Tag Archives: san francisco creativity coach

Feb5

5 Needs Your Creative Heart Demands in Order to Grow

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5 Needs Your Creative Heart Demands in Order to Grow

Imgres There can be times in life when we get stuck, when old patterns begin to rear their heads.  It can creep up on us slowly, without us noticing.  We'll be zooming along, working, going to school, or raising a family, and it seems like we're really in the flow when one day we realize we have totally neglected our creativity, or disconnected from the source of our inspiration.  It's at this point when it's helpful to recognize that creativity needs several ingredients to grow.  When I was in grammar school, we planted a marigold every year in a cup.  We'd water them and leave them on the window sill, and nothing would happen, but one day, a bud would burst through the moist soil and almost overnight a flower would emerge.  That would be right about the time in May when Mother's Day falls, and we were told to bring the flower home in the little styrofoam (ugh) cup to our Mama.  

Well, creativity is just the same way.  And the world is our Mama.  The earth is our Mama.  It's just our job to tend to that little seed.  

Here are the top five ingredients you need to help get that creative seed germinating so you can write that screenplay, that solo show, play that album, or cook that masterpiece meal:

1. Soil.  You need a container, a solid ground to sprout from.  A foundation.  Make sure that today, you eat well, sleep well, and stay rooted.
2. Water. Water is the wet, moist carrier of new information.  Bring in new information, new ideas, new juicy things into your life to keep things flowing upward.
3. Sunshine.  Being in nature is a great way to connect with something greater than yourself to recharge your batteries and give you the oomph to expand.
4. Love.  Be kind to yourself.  Love and adore you are right now, with no need to change anything, and you will find that what flows from that place is infinitely more interesting.
5. Time. Be patient.  Give it all time to do its thing and you'll see your bud in no time.

Now go out and grow!

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"Man (or woman) can live abou forty days without food, about three days without water, about three minutes without air.  But only for one second without hope."  -Anon

Sep29

Creating Every Moment

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Creating Every Moment

Creative_woman
People come to me for creativity coaching and say, "I should do more creative work.  If I spent an hour a day making art, that would be great."

But creativity doesn't only have to happen when we sit down to write or paint.  It can be part of every moment!  Have you spent time with those people who seem to make magic out of every moment?  People who invent a game out of jumping into their car, dance their way through the supermarket, belt out their favorite song at work, and create entire theater pieces with inanimate objects.  Your creativity is a muscle, and it wants to be pumped!  Try the following creativity exercises and incorporate them into your day to get your creative juice flowing.

  • turn your socks into sock puppets while you're getting dressed
  • think of a song you don't like, and write new lyrics that express the opposite sentiment of the song
  • write down all the excuses you make for not making your art in bullet points.  in a second column, write what you did instead of making art.  then, choose a silly accent, and read each of them aloud to yourself. 
  • take one day and invent life stories for each stranger you see on the street
  • wear a unique piece of clothing that people will comment on, and then make up a different story for each of them about where it came from

For added synergy, fill your well with stories of others' art and life to inspire you even more.

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"The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to
leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your
intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover
is yourself."

-Alan Alda

Sep1

Find your way, no matter what.

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Find your way, no matter what.

Woodpath
In my creativity coaching practice, I work with all kinds of performers.  A client of mine just told me that she had quit performing for a year because of some unkind words from a booker.  The booker's words had nothing to do with her performance; he was upset about something else.  She knew that, but was so shocked by such treatment that she didn't return to the stage. 

Guess what she did with that year:  She spent it honing her craft.  She recorded and watched herself performing over and over again, rehearsed every day, and created a rock-solid repertoire.  (Insert montage sequence with the theme from Rocky here.)  When she worked up the courage to return to the stage, she knew her talent and skill was unquestionable.  And if a booker (or audience member, or anyone) ever speaks unkindly again, she'll know without a doubt that it's because they had a bad day.  And more importantly, she's knows she's earned her self-esteem and her place on stage.  I just saw her perform for the first time, and she's soulful, highly skilled, and beautifully in touch with her heart.

Her commitment to her goals in the face of fear inspires me.

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    "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."

    -Vince Lombardi

Aug4

Resuscitate your creative heartbeat with a CPR!

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Resuscitate your creative heartbeat with a CPR!

Ukulelewahine_3
It’s easy to fall into the routine of daily life.  Making time for your creative expression, whether it’s an avocation or a career, can be difficult for some people.  Here is a piece of writing that can help strengthen your vision and resolve by reminding you why you’re doing what you’re doing.  It’s called a CPR, which stands for Context, Purpose, Results. 

Topic:  Pick an area that’s meaningful to you, and make that the title of your CPR.

Playing the Ukulele

Results:  Make a list of 10-20 things you want to result from playing the ukulele.  They can range from concrete and specific to abstract and ethereal, but make sure you write them in the present or past tense, as if they have already happened.

  • I learned twelve chords.
  • I can play all my favorite Tiny Tim songs.
  • I really enjoy practicing every day.
  • I don’t even mind now that the uke looks so tiny in my hands.
  • People love to sing with me when I pull out the uke, and I feel like a party animal now.
  • The uke really feels like an extension of my body because I play it so much.
  • People call me all the time, asking if I’ll bring my uke to their parties, and I make so many new and interesting friends because of it.
  • I really feel self-expressed.

Purpose:  Write why you want to play the ukulele.  Then, think about what you’ve just written.  And say what that makes possible.  And then, say what makes that possible.  Continue to "ripple out" the effects of your uke-playing to see the largest possible effect it has on the world.

I want to play ukulele because the special plinky sound of the strings makes me feel happy whenever I’m feeling blue.  If I’m truly happy and self-expressed, I will brighten the lives of those around me.  If those around me are brighter, they will touch and enliven their friends, family, and co-workers.  If this many people even spread one small, bright note of authentic cheer to everyone they know, I will be contributing to world peace.  So, my playing ukulele contributes to world peace.

Context:  Write a few words that sum up the kind of person you’d have to be to make each of these things true, i. e. if what way do you need to move around your world to achieve these goals?

playful, disciplined, expressive, open

Take what you’ve written, and put it on the wall where you can see it (with the Context at the top, then the Purpose, then the Results at the bottom) every day, and let it remind you of what you really, really want.

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     "Hide not your talents.  They for use were made.  What’s a sundial in the shade?"

     -Ben Franklin

Jul28

Your Daily Action Partner

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Your Daily Action Partner

Integrity
In my creativity coaching work, one of the most common things I see is that people have a vision, but they sabotage themselves in carrying it out.  Your integrity with yourself, that is, your ability to think, act, and speak in alignment with your vision is your magic key to carrying out your vision.  When you make an agreement with yourself to do something in line with your vision, you need to guard that agreement with all of your being.  (Therefore, don’t make agreements you aren’t willing to keep!)  When you break an agreement with yourself, there is a breach in your integrity that must be repaired.

You have to do this for yourself, but you don’t have to do it by yourself.  One of the best tools for staying aligned with your integrity is having a daily action partner.  This is a person with whom you make an agreement to call every morning (set a time to call by) and outline what your actions will be for the day.  Each of you take five minutes or less letting the other person know what steps you are taking today.  An action partner can inspire you, fire you up, and hold you accountable for following through on your dreams.  Take turns listening and be compassionate when there is a break-down.  All that needs to happen when you break a commitment is that you speak what happened, what the cause of the breakdown was, and a statement of what you are re-committing to.

        "When you are impeccable, you take responsibility for your actions, but you do not judge or blame yourself." 

        -Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements