Boot Camp Creativity

I’m in a Resilience Boot Camp this week and today my goal is to define projects and creative practices that aid my resilience, such as mindful doodling & sketching, crochet, playing with clay, photography, and daily "creative rituals" (cooking, rearranging spaces).

I'm reverting to an earlier phase of my life, before painting and art school, when I was internally driven to Make Things, and they were varied and creative. But I'm also a different person now - as Grandma Earth Teacher I am led to make things that are a gift to the Earth in some way, sustainable and with a message. 

Agenda: 

1. Read "The Book of Doing and Being"

2. Projects for the week

3. Daily boot camp resilience list

4. Generosity practice

1. Read "The Book of Doing and Being":

I'm reading from this book by Barnet Bain (2015), subtitled "Rediscovering Creativity in Life, Love, and Work". This is a book of creative perspective, to help jiggle me out of the straight line way I usually think into something new: Use the exercises with consistency in order to stay focused on my destination. Practice will ground me and allow my ambitions to take root and grow.

Chapter 7 is The Four Anesthetics, about roadblocks to creative flow, and this section is on Developing Creative Plasticity, "an imaginative malleability" that can be practiced with "focused expression of intention and attention". 

The 4 practices are:

• Rewiring the brain with relaxation and mindful breathing
• Interrupting habitual patterns by slowing down the world
• Rearranging the routine of life
• And Resolving problems with stream-of-consciousness solutions

2. Projects for the week:

My new goals for Grandma Earth Teacher and Dragonfly Studio. is 

to heal my studio space and my Creative Light, and work on

 hands-on projects to support my work on my nature-culture blog:

Th: Deign a batman logo mosaic with Aldo

F: Pour cement and finish mosaic

Sat: Moth and bee drawing project - draw a little each night to record my favorites

Sun: Pretty boxes, paint tool board shapes

M: Butterflies - Print some new photos, tone them down a bit

T: Bottle-cap snake

Th: Godzilla clay project outside

Choices: Plan lures: Stamping, painting, hammering... Just lure them out there, then start to paint or stamp myself - no expectations.

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.

3. Daily boot camp resilience list:

I've been adding a practice each day -

1. Stand-Strong work out.
2. Clear off one shelf space, basket, or toy box each day.
3. De-stress journal.
4. Build community a bit each day.
5. Hands on creative work

4. Generosity practice:

On the third day of the waning gibbous moon, I practice a love meditation, and then journal about generosity with time and attention. I start with ideas for being generous with myself, then my family, my neighborhood, community, and the earth. I might decide to give money or a gift, or simple acts of helping and sharing my time.

This week's generosity plan:

1. Schedule alone time in the garden nearly every day.
2. Compassionate touch and attention.
3. Litter pick-up walks
4. Abundant offers of my writing wisdom

When I'm motivated by the desire to give, just the intention to offer my help, and my willingness to listen, will begin to lessen suffering in the world.