour of websurfing to allow ourselves to regain creative time. Time to write one page, time to garden, time to cook a gourmet meal, time to create, time we need to build our creativity.
Create while you wait! We spend so many hours waiting. We wait in traffic, at restaurants, airports, trains, planes, at the grocery…instead of cussing and hoping you are casting the correct voodoo spell, try using this time to collect ideas for your next project, or even work on your project if it is that kind of portable! Keep your sketchbook in your car, in your bag, with you at all times, and doodle away, as much as you can as often as you can. Keep a notebook with you for ideas and thoughts that come through your mind, or simply use this dead time to get your mind to work in a more creative fashion!
While waiting at a restaurant, scrutinize menus and displays, how could they improve on the colors, the seating, music and lighting to affect the restaurants mood and energy.
If you take a train as part of your commute or are flying, invest in a good pair of noise reduction earplugs or headphones, and instead of reading, sketch your ideas, do some free association writing, start your novel….your trip will go faster, and you will be working the creative part of your brain which is very satisfying.
Now, when you’ve decide to enter your Creative Universe…remember to turn off your phone, your computer, your PDA, think only about being creative, and the task at hand. Being creative requires commitment and staying on task, we may all want to be right brained hippies, but if we only create when we really feel like it and when the circumstances are perfect, we won’t get much done.
Also, don’t be afraid to work on more than one project at a time! Especially if you work in more than one medium, that way if you are stuck on one project then you can work on the other one! In your universe you are also not a perfectionist, you are a Creative, so just create, mediate your expectations, don’t judge yourself, just create. Organize your space/tools so that you can clean up when you are finished, which it will make it easier to start up again (sounds contradictory but it in fact is not) being able to begin again is key to keeping your Creative Universe…creative!
Challenge then:
Find ways to work creativity into every day of your life as it is right now. How can you express yourself today? What can you do to make something more beautiful? Where can you allow your mind to wander and explore? How Curious have you been? What words might you choose? Have you beenComplimentary? What outfit will you put together? Are you Dressing Like a Genius? What is on your mind? Are you looking into your Eyes? Write one sentence. Take one picture. Draw for five minutes. Dance to one song. Sing to one tune….something…anything…everything. Just do it!
I challenge everyone to wake up a half hour (an hour would be better) early each day this week OR stay up a half hour later OR use your lunch hour, and start on the steps…find solitude, meditate, or get creative, depending on what you need to work on! Wander around your home and determine where your will plant your universe, write, draw, paint, sew, dance, string, glue, play, cook…whatever! Find your solitude and enjoy it. Plan on when you can spend time with others. Do what you are comfortable and happy doing, but take that time each and every day, experience it with a good attitude and have fun with it! Let’s see what one full week of that extra time will bring us this week!
You are a creative spirit every single day…bring yourself to life…these are the things we will remember, the true riches of life, so don’t just find time to be creative….actually BE creative!
