[Ref: Adapted from “18
Things Creative People Do Differently,” by Carolyn Gregoire, Huffington Post, 03/04/2014]
I found the original article interesting and thought-provoking,
especially as many of these habits can be considered right-brain activity and have tried to adapt it to the journaling process. As previously we adapted habits from the arts
of dance, music, and drawing, so to the following habits of creative people
might spark ideas for fellow journalists have been inspired and adapted from
this posting by Carolyn Gregoire.
·
Daydreaming:
This is a mental shift, useful in journaling.
It is an ability to entertain a visionary experience separate from the
immediate environment. It is a waking,
but altered state, usually pleasant and absorbing. There may be a loss of the sense of
time. It is an act of the imagination,
very valuable to artists and writers, often sparked by the question, “What
if…?”
·
Observation: To take notice of something. It is often a good habit to take a walk
before journaling, to see things that are either new or new-again, new details
as the seasons pass, are all fodder for journals.
·
Work
Times: Basically, write in our
journals regularly, but when and where is up to the individual. Some people like early morning, others before
bedtime, and some have coffee and a journal-break during the day. Whatever works.
·
Solitude: This characteristic can be tricky, because it
means more than sitting alone in a room to avoid interruptions to your
writing. It is entirely possible to
write in your journal while you sit at the table in your favorite coffee house,
for in the midst of many, you are alone in your mind – so that can be your
solitude. It is a case of what works for
the individual. However Twyla Tharp
[“The Creative Habit,” Twyla Tharp, p. 30-31.]
says, “Build up your Tolerance for Solitude… The thought of going into a
room to work all by themselves pains them … in a way that is paralyzing them. …
It’s not the solitude that slays a creative person. It’s all that solitude without a purpose….
[if you have a problem with solitude, you can] Sit alone in a room for one
minute and let your thoughts go wherever
they will. … Then start paying attention to your thoughts to see what
materializes…” Good advice.
·
Obstacles: Sometimes the biggest blocker is the
“gate-keeper” in our own minds. It’s a
protector to keep us out of trouble.
That’s fine. Pay it attention,
but then make the decision to just go ahead, or pause and get more
information. It isn’t the problem, but
it is a prompt that there is something to consider. Often the solution is to turn the situation
around, or upside-down, or inside-out, to un-lock the writing difficulty.
·
New
Experiences: It’s good to consider
ways to get out of the daily, predictable pattern. An open and flexible consideration of
something new is a good thing. Rules are
fine, but when they become iron-clad and rigid, they are obstacles to creative
thinking.
·
Resilience: Think of this as the ability of a poor,
stressed, over-strained right-brain to recover, an ability to adjust in
situation of change. The world today
puts plenty of compressive stress on all of us, but adopting a resilient
attitude is conducive to the creative process.
·
Questions: As I’ve said before, in questions lie
answers. As a matter of fact, whenever I
have said, “I have a question…, “ the whole family would groan! Not a bad thing to ask questions – and don’t
be afraid to ask the Big Questions. We
all need to have those answered.
·
People-Watching:
People are endlessly fascinating. If you
are at an airport, there are those coming and those going, and if you get
bored, you can look just at their feet and be fascinated by how the world’s
people select shoes. Journaling is as
much about other people as they are about our selves. As Twyla Tharp says, “You can learn a lot by
watching.” [Ibid., p. 50]
·
Risks: OK – Taking chances can be chancy, and that’s
where the gate-keeper above comes in to play.
But if a risk means doing something new, it’s good to consider the
possibilities. You might discover
something totally new and wonderful.
·
Self-Expression: I have to admit that I’m mostly a quiet
person, but after I’ve listened and thought about something, it is a good thing
to share your perspective with others.
Throw it in the pot and see what happens. And a journal is an ideal place to bring up
something which is on your mind and sort it out. State the case, explore the options, and then
decide your own view. Having it clear in
your mind ahead of time gives self confidence.
·
Passionate: Creative people are often passionate about
their interests, and passionate about sharing them. It often takes passion to see a difficult
project through to the end. And, truly,
it takes passion to commit to daily and regular journaling, but it’s also tremendously
rewarding in the long view. Journals are
contributions to the human history of the world.
·
New
Perspectives: If the drawing is
giving you trouble, turn it upside down and look again. Creative solutions often pop out from
innovative approaches. So if you are
stuck, but it around and look at it from a different angle. Recently, I was in mid-sketch when I kind of
froze up on what to do next. What to
do? Then I remembered a suggestion from
Twyla Tharp about “Chaos and Coins.” [Ibid., p. 100] “Take a handful of coins. Toss them onto the worktable and study the
result. Sometimes the coins fall into a random pattern that’s pleasing. …Sometimes I fiddle with the coins, moving
them around… Eventually I land on an arrangement that feels like a musical
chord resolving…. There in a nutshell is the essence of creativity.”
·
Beat the
Clock: That is, lose track of
time. It’s OK, and very right
brain. And it feels so good, when you
finish and return to the world.
·
Beauty: Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees
it. [Confucius] “Beauty can be
consoling, disturbing, sacred, profane; it can be exhilarating, appealing,
inspiring, chilling. It can affect us in an unlimited variety of ways. Yet it
is never viewed with indifference: beauty demands to be noticed; it speaks to
us directly like the voice of an intimate friend. If there are people who are
indifferent to beauty, then it is surely because they do not perceive it.” [Roger Scruton, Beauty]
·
Connections: Build a bridge to the next day. I’ve taken to drawing an empty box, a frame,
on the next day’s journaling page because is established connectivity among my
days one to another, so it doesn’t feel like I’m always starting over from
scratch.
·
Mindfulness: It’s a kind of focused awareness. For some people it meditation. For others it is yoga. Or a candle flame. No matter.
“A lot of habitually creative people have preparation rituals linked to
the setting in which they choose to start their day…..In the end, there is no
one ideal condition for creativity. What
works for one person is useless for another.
The only criterion is this: Make it easy on yourself. Find a working environment where the prospect
… doesn’t shut you down…. To get the creative habit, you need a working
environment that’s habit-forming.” [Ibid., Tharp, 16-17].
Some Words of Encouragement:
·
Be brave.
Face your fears. [CR]
·
What is the first creative moment you remember?
·
What is the best idea you’ve ever had?
·
How do you begin your day?
·
Who regularly inspires you?
[ Questions from Tharp, ibid., p.
13-14]
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