Decide 2 Matter

Taking Time Off to Refill the Well

Sometimes we need to just take some time off. There is a difference between being stuck, feeling blah, and just overworking ourselves. Oftentimes when I'm working on a new project, design idea, or song, I keep myself up at night. Yes while I enjoy the release I get from creating, my brain doesn't always stop thinking of the next thing.

Of course not getting enough sleep will start to take its toll and before I know it, I'm burnt out. Worse yet, my creative well starts to run dry.

Some signs you make need to take time off to refill the well.

1. You aren't sleeping well.
2. Creating isn't fun anymore.
3. Your mind is never in the present moment.
4. You are feeling more than blocked and stuck.
5. Or, you have plenty of great ideas, but no energy to implement them.
6. Everything seems boring and "already done before".
7. You are in a hurry to create, make money, change careers, get famous NOW.

Most of us know when we need to refill our creative well. On the other hand, we can be so caught up in our head comparing and analyzing that we lose touch with the present moment.

Today take some time off and have fun. Go to the movies. Be spontaneous. Go for a walk. Get out and move.

Creating takes time and energy. Stop being hard on yourself for not being where you think you should be. It's a process. One that will have lots of rest stops on the way. So, don't forget to take time off and refill the well.

Create With Your Hands

One of the best ways to get back in touch with your creativity, is to create with your hands. Being in touch with something, to feel it against your skin, to interact with it directly, wakes up the senses. It's hard to get unstuck or to unblock yourself or to just get moving when you live in a static and boring world.

So how do you get more creative? Make your own dinner from scratch!

I don't mean ripping off the plastic covering your microwave dinner, heating it up, and then putting it on a plate. Get out the veggies, get out the pasta, bring out the grains, get out the sauce. Chop it up, mix it up, stir it up, & get cooking.

Making a meal and preparing food is one of the best and most productive ways to be creative. You pour love into your creation. You nourish your body. You get more grounded. You get to eat your art!

We spend far too little time in the kitchen. We rush around, grab a quick bite to eat, and then wonder why we feel so out of touch. You can't get in touch with your creativity if you are ignoring your body and your health.

Today, make something for yourself in the kitchen. Be creative. Get out the cookbook. Let the creative juices flow literally. Nourish yourself and your creativity. And once you have gotten back into your skin a bit and out of your worrying head, your creativity can soar.

Accept the Compliment

You just started your craft or perhaps you've been at it for years. Someone has seen your work, heard your play, or watched you dance. You receive rave reviews.

Your inner critic thinks they are all nuts, so what do you do?

You say thank you and accept the compliments.

There's this gorgeous grand piano in the lobby of my building. The other day, I had the opportunity to play piano for one of my co-workers.  When I was younger, I took lessons for about 8 years.  However, it's been more than 10 years since I played for anyone. This June I started lessons again with a fantastic teacher. Of course I'm definitely rusty. Despite all of that, I sat down and played a few pieces I knew and then broke into some of my own compositions. (It's easier not to mess up when you are playing your own pieces. Tee hee.)

People stopped to listen to me and give me compliments. Later, I told another friend I played. She said, "That was you? Joe was raving about someone who played for him the other day. He said you were phenomenal." While trying not to blush, I almost immediately went into a rant about how I really wasn't that good at all.

We creative folk are very critical of our selves and our work. Moreover, we usually are aware of what other artists are doing, how much more training they have, and what "professional" exposure they get. So, it's very easy to dismiss the comments of friends and family who aren't as creative, but truly love what we do.

These compliments are important. If you wish to sell your work, your first sale may be to your next door neighbor, not the wealthy art lover at the gallery. Don't dismiss someone's kind words just because they may not know the difference between Picasso or Monet, or Mozart and Chopin. That person may know someone who is looking for an illustrator, a violinist, or a dancer. You name may pop up. You never know.

When you receive a compliment, accept it with a thank you and a smile.

On a final note, I was definitely feeling marvelous after receiving all the compliments on my piano playing. Then I had a piano lesson with my amazing teacher. He had me completely rework a song I was doing because I was playing it all wrong. It was an easy song and my ego demanded that I rush through it quickly. As a result, I was overemphasizing the wrong measures, etc. What a mess.

Actually it's a good thing I had received all the compliments the day before, else I might have been crushed after my lesson. Take compliments with a smile.

Practie Practice Practice

Have you painted today? Played your instrument today? Danced today? Wrote today? While it may seem that doing just a little is enough, we need to practice practice practice!!!

During my creativity coaching training, Eric Maisel mentions how artists (and by that I mean all creative types) don't get enough practice. I find this to be so true. Once we have the courage to own up to being an artist, we need to get into the habit of practice. We need to think of being an artist as a practice.

Do you have a dedicated time for your craft? Think of the things you do such as watch TV or read for fun that you could put aside. I've been making time to play piano for about 30 minutes a day. Even in that short bit of time, I'm noticing how much easier the songs get and how much I'm improving.

You don't have to dedicate too much time in the beginning. You'd never set out to jog 20 miles your first day. Just work a small amount every day on your art. With a little practice, you'll build your confidence as you see yourself improve.

Practice practice practice.

Do you qualify?

Do you want to be an artist? a writer? a musician? a dancer? Do you consider yourself an artist, writer, musician, or dancer?

Perhaps you are active in your desired field - or perhaps you aren't. Either way do you hold yourself back from realizing the full potential of your dreams because what you are doing know doesn't qualify for what a true artist should be doing?

Ever since I started reading for enjoyment, I longed to be a writer. So, as you might imagine, I own a ton of writing books. While each book has had its good points, one of them almost destroyed my dream completely. In this book particular writing book, the author stated that unless you were willing to write 7 or 8 hours a day, then you weren't serious and you weren't a writer. No in-betweens, no few hours here or there. You were only a writer if you wrote that long every day. No skipping holidays. No cookie for you.

Can you imagine my dismay when I read this? For a long time I held onto that belief, but thankfully over the years I've found it to be entirely out of whack. While it may hold true for the author, it doesn't hold true for me. There's no set definition of a writer. You don't need to be published to be a writer. You don't need to write 500 words a day. All you need to do is write and write whenever you can.

Many people think they should have special credentials, or that they should have their work in galleries or in print to qualify as an artist. What is it you think you should be doing before you can call yourself a writer, musician, artist, etc?

Try This Exercise

1. Identify what and who you want to be.
2. List at least 10 things you think you should do in order to qualify as (fill in the blank)
3. Ask yourself if these are realistic expectations.
4. Redefine the role of the "artist" to include you!

Your dream is as unique as you are. Don't hamper it by what you think you should be. Claim the title of artist, musician, dancer, or dreamer. Nurture your unique gifts, talents, and dreams. You qualify just the way you are!