Thursday, January 15, 2009
SPINNING STRAW INTO GOLD: Creating From Nothing
Featured Article on:
www.creativity-portal.com
as part of their Author Articles Series
When I was a child I remember hearing the story of Rumpelstiltskin, a fairy tale written by the Brothers Grimm. The gist of the story is that a young girl is forced to spin straw into gold for a king because of her bragging father. Of course she cannot, but a small man, perhaps a gnome like character, tells her he will spin the straw if she gives him first a necklace, then her ring and finally her first born child. The young girl marries the King because of her supposed special talent, becomes a Queen, and eventually gets out of the situation of having to give up her first born by guessing the small man’s name. And so the story goes.
I started thinking about “turning straw into gold” and what that means as a creative person. Often we feel as though we are working with straw or we have nothing to offer in our creative lives. That could symbolize a lack of ideas, tools, resources, or even emotional straw. So how do we spin our “straw” or creative energy into gold?
TO FINISH ARTICLE GO TO:
http://www.creativity-portal.com/cca/ellen-johnson/creating-from-nothing.html
Thursday, January 8, 2009
FINDING MOTIVATION TO CREATE
Welcome to the New Year 2009.
This is the time of year when everyone is motivated to start something “new”; a new book, a new diet, a new job, a new hobby and on and on. We are highly motivated primarily because we are looking back at the year and thinking, “now why didn’t I do what I wanted to do this last year?”. So we decide not to waste any more time and get started.
As wonderful as that may be it generally lasts about a month and then we loose our motivation, we forget what inspired us, and we lose faith in our dream. There are many good reasons why we don’t accomplish our goals. First of all, we get distracted, or we are overwhelmed with too many goals, or we don’t see quick enough results to keep us interested.
So how do we stay motivated and I might add, focused?
1) Set a realistic goal with a realistic time frame
Be careful not to set yourself up for failure. Choose attainable goals with positive results.
2) Choose your goal with passion
The things we care about the most are the things we will generally accomplish. Choose something because it moves you and not out of guilt. If you really want to lose weight then either do it because there is an emotional reward for you or do it for someone who means something to you. We always tend to be motivated when there is meaning attached to the outcome otherwise the outcome has no meaning.
3) Create a routine that works every day
The best way to succeed with your goal is to make it work into your daily life. Whatever you do don’t just add it to your schedule, make it a part of your life. If you want to learn to play the piano then do a little playing every day. If you are an artist and want to finish those paintings that have been sitting around all last year, then before lunch decide to paint for 30 minutes. Make it a habit. Habits can create a pattern of success when you use them to accomplish positive results.
4) Show up at your designated time frame no matter what happens
Even if you don’t do the entire 30 minutes of painting, show up anyway. Use the time to get ready to paint the next day, to organize your music, to write an outline, etc. The daily practice of showing up to create or fulfill your goal will keep you motivated and establish a commitment to your progress.
5) Don’t measure results, measure emotion
We are all too hard on ourselves. Instead of looking at what you accomplished at your designated time frame, notice how you feel afterwards. The mere idea that you are doing the thing you love is part of the success of your goal. If you are having a difficult time enjoying the process then find one part of the routine that brings you pleasure and make sure you always incorporate that in your daily routine. Build on how good that accomplishment makes you feel.
Coda
Yes, there will be days when you don’t feel as motivated or exhilarated. Find something to remind you of what you can accomplish like a picture of a successful performance, an award, a note from someone you admire, etc. You get it. Those are your personal motivational memories. Use them.
And remember to celebrate your accomplishments too. It’s important to give yourself credit for your successes. Having a reward is motivational too.
Once you get in the habit you will wonder how you ever kept yourself from doing the thing you wanted to in the first place.
This is the time of year when everyone is motivated to start something “new”; a new book, a new diet, a new job, a new hobby and on and on. We are highly motivated primarily because we are looking back at the year and thinking, “now why didn’t I do what I wanted to do this last year?”. So we decide not to waste any more time and get started.
As wonderful as that may be it generally lasts about a month and then we loose our motivation, we forget what inspired us, and we lose faith in our dream. There are many good reasons why we don’t accomplish our goals. First of all, we get distracted, or we are overwhelmed with too many goals, or we don’t see quick enough results to keep us interested.
So how do we stay motivated and I might add, focused?
1) Set a realistic goal with a realistic time frame
Be careful not to set yourself up for failure. Choose attainable goals with positive results.
2) Choose your goal with passion
The things we care about the most are the things we will generally accomplish. Choose something because it moves you and not out of guilt. If you really want to lose weight then either do it because there is an emotional reward for you or do it for someone who means something to you. We always tend to be motivated when there is meaning attached to the outcome otherwise the outcome has no meaning.
3) Create a routine that works every day
The best way to succeed with your goal is to make it work into your daily life. Whatever you do don’t just add it to your schedule, make it a part of your life. If you want to learn to play the piano then do a little playing every day. If you are an artist and want to finish those paintings that have been sitting around all last year, then before lunch decide to paint for 30 minutes. Make it a habit. Habits can create a pattern of success when you use them to accomplish positive results.
4) Show up at your designated time frame no matter what happens
Even if you don’t do the entire 30 minutes of painting, show up anyway. Use the time to get ready to paint the next day, to organize your music, to write an outline, etc. The daily practice of showing up to create or fulfill your goal will keep you motivated and establish a commitment to your progress.
5) Don’t measure results, measure emotion
We are all too hard on ourselves. Instead of looking at what you accomplished at your designated time frame, notice how you feel afterwards. The mere idea that you are doing the thing you love is part of the success of your goal. If you are having a difficult time enjoying the process then find one part of the routine that brings you pleasure and make sure you always incorporate that in your daily routine. Build on how good that accomplishment makes you feel.
Coda
Yes, there will be days when you don’t feel as motivated or exhilarated. Find something to remind you of what you can accomplish like a picture of a successful performance, an award, a note from someone you admire, etc. You get it. Those are your personal motivational memories. Use them.
And remember to celebrate your accomplishments too. It’s important to give yourself credit for your successes. Having a reward is motivational too.
Once you get in the habit you will wonder how you ever kept yourself from doing the thing you wanted to in the first place.
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