Thank you, Betsy and J for your comments! You both mentioned inspiration, so let's go there today....
"No matter what our attempts to inform, it is our ability to inspire that will turn the tides." (Author unknown.) So.... Go, Betsy and other artists of every stripe! The world needs what you have to offer. (For more about what Betsy has to offer, go to www.opendoorfitness.com.)
There are a lot of myths around the idea of inspiration. Let's dump 'em! The first myth is that inspiration is going to show up at your doorstep and say, "Congratulations! You have just won the Idea-of-a-Lifetime Sweepstakes!"
Writer Brenda Ueland explains how it really works: "I learned that inspiration does not come like a bolt...but it comes to us slowly and quietly and all the time, though we must regularly...give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness." So don't just do something, sit there! Meditation works great for this, as does journaling.
The second myth to dump is the one that says that artistic souls need to have total freedom in order to create. Not so! Structure is not such a bad word after all.
In her book, "Pencil Dancing," Mari Messer says, "Why impose structure when you don't have to? You do it to make a framework to hang your thoughts on."
Structure doesn't have to be boring! For example, you can create an interesting structure instantly by choosing three words randomly from a book and challenging yourself to use them in the same paragraph. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. For more info on the guided journal, "The Whispering Heart," that J mentioned in her comment, please email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com. Thanks!
1 comment:
Heck! And here I was waiting for inspiration to knock at my door, with the idea for the great American novel, or something!
I think the point about structure is a good one. It has always been critical to me to have a goal and some sort of plan to get there. Here's a question, though - do you have any tricks or techniques for making the transition between "work" time and "creative" time? I do my best work early in the day - this is when I'd like to be able to work at home on music, etc. Unfortunately the reality of my life is that I usually have to be elsewhere until mid-afternoon. By the time I get home I'm drained. Aside from seated meditation - difficult for my type-A personality - how can I help myself make the transition?
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