Thursday Creative Brainstorm

Thursday is my day to open the door to creative thinking and doing; I've reverted 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. 

Also, I need to prepare for a summer of Grandma Camps, with themes, projects, and field trips.

And thirdly, I've got lots of projects that help us function better: Fixing broken things and maintaining the house.

Agenda: 

1. Read "Tiny Habits"

2. Brainstorm for summer cretivity

3. Projects for the week

4. Camp preparedness

1. Read "Tiny Habits":

Today I'm beginning this book by BJ Fogg (2020), with the subtitle of "The Small Changes That Change Everything". This is the scripting process introduced in Sweet Spot, expanded on.

Some areas I'd like to write scripts for:

• Equanimity, vulnerability, listening
• Projects, preparedness
• Order, simplifying
• Drink water/ Beingness
• Lose weight, eat less, aerobics

Chapter Two is Motivation- Focus on Matching. The gist is that motivation is unreliable and not the "true engine of behavior change". It falls into 3 categories: Internal motivation; external reward (or punishment); and my context, situation, and environment.

Ways to outsmart motivation:

1. Clarify my aspirations - write down exactly what I want.
2. Brainstorm behavior options, including habits to build or quit, and one-time actions.
3. Match myself with the best behavior options.

2. Creative habits:

I've been having trouble both starting and finishing projects of all kinds, and I want to design a habit to Get Things Done.

I've learned that behavior is driven by Motivation + Ability + a Prompt (or cue). When troubleshooting a behavior:

1. Check to see if there is a prompt or cue: No behavior happens without a prompt of some kind. In this case, I need to move my project time to earlier in the day, after gardening, and the cue will be a persistent alarm on my phone.
2. Check if you are able: The easier a behavior is the more likely you will do it.
3. Find the motivation: The more motivated you are the more likely you will do the behavior.

3. Brainstorm summer creativity:

Every month just after the third quarter moon, I take some days to be quiet and contemplative and prepare for the next phase of my life. At the new moon (on Sunday) I will transition from one focus to another, and a whole new field of opportunity. 

This week I'll take time to write down my goals, dreams, and exciting ideas for the next 30-days - today opening to creative aspirations:

• Drawings and photos for my book.
• Craftivism to support my Nature-Culture shifts.
• House and Garden of Belief projects
• Sharing skill and fun teaching projects
• Practical fix-it projects
• Magical and meditative projects

4. Camp preparedness:

The theme next week is Prepare for Summer. Ideas:

• Summer solstice and summer activity books
• Seasons coloring page
• Make homemade ice cream - what kind?
• Make strawberry shortcake
• Make a sun weaving or finish last year's
• Play in the sand and make a new mud pile
• Go to the splash pad or the Tugman Park creek

Preparations: Freeze the ice cream insert; find coloring pages for summer or seasons; ice cream recipe, strawberries (Farmer's Market?); sticks and yarn

4. Projects for the week:

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

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

 hands-on projects to support my work on my nature-culture blog, and prepare for summer camps:

• Th: Butterflies in bathroom + Camp books and supplies 
• F: Cut Earth Coat sleeves
• Sat: Finish Butterflies and sleeves
• Sun: Prepare for Summer Camp
• M: Summer: Ice cream
• T: Summer: Sun disk
• W: Summer: Strawberry shortcake
• Th: Summer: Gummi snake and Sun disk

Functional Creativity:

• Th: Futon drawers
• F: Paint front of house
• S: Paint front of house
• Sun: Paint bedroom windows
• Gate latch
• Paint peg board tool shapes

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.