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Monday, July 19, 2010

Creativity Week's Fearless Kick Off!!

CREATIVITY - The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.



Happy Monday Everyone!

Creativity week is upon us and am I excited! I have gone off road and actually prepared a bit for the week! I've noticed that the past few Monday's my kick off posts have felt a little rote. You know going through the motions... I've popped some of the EXACT SAME Bliss Initiatives up, not that some of them aren't worth a revisit, but I haven't been giving my kick offs the attention that could make the difference. I think this is the reason why 90% of the time I feel like I'm just getting started when the week is over.

One of the creative approaches I took is reaching outside of my usual circle for some creative inspiration. I did this by hopping on Twitter. I searched on #Creativity just to see what/who was talking about creativity and when I saw a few tweets that caught my attention I said hello and asked if the tweeter might be interested in participating in Creativity week over here. What a response!! My request netted an enthusiastic YES! and I was lucky enough to meet Elizabeth of Things Bright. I invited Elizabeth to write a creativity guest post (which you will get later in the week!) but I also invited her to shake up my Creativity Initiatives for the week and she enthusiastically responded and offers our first two initiatives for the week!

This week's "Bliss Initiatives" are color coded in purple for quick identification. They are specific things that you too can try, if you want to play along with me. However, because as Earl Nightingale says, "you become what you think about," even if you only follow along, and never take on any of the bliss initiatives, I expect some positive results. We will be exploring and encouraging CREATIVITY this way:
  • Do Something You Are Afraid Of - Fear is a main inhibitor of Creativity. This leads to procrastination. It's why your new stuff isn't listed on Etsy yet. Or why you haven't tried a new style of painting. It's why you still haven't learned to sew. Or fill-in-the-blank with your untried creative venture. Start doing what you are afraid of. You will be proud of your efforts. And the mental space fear occupies will be open to new joys instead. This leads to new creativity. 
  • Do Something You Are Afraid Of - "Wait, what? You just said that." I know. Some of you were thinking you'd gloss over number one and try number two instead. The thing is, continuing to live in your fear will continue to stifle your creative journey. How much better would you feel if you just tried your new idea instead of continuing to sit on it? How much better would you feel if you finally tried to learn that one technique you still need to master? How much better would you feel if you took the time to figure out that one tech issue on your website that you don't understand? Or were just brave enough to talk to someone else about your fears? Or the ideas you are super excited about? At the very least you will feel better for beginning to conquer a fear. And at the very best? Who knows what amazing doors your creative fearlessness will open? 
P.S. Even if the thing you really fear has nothing to do with your creative life, beginning to conquer it will spur your creativity anyway. ~ Elizabeth

I am also adding two more:
Journal Bliss: Creative Prompts to Unleash Your Inner Eccentric
  • Creative Prompt - Consider boosting your creativity with Jaye's creative prompt game. I will post a new prompt later this week but if you are eager to try something now check out the creative prompt list for 2010If it furthers your creative goals consider trying out several or all of them!
This is from her Inspiration Page where she explains the idea of a Creative Prompt. 
Each week we commit to be creative.A creative prompt is given and we interpret that into a drawing, a doodle, a collage, a photo…any kind of creative work that suits you. We can design a quilt, make a sculpture from marble or Sculpey, mold something with clay, paint, or write anything we want in response to the prompt. There are no rules on medium or method. The idea is to develop a regular art practice.      


You will notice that I have not included any work from "The Creativity Book: A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance" by Eric Maisel which I started my first creativity week. I love this book but it is time to admit my plan to do everything in this book this year just isn't happening! With my Everyday  Bliss project and now my new Everyday Mommy blog I just do not have the band width! Perhaps I'll try again next year... if so I'll let you all know!


OK this should be enough to get you started! Try one or all of these initiatives to get your creative juices flowing. 


Will you be getting Creative with me this week?


Next Post: Creativity unleashed



My 13 bliss virtues are 
joy, order, creativity, passion, whimsy, serenity, inquiry, community, 
romance, gratitude, moxie, humility, and surprise.



This week we are exploring  Creativity. 
Next week is all about Passion.

10 comments:

  1. I will TOTALLY be creating this week! I have an idea for something I'm a little afraid of, too! AND...I have a recipe that I want to try that I am sort of making up, so that is a bit scary, too!!! Fun stuff!

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  2. Kathy,
    Thank you so much for inviting me. I love how you are going after positive change and enjoyment and I'm really looking forward to checking in with your readers today to get to know some new people!

    Also, looking forward to reading that Journal Bliss review. I think I've seen this in my local bookstore....

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  3. I like your creativity week. Creativity is my life so it is always here and now. I am painting through synesthesia which makes me see colors when I hear a name or a number. Colors are my life.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post! I wrote a novel once, drafted it multiple times, and shelved it. I refer to it now as "the novel which shall not be named". In a way, I'm now afraid that I'll never be able to do write one again. My first try bombed so badly I've not attempted to write anything longer than short stories since. This post is a good reminder of what fear can do to creativity. Thanks sis, (Elizabeth), for the reminder.

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  5. So, did you try your idea or recipe yet? :)

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  6. You're welcome. Maybe the post coming up will get it off the shelf. ;)

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  7. Thanks for featuring my review and the Creative Prompt Project! I love new participants and hope that some of your readers will get their weekly creative shot int he arm by participating in the CPP. Have you seen the great doodles that Quilt Rat is creating for the project? Check out Quilt Rat's blog at: http://thequiltrat.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. What Kathy said. Your website andart rock and I will be visiting again!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think sounds like a very interesting week!
    Will there be any posts this week about cultivating creativity at work? Sometimes a work project requires great creativity in order for whatever it is to be successful - but I have absolutely none to give to it. I'm not sure if it's the cubicle walls or the florescent lights (think: Tom Hanks in Joe Vs. the Volcano) but creativity at work is always in short supply with high demand...
    Aye, aye, aye

    ReplyDelete

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Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues

  • 1. TEMPERANCE - Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
  • 2. SILENCE - Speak not what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
  • 3. ORDER - Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
  • 4. RESOLUTION - Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
  • 5. FRUGALITY - Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e. waste nothing.
  • 6. INDUSTRY - Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
  • 7. SINCERITY - Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly.
  • 8. JUSTICE - Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
  • 9. MODERATION - Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
  • 10. CLEANLINESS - Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths or habitation.
  • 11. TRANQUILITY - Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
  • 12. CHASTITY - Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or to the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
  • 13. HUMILITY - Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

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