Showing posts with label Creativity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creativity. Show all posts
Thursday, November 24, 2011
1000 Ways To Do It Wrong
Years ago I was on the phone with one of my mentors. The topic of the conversation I do not recall. What I do remember, was that I was trying to figure out the “right” way to do something. In my narrow thinking at that time I thought there was only one right way and one wrong way.
When I was explaining to my mentor that I just wanted to find the right way she stopped me dead in my tracks. “Honey” she said, “There are 1000 ways to do something. 1000 ways to do it right, and 1000 ways to do it wrong.” It is a concept I have embraced from that day forward. I have embraced the wrong way, as much as the right. Interestingly, the “wrong” way has been right, as often as the right way, and vice versa.
Get out there and find your 1000 wrong ways…
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Choosing With My Heart
My goal for a rare weekend off was what seemed like a fairly simple one… To have a quiet weekend of nothing, no commitments, no demands, nothing… Although I did end up with some commitments I also had 30 hours alone. At about hour 24 I accepted two truths in my life.
Number one: It is time for me to plan a vacation. Not a trip, not time with family, not time on anyone else’s schedule, a vacation of my own. I love my family, I love my friends, heck I even love my job… and because I love all of it so much I tend to over do it. This weekend off has shown me how much I need an extended time to relax and slow down. It takes me a good two days just to downshift because slowing down is so counter to my nature. It sometimes is precipitated by a life altering experience that causes me to do it but I would like to be more intentional in my life. I would like to create more breathing space for my heart…
This brings me to truth number two: The way I love is FULL OUT, whether it is family, friends or romance; I am not much of a half measures kind of gal. I have been wildly, illogically, irrationally in love with only two men in my life, one of them I married, the other I dated. And although neither relationship was a lifelong one, I would not have missed either of them. Even if I had known how heartbroken I would feel at the end of each of them, I would not have missed it on either account. Sometimes there are parts of ourselves we get to experience only when we are in the presence of the right people and at the right time. And with those two men this was true for me. Sometimes people on the outside looking in, cannot understand why I have made the decisions I have made about love. And even in the face judgment or disapproval or outright anger I have always chosen with my heart.
I have been contemplating a quote attributed to Steve Jobs:
“.. almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
I agree with Mr. Jobs. There is no reason to not follow my heart. The level of heartbreak I felt over those two men was worth it. There is no love without heartbreak. I can be in a relationship (or friendship for that matter) with someone and feel heartbroken or a relationship can end and I can feel heartbroken. There is no immunity to pain. In either case the truly important part for me isn’t the heartbreak or pain, it is that I brought my heart to the party and played full out.
I will never look back and wish I hadn’t done it. As I write this I wonder if it sounds like I would do it again. If I had to do it over, I would choose them again, even knowing the heartbreak that was on the way. As I sit today would I reunite with either of them? No. The romantic part of our story together has been written already, and that loop is closed for me. I will forever love them for being woven into the tapestry of my life. Do I welcome them in my life? Yes, if they choose to be a part of it.
Will I choose with my heart again and love full out? ABSOLUTELY!
Number one: It is time for me to plan a vacation. Not a trip, not time with family, not time on anyone else’s schedule, a vacation of my own. I love my family, I love my friends, heck I even love my job… and because I love all of it so much I tend to over do it. This weekend off has shown me how much I need an extended time to relax and slow down. It takes me a good two days just to downshift because slowing down is so counter to my nature. It sometimes is precipitated by a life altering experience that causes me to do it but I would like to be more intentional in my life. I would like to create more breathing space for my heart…
This brings me to truth number two: The way I love is FULL OUT, whether it is family, friends or romance; I am not much of a half measures kind of gal. I have been wildly, illogically, irrationally in love with only two men in my life, one of them I married, the other I dated. And although neither relationship was a lifelong one, I would not have missed either of them. Even if I had known how heartbroken I would feel at the end of each of them, I would not have missed it on either account. Sometimes there are parts of ourselves we get to experience only when we are in the presence of the right people and at the right time. And with those two men this was true for me. Sometimes people on the outside looking in, cannot understand why I have made the decisions I have made about love. And even in the face judgment or disapproval or outright anger I have always chosen with my heart.
I have been contemplating a quote attributed to Steve Jobs:
“.. almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
I agree with Mr. Jobs. There is no reason to not follow my heart. The level of heartbreak I felt over those two men was worth it. There is no love without heartbreak. I can be in a relationship (or friendship for that matter) with someone and feel heartbroken or a relationship can end and I can feel heartbroken. There is no immunity to pain. In either case the truly important part for me isn’t the heartbreak or pain, it is that I brought my heart to the party and played full out.
I will never look back and wish I hadn’t done it. As I write this I wonder if it sounds like I would do it again. If I had to do it over, I would choose them again, even knowing the heartbreak that was on the way. As I sit today would I reunite with either of them? No. The romantic part of our story together has been written already, and that loop is closed for me. I will forever love them for being woven into the tapestry of my life. Do I welcome them in my life? Yes, if they choose to be a part of it.
Will I choose with my heart again and love full out? ABSOLUTELY!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Stand-Up Boot Camp
As I roll along my creative journey new pursuits come to the surface. I do my best to be responsive to them so when the idea of stand-up comedy came to the fore I thought ok. I’ll try it. I mentioned to my friends that I thought that was the next direction I was being nudged to head. Here is how it unfolded.
Me to my friends: “Wouldn’t it be fun to try stand-up comedy? To get up and see if you could make people laugh?
My friends: Ummm, NO!
Me: I think it would be a blast. Where do you go for that? Is there a stand-up school or something?
Fast forward to 2 months ago. I am in Hawaii watching a local morning show on TV and a comedian named Kyle Cease is on the show, he is just talking and laughing having a good time and then the host says “That’s all the time we have” which causes Kyle to spit out at the last second before the commercial break “check out our website Standupbootcamp.com”.
Really, there actually is a school for stand up! I know, it shocked me too! I thought the school was in Hawaii but when I went to the website I found out it travels to different places around the U.S. and the next camp they were hosting was going to be about 90 minutes from my house. Weird right?
As you might have guessed, I signed up and took the camp. It was so much more than what I expected. The instructors, Kyle Cease and Louie Anderson were amazing! The experience was great and the other comedians were so supportive of a neophyte like me.
If you have a chance to attend Stand-Up Boot Camp, DO IT!
Me to my friends: “Wouldn’t it be fun to try stand-up comedy? To get up and see if you could make people laugh?
My friends: Ummm, NO!
Me: I think it would be a blast. Where do you go for that? Is there a stand-up school or something?
Fast forward to 2 months ago. I am in Hawaii watching a local morning show on TV and a comedian named Kyle Cease is on the show, he is just talking and laughing having a good time and then the host says “That’s all the time we have” which causes Kyle to spit out at the last second before the commercial break “check out our website Standupbootcamp.com”.
Really, there actually is a school for stand up! I know, it shocked me too! I thought the school was in Hawaii but when I went to the website I found out it travels to different places around the U.S. and the next camp they were hosting was going to be about 90 minutes from my house. Weird right?
As you might have guessed, I signed up and took the camp. It was so much more than what I expected. The instructors, Kyle Cease and Louie Anderson were amazing! The experience was great and the other comedians were so supportive of a neophyte like me.
If you have a chance to attend Stand-Up Boot Camp, DO IT!
Monday, January 11, 2010
I Double Dog Dare Ya
Go ahead and act childish. That's what I say, at least as it relates to your creativity. What did you love to do when you were a child: Bike ride, water ski, paint, sew, build forts, student council, experiments? What was your thing (or things)? Mine? I loved racing motorcross, playing softball, sewing, gardening, ice skating, downhill skiing, basketball, writing, running, dancing, water skiing and playing trumpet, just to name a few. I was passionate about all of them and more. Today, I still enjoy them.
My creativity is closely linked to how much I am willing to be childlike, creatively. I ask myself this question: Is there anything from my childhood that I used to like to do that I can reincorporate into my life now? Many of us leave our creativity behind because it's seems childish. We tell ourselves things like "I don't have time for that I'm an adult" or "I have responsibilites". Sound familiar? To be clear, I am not asking you to give up your responsibilites. I am only asking you to find 15 minutes to an hour once a week to play.
I have a dare for you! Pick one thing you LOVED as a child and do it this week. Make it something you no longer do and try it, just for fun. I would be amanzed if you could do it with the abandon of a child and not end up feeling enthusiastic and happy (even if only while in the act of doing it).
I double dog dare you to do two things! (If you are like me, you can't refuse a dare and that is why I am throwing down the gauntlet). Do you want to know what mine was? When no one was home I put on my "100% Funk" cd (yes I said cd) and danced all around the house to "Brick House" and "Play That Funky Music". Songs I remember hearing and loving as a kid. I got so inspired I have them on now as I write this.
This week, once again, I am accepting my own double dog dare to be childish and plan to go skipping down my road (who cares what the neighbors think!). And you? I dare ya!
My creativity is closely linked to how much I am willing to be childlike, creatively. I ask myself this question: Is there anything from my childhood that I used to like to do that I can reincorporate into my life now? Many of us leave our creativity behind because it's seems childish. We tell ourselves things like "I don't have time for that I'm an adult" or "I have responsibilites". Sound familiar? To be clear, I am not asking you to give up your responsibilites. I am only asking you to find 15 minutes to an hour once a week to play.
I have a dare for you! Pick one thing you LOVED as a child and do it this week. Make it something you no longer do and try it, just for fun. I would be amanzed if you could do it with the abandon of a child and not end up feeling enthusiastic and happy (even if only while in the act of doing it).
I double dog dare you to do two things! (If you are like me, you can't refuse a dare and that is why I am throwing down the gauntlet). Do you want to know what mine was? When no one was home I put on my "100% Funk" cd (yes I said cd) and danced all around the house to "Brick House" and "Play That Funky Music". Songs I remember hearing and loving as a kid. I got so inspired I have them on now as I write this.
This week, once again, I am accepting my own double dog dare to be childish and plan to go skipping down my road (who cares what the neighbors think!). And you? I dare ya!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Day Dreaming Pays
Do you day dream? Did you get in trouble in school for day dreaming? Well do I have good news for you. Day dreaming is one of the tools necessary for a creative life. There are two accomplished artists I am familiar with, the writer Sue Monk Kidd and choreographer Twyla Tharp, who both suggest (and I am paraphrasing here) that day dreaming is essential to creativity and a creative life.
A couple of years ago I attended a workshop in South Carolina and Sue Monk Kidd was one of the speakers. She talked about going out on the dock in the morning and sitting quietly to let her mind wander. This is something she does before going into her office at home to write.
Twyla Tharp, in her book, "The Creative Habit", suggests that we develop a habit of "mental mindless wandering" and that daydreaming "is the exact opposite of meditation." She suggests that "you are trying to tease them [thoughts] forward until you can latch onto them."
This was such good news for me. I am a day dreamer by nature and many times when I would sit at my desk to write, the blank page staring back at me, I would immediately drift off into la-la land. Then I felt guilty thinking "geez I should be using every moment I set aside to be actively writing."
My daydreaming has produced the germ of the idea for a children's book and the idea for the plush toy named "Billy Bear" to go with it. That bear with its wire-rimmed glasses sits on the window sill above my writing desk as a totem to my creativity. He also serves as a reminder that daydreaming is serious creative work.
A couple of years ago I attended a workshop in South Carolina and Sue Monk Kidd was one of the speakers. She talked about going out on the dock in the morning and sitting quietly to let her mind wander. This is something she does before going into her office at home to write.
Twyla Tharp, in her book, "The Creative Habit", suggests that we develop a habit of "mental mindless wandering" and that daydreaming "is the exact opposite of meditation." She suggests that "you are trying to tease them [thoughts] forward until you can latch onto them."
This was such good news for me. I am a day dreamer by nature and many times when I would sit at my desk to write, the blank page staring back at me, I would immediately drift off into la-la land. Then I felt guilty thinking "geez I should be using every moment I set aside to be actively writing."
My daydreaming has produced the germ of the idea for a children's book and the idea for the plush toy named "Billy Bear" to go with it. That bear with its wire-rimmed glasses sits on the window sill above my writing desk as a totem to my creativity. He also serves as a reminder that daydreaming is serious creative work.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Shower Your Way to Creativity
OK, raise your hand if you have ever had a great idea while driving or taking a shower? Right! All of us. In Julia Cameron's great book, "The Artist's Way", she talks about how great ideas come when we are doing repetitive tasks or as I like to think of it, chores. It can be chores like scrubbing dishes, walking the dog or sweeping the floor.
My theory about why this happens is that our internal critic, our logic (left) brain is busy on a task so our artist, our creative (right) brain can sneak past it and come out to play without worrying about getting its head lopped off. Anyone relate?
All kinds of ideas may come: A melody for a song, a poem, a title for a piece of writing, dialogue for a movie, computer code, a marketing idea or the answer to a question. Often times the ideas that come to me are to solve a challenge I am currently working on or are related to my current project.
While I am doing these mundane tasks and inspiration here is my trick for catching those ideas as they fly by. I carry a notebook and pen in my car and jot down anything that bubbles up. When I go for a walk I carry a small pen and a bit of paper in my back pocket. If all else fails, I text it to myself.
What in the world do I do with all these ideas and tidbits that aren't used immediately?...Well, so glad you asked. I have an "ideas file" my computer and an "ideas page" in my notebook. When I am feeling blocked or unmotivated I refer to them. Of course, I can also go take a shower or do a chore to get the juices flowing.
So when our mother's said "go do your chores" little did we know that was good advice both for life and creativity. I am off to do my chores...
My theory about why this happens is that our internal critic, our logic (left) brain is busy on a task so our artist, our creative (right) brain can sneak past it and come out to play without worrying about getting its head lopped off. Anyone relate?
All kinds of ideas may come: A melody for a song, a poem, a title for a piece of writing, dialogue for a movie, computer code, a marketing idea or the answer to a question. Often times the ideas that come to me are to solve a challenge I am currently working on or are related to my current project.
While I am doing these mundane tasks and inspiration here is my trick for catching those ideas as they fly by. I carry a notebook and pen in my car and jot down anything that bubbles up. When I go for a walk I carry a small pen and a bit of paper in my back pocket. If all else fails, I text it to myself.
What in the world do I do with all these ideas and tidbits that aren't used immediately?...Well, so glad you asked. I have an "ideas file" my computer and an "ideas page" in my notebook. When I am feeling blocked or unmotivated I refer to them. Of course, I can also go take a shower or do a chore to get the juices flowing.
So when our mother's said "go do your chores" little did we know that was good advice both for life and creativity. I am off to do my chores...
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Creative Mistakes are Creative Fuel
Let me claim for the record that I am an amateur photographer, emphasis on the word amateur. As a matter of fact, the thought of taking photos used to overwhelm me. I didn't think I had the "photographer's eye" to take stunning photos but I would have settled for photos that just weren't...awful.
When I first gave myself permission to take photos, I was on a trip thru Europe. Who in the world could travel to Europe and not take pictures? Not even me. Paris was the first stop on our four-Country tour. Think Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame. OK got the image in your mind?...Great!
So, there I was at The Louvre wanting to take a picture of my two friends in front of the famous Glass Pyramid. I positioned them so I could capture them and the Pyramid. I took several photos. Since I was new to the photography thing I figured I should take some extras. Just in case. (Those were the days before digital).
For the remainder of the trip I took photos, bunches of photos. The beautiful architecture of Prague, the fetching Austrian mountaineer in the train station in Vienna, the ornate government buildings in Budapest. I was excited about the pictures and could not wait to have them developed once I got back to the US.
Much to my horror the pictures were awful. (Really, I'm not just saying that to be self deprecating) I had roll after roll of bad pictures. The lighting was off, the composition was non-existent and the focal points were confused.
Of course the friends I was travelling with wanted to see the photos. (Oh, did I mention one of them was a photographer?) I had no interest in showing them the photos because of my embarrassment but they encouraged me to bring them the next time we were together. So I did what anyone would have done. I went home and sorted through the least awful of the bunch to show.
As I looked at each photo I studied it to see what I could learn about how to do it better next time. For the most part I was clueless except for one photo. The one thing I could decipher was about composition. The photo of my friends in front of The Louvre. It could have been improved if I shot them close up with the Pyramid in the background. I was attempting to get a photo of them, the entire pyramid and some of the architecture of the rest of The Louvre as well. I had positioned them far away standing against the Pyramid. They were just little specs in the photo and blended in with all the other tourists.
Armed with that information about my creative mistake I once again gave myself permission to take more photos, even more"AWFUL" photos, to learn what made an interesting or a striking photo, or something that captures a scene or a moment.
Fast forward to today. I have snapped tons of photos since then. Some I really like and some are still bad. When I see the bad ones I wince a little and then chuckle to myself and think, oh, another Louvre picture, more creative fuel.
When I first gave myself permission to take photos, I was on a trip thru Europe. Who in the world could travel to Europe and not take pictures? Not even me. Paris was the first stop on our four-Country tour. Think Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame. OK got the image in your mind?...Great!
So, there I was at The Louvre wanting to take a picture of my two friends in front of the famous Glass Pyramid. I positioned them so I could capture them and the Pyramid. I took several photos. Since I was new to the photography thing I figured I should take some extras. Just in case. (Those were the days before digital).
For the remainder of the trip I took photos, bunches of photos. The beautiful architecture of Prague, the fetching Austrian mountaineer in the train station in Vienna, the ornate government buildings in Budapest. I was excited about the pictures and could not wait to have them developed once I got back to the US.
Much to my horror the pictures were awful. (Really, I'm not just saying that to be self deprecating) I had roll after roll of bad pictures. The lighting was off, the composition was non-existent and the focal points were confused.
Of course the friends I was travelling with wanted to see the photos. (Oh, did I mention one of them was a photographer?) I had no interest in showing them the photos because of my embarrassment but they encouraged me to bring them the next time we were together. So I did what anyone would have done. I went home and sorted through the least awful of the bunch to show.
As I looked at each photo I studied it to see what I could learn about how to do it better next time. For the most part I was clueless except for one photo. The one thing I could decipher was about composition. The photo of my friends in front of The Louvre. It could have been improved if I shot them close up with the Pyramid in the background. I was attempting to get a photo of them, the entire pyramid and some of the architecture of the rest of The Louvre as well. I had positioned them far away standing against the Pyramid. They were just little specs in the photo and blended in with all the other tourists.
Armed with that information about my creative mistake I once again gave myself permission to take more photos, even more"AWFUL" photos, to learn what made an interesting or a striking photo, or something that captures a scene or a moment.
Fast forward to today. I have snapped tons of photos since then. Some I really like and some are still bad. When I see the bad ones I wince a little and then chuckle to myself and think, oh, another Louvre picture, more creative fuel.
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