I love arts since I was a kid.
I spent hours drawing and sketching.
My dad was an architect, so was my uncle. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do back then but one thing that I knew for sure -
Arts is a part of my DNA.
When I grew older and it was time to decide on my major, I wanted to study Arts & Design and be an interior designer. However, as it turned out, I never became one. I took Business as my major instead and spent the next 10 years of my career in Advertising.
You might think “oh that’s pretty close! Must be super fun and creative! “
Well, it is not really on that side of creative advertising though.
It was on the Business side of the Advertising - how to drive more traffic to websites, how to attract more customers, how to help business owners to earn more and grow more! Yes, it was fun and exciting seeing how I can help hundreds of clients growing their business. After all, growth is an essential part of every entity and I understand that even more now running my own coaching program.
But at the same time, I was missing that creative side of me, the simple joy of creating something of my own.
Spending over the last 1 year with IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition) helps me to understand that when it comes to holistic healthy living, it’s not just about healthy eating- having your greens, cutting down on bad carbs or unhealthy fats {body} but it’s also about feeding the right food for your {mind} and {soul}.
We talk about Secondary Food - food that is on our plate but we also strongly embrace different aspects of Primary Food - food that nurture us off the plate. They are joy, career, creativity, education, physical activity and so many more. These are also topics that I go through with clients during our 1:1 health coaching programs to understand which areas that are imbalanced and need more attention.
Institute of Integrative Nutrition - Circle of Life
And today, I would like to shed some light on Creativity and how we can all have a little more of that in our everyday life -
This morning, I went for a walk to clear up my mind. I have been listed down a whole to-do list of contents that I wanted to work on but out of a sudden, I just did not feel like writing any of those.
Isn’t it the dilemma that we often have?. We have a wardrobe full of clothes but very often we catch ourselves saying “ I have nothing to wear”.
Browsing through my list of podcasts, I chanced upon podcast 209 from Maria Forleo - What to Write About When You Have No Ideas - with Julia Cameron.
Julia Cameron is the author of the book “The Artist’s Way” - over 4 million copies have been sold since its publication in 1992. Julia has been an active artist for more than 30 years. She is a novelist, playwright, songwriter and poet. She has taught artists and nonartists, filmakers, writers, homemakers and lawyers and to help people “discovering and recovering our creative powers”.
Yes, creativity can mean very different things to different people. It might be writing a new book, launching a new product or raising awareness for a cause. For some others, it could simply mean “create a new food recipe that your kid will jump for joy”.
So you see, you don’t have to be an artist to be creative. Creativity comes in so many forms. It exists in our everyday lives and in everything that we do. Allowing yourself to explore creativity also means creating space for yourself so that you can Recharge and Recreate.
On the podcast, Julia shared 4 tools that we can all easily practice to “refill the creative well” inside each and everyone of us. I do find it very helpful for not only people who are in the creative field but for any of us who want to practice an art of creative living.
1. Morning Pages -
“The bedrock tool of a creative recovery is a daily practice called Morning Pages'' - Julia Cameron
There is no strict definition of how long you have to write but Julia did recommend writing 3 pages each day. There is no secret sauce in writing these morning pages.
“Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page...and then do three more pages tomorrow.”
Write about things that you like , dislike, things that you would want to have more or improve in your life. Write your morning pages by hands, allowing your stream of consciousness to channel through you and flow through your writings. You don’t have to share any of these things with anyone. Those words are just for you and your own reflection. By creating space for your thoughts and emotions, it allows you to give space for new thoughts and ideas to also come through.
2. Artist Dates -
Everything takes effort to happen, including having fun! Set a time for your Artist Dates, block your calendar because if you don’t commit to it, it is not going to happen. Artist Dates are dates that you are going to spend time by yourself, to do things that you like or simply explore new activities that you have never tried before. It does not have to be an everyday thing but you can start with once a week or once a month - such as every Saturday morning or 2nd Saturday of the month. You can go to the museum, clay workshop, salsa classes or anything that “spark joy” in you.
In our everyday life, when we think of new ideas, new solutions or creating something new, we are drawing ideas from our own creative well. You are draining your well if you keep taking things from it without refilling it.
So, set aside time and refill your creative well with great loving fun.
3. Ask for Guidance -
If you are practicing a certain religion, ask for support and guidance through your prayers. I am a free thinker but I strongly believe in the power of Higher Source.
Ask for guidance at the end of your morning pages or at the beginning of your meditation session.
One day before starting my meditation session, I asked a question about who are the people that I needed to focus on for my coaching program. The answers are simple, straightforward and loving - connect with people that I feel resonate the most. And the next few days I started to chance upon people, books, contents that helping me to identify my focus areas.
4. Go for a Walk -
Go for your walk with no phone, no distraction. It’s a time just for you and allow yourself to disconnect with daily distraction. According to a study from Stanford, it is proven that walking can help to boost creative inspiration.
The act of walking itself, not the surrounding environment, is the main factor on creative boosting and very often we find our mind popping up with new ideas while walking in a park or even indoor.
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If you find this article helpful, share with your friends or comment below and let me know your thought.
I hope this can also help you to embrace the power of Creativity - the power of Consistency and the power of showing up for yourself.
With Love,
Tiffany
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