Tap Into Your Creative Genius

Yes, you DO have a creative genius, lurking somewhere but finding and experiencing it  is not always easy.  Our routines encourage us to have a plan, do the work, finish something, get feedback, find ways to improve, show up again tomorrow. Repeat for ten years. Or twenty. Or thirty.  Although this produces results, it doesn’t usually create excitement!

It can be challenging to allow ourselves to unleash creativity; to tap into and revisit that mental place and time where we believed in infinite possibility.  As a child? Newly enrolled in university? Starting a new relationship?  Did you have routines or personal guidelines then, or more simply – did you just enjoy?

Identify Internal and External Interferences

• No creative pursuit is free from resistance – from yourself and sometimes from others
• Your creative impulses are going to ebb and flow based on a wide array of factors, from your stress levels to family commitments to the weather outside.
• reduce or eliminate obstacles that can interfere with your creative process.
• Take stock of factors you know might distract you from making time for creativity, be honest about factors you can change, and those you cannot – but don’t give up too easily
• be honest about what could inhibit your creative practice if you want to commit to making creativity a priority in your life.

Believe in your own creative power, even if it has been dormant for some time. Consider doing some sort of activity or ritual to release any limiting beliefs about your creativity so that you can enter the creative mindset with a sense of openness and optimism.

Recognize Opportunities for Creativity

• Take a look at your routine, and start to notice where you tend to have time that you could re-allocate
• Schedule yourself a weekly “artists date” to do something creative, that is, outside your regular routine.  Do this alone if you are comfortable.  If you invite someone to join you, be sure to explain your need for some quiet time to contemplate what you are experiencing
• Take a walk by yourself in a place you are familiar with; no electronics, take note of what you observe and experience: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, physical touch. Write, draw, or ‘dream’ the experience.
• Take a walk, as above, but in a place you have never been before. Take note of your observations and experiences.  Again, write, draw or ‘dream’ the experience.  Compare: did you learn anything different?
• simply do one thing differently or try one new thing every day
• begin to note small and simple moments for you to get creative in your daily life
• start with something that you enjoy and change it up a bit: baking? Add raisins instead of chocolate chips, or add a different herb or spice.  Were you satisfied with the results? Were you inspired to do more experimenting?
• creativity is cyclical – the more you give, the more you’ll get.

Carve Out Time for Creativity

• assess your schedule and pinpoint days and times where you can carve out time for creativity
• forming a creative routine isn’t just about blocking out a few hours in your planner.
• establish boundaries in your life that will protect your time for creativity
•  Claim a physical space free from internal and external elements that might interfere with your creative flow.
• Talk to family and friends about the changes you are making; get their support (or the least, their non-interference)

Find a notebook that calls out “Creativity” to you (lots of choices at your local Dollar store) – use it as a journal to record your thoughts, emotions, successes, occasional frustrations.  Add at least a few words, sentences, pages on a regular basis.

Your creative process is a journey evolving over time. Explore “The Road Not Taken”.