Creative Flow

My creative energy is all going into our big home project these days, with only a little left over for making things. That will begin to transition soon, so today I will dream a bit about days of creative flow.

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Creativity Book"

2. Evaluate my creativity habits

3. Craftivism plans

4. Preschool plans

5. Studio

6. Do the smallest thing

1. Read "the Creativity Book":  

A few years ago I started but didn't finish this book by Eric Maisel (one of my favorite writers). The subtitle is "A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance." Who doesn't want that? 

I'm on part 7, Connect, and Week 32: Feel Immortal. "In the religion of creativity, we spend precious little time debating whether or not the soul is immortal, what heaven might be like ... or any of the other issues that concern traditional theologians. ... Our desire is to grow so quiet ad to work so deeply that we participate fully in the mystery in which we are embedded."

He goes on to say that when we do that, we feel immortal, and that's a great reward - it's a feeling of being connected to universe - timeless, bodiless, and in the flow.

2. Evaluate my creativity habits:

Once a week I try to take stock of my creative habits: 

Have I launched into a large creative project, one worth exhausting myself on, and if not, why? 

Have I constructed a schedule for my creative work and am I keeping to it? 

Do I set goals at the beginning of each week? 

Do I have a daily routine that supports my creative efforts?

Journal: As I said - not doing great on art-making. Starting this weekend, I will move art-making to the morning, and create a script for arriving at the door of creative flow. 

3. Craftivism plans:

I've defined three areas for What I Want and What I Will Do to Get it: The first is to make things with my hands to give away - useful things, things that inspire and teach, gifts and craftivism. This is my late week focus, Thursday and Friday, and I brainstorm, plan and prepare on Thursday morning.

This week my plan is to paint butterflies in the bathroom - a project I started months ago. Other ideas I have for this month:

• Make a worry monster for each of my grandsons
• Recycled plastic bag crochet
• Small stamp prints of nature for gifts
• Plastic crochet hanger with a tag.

4. Preschool plans:

The second kind of creativity I want is to make things with my grandsons - fun things, exploring basic skills, seasonal materials, and folk crafts. This will be my mid-week focus, Tuesday and Wednesday; on Thursday I will choose next themes, brainstorm projects, and define the nature and skills goals; on the weekend I will gather books and supplies (and take time to stash away the last projects and supplies); and I will do all the prep and making samples on Monday.

This week we've been distracted with dentist and doctor appointments, but we did make bun men!

Next week is Dinosaur week: Ideas-

• A terrarium jungle for tiny dinosaurs to live.
• Pinecone dinosaurs
• Dinosaur cape?

5. Studio:

Thirdly, I want to make artworks with a message - things that explore and support my Nature-Culture writing. This will be my weekend focus, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, with at least two hours in the studio, and I'll envision, explore, write, and set out supplies on Saturday morning.

I'm ready to get busy on a new project that evokes positive feelings of wonder, comfort, love, and grandeur, and that is a simple, peaceful, complementary, organic abstract.  

 

6. Do the smallest thing:

Doing the smallest thing is a great way to make courageous creative work less frightening; also finding the "minimum effective dose", the amount of work that keeps me challenged and joyful, and if I keep at it will get me to the finish line on time. 

Today I will list specific goals for each day's creative projects and identify the first step; also itemize the supplies and preparation steps on a separate check list. 

My creative projects plan this week:

• Th: Paint butterflies in bathroom
• F: Sew monster mouth
• Sat: Start an Autumn positivity abstract
• Sun: Paint on abstract
• M: Paint on abstract
• T: Pinecone dinosaurs
• W: Plant terrarium

Preparations:

• Th: Gather butterfly drawings and paints
• F: Gesso some boards, look for a terrarium and charcoal
• Sat: Abstract inspiration
• Sun: Prep cardboard and patterns, get some plants
• M: Make a dinosaur pinecone sample