Tag: creativity

As You Grow in Writing, Look Back in Gratitude

Remember: As you grow as a writer, you’ll build a writing business. You’ll publish books. You’ll find that you derive greater and greater pleasure from editing, proofing, and finding just the right way to say what you want to say. But do me a favor–don’t forget your roots. Maybe it was a third grade essay you wrote on your favorite food (note: it was pizza). Maybe it was a high school paper on a great book you read. Maybe it was a journal you kept in college.

Who knows?

But passion began somewhere. Your love affair with the written word shined through at some point. Something led you to the path of the pen. Whatever it was, don’t forget it. Don’t minimize it. As you grow creatively, never forget to look back and thank the initial sparks that started the fire. It really can help you find new inspiration.

Piper Flint Reminds Us One Word Can Change Thoughts and Emotions

[In this series, Creative Blog Profiles, joshpcreative.com takes a peek at what other creative bloggers are producing and profiles them here. They don’t necessarily know it’s happening (although we do the pingback/trackback where we can), so we’re prepared to remove an entry if they get mad. Hopefully they won’t. We just want to find creative stuff to tell you about.]

Rolling through blogs this morning, I parked my eyes at a post about a simple way to help children feel better about themselves. The stop? “Piper Flint – Jolie and Piper’s Writing.” The simple post is only about 70 words, and it has a great idea for a way to inspire kids (and adults!). It’s a colorful block with the words, “I am…” When you are feeling down, you’re supposed to write a word on it that completes the sentence and inspires you and brings a feeling of love. So, if you write “happy,” it would then say, “I am…happy.” Check out the post here.

Aside from the great UX of the post (short, sweet, and self-explanatory), it provides a valuable reminder as we cruise through our creative passions. When we get down on our writing, art, or whatever, and believe that it’s not good enough, the tendency may be to scrap it all and give up. But what if we were able to open a page and write a few words? What if we set up a blank canvas and made just one colorful brush stroke? Would that get the motor running? Would it inspire us to remember why we do what we do? One word. One stroke. One reminder….

You see, Piper Flint’s love block project isn’t just about changing our thoughts from sadness or depression to love. It’s also about changing the emotions with which we surround ourselves. So, if you’re having a thought that you’re not good enough as a(n) [enter creative pursuit here], you are also creating emotions around that thought to color your world. If you can remind yourself that you are [enter positive word here], it might make you think better. If you think better you might feel better. If you feel better you might take positive actions. And from there? Well, anything’s possible.

So, take Piper Flint’s advice. Make an “I am…” block, page, note, or whatever. Put it where you can see it. Better yet, put it near a project you’re struggling to finish. If you think you aren’t good enough, put down a positive word and then get to work on being the best, most creative version of youself you can possibly imagine.

And if nothing else, you have a cool block with some great words on it.

Presidential Election 2016 Means Your Chance to Create

So, I won’t go into the horrible horribleness of the 2016 presidential election cycle (which, incidentially, seems like it’s been going on for four years). There’s enough stuff in the blogosphere about that.

However, I want to make a simple suggestion. After you cast your vote (you are going to vote, right?), then get in front of your computer and tap into your inner creative. Why? Well, with all the emotion and energy swirling around the election, perhaps you find yourself full of opinions. Perhaps you want to vent. Perhaps you just want to escape.

Well, that’s all grist for the writing mill.

I know it’s sometimes hard to sit down and write, and we can’t always pick the exact moment when inspiration will strike, but I really would harness the power of November 8. Even if you just spew out a bunch of your feelings as to how the 2016 presidential election made you feel, well, that’s progress. Trump and Clinton have been so much with us lately, let them inspire your characters. Perhaps Johnson and Stein can join the action as well in the supporting cast? What of all this espionage talk?

See, the best stories are all around us. We don’t have to make them up if we’re immersed in them. When high tension moments like the 2016 presidential election come around, find time in your schedule to write. Because, long after these folks have left office, the characters they inspire can live forever.

Optical Illusion of Old Man and Young Woman Tests Who We Are

An MSN link crossed my desk today. It took me to a Today article by Scott Stump relating to another Internet-breaking optical illusion (from Playbuzz) featuring two pictures that supposedly determine your personality. You can see the story and the illusion here. Click the link and then take a quick look.

So, what did you see first in the optical illusion? The old man? The young woman? A bunch of scribbly lines separated by a question mark? Well, according to the news story, the picture you see determines your personality. Just an FYI, I saw the young woman first. That means I’m positive and optimistic, but sometimes impulsive. Hmmm…. I mean, yeah, I’m a positive and optimistic guy , and I’m sometimes impulsive, but geez–I like to think I have some of those “old man” qualities as well (calm, faithful, good leader, and a bit of the ol’ perfectionist).

Oh, internet. The tangled psychological webs you weave.

Anyway, all of this optical illusion stuff got me thinking about how what we see so often defines us. Not just what we see, but how we see. I’m sure the world is full of calm young women who have great leadership skills. I’ll also bet there are plenty of older men who are positive and optimistic, yet make impulsive decisions–especially when it comes to golfing attire.

See, it’s not so much about what we see when we look out at the world. It’s more about how we interpret what we see. If we are younger, and have disdain for the older generation, we may not want to follow the lead of even the most calm, assured leader. If we’re older and a little jaded, we may not think the younger generation–with their smartphones, tablets, and optical illusion websites–has much to contribute, no matter how positive and optimistic they are.

I know I’ve turned the science of the story on its head, but I guess I’m more in the it-doesn’t-matter-how-I-am-if-I-don’t-appreciate-who-you-are camp.

Anyway, I bring this all up because I believe that in the creative world, we can transcend the borders of how we’re supposed to be, as well as get past our judgments of how we believe others should be. When we make or play music, write or read books, or get in front of the computer to write (or read) a blog post, we should try to get past snap decisions about who we think someone is, and delve a bit deeper into who they are. A poem on a website with no picture or name is what it is, no strings or illusions attached.

You see, creativity is a window into a person’s deepest places–beyond quick pics and scribbles. Whether you believe you are the old man or the young woman in the optical illusion, you can push past that and create worlds of your own. If you’re a calm leader, then tap into your impetuous side and write a quick short story that’s out of your comfort zone. If you’re a positive and optimistic person, then visit your shadow side and play a darker song on that guitar.

Take another look at that optical illusion. I’ll wait.

Did you see both the old man and the young woman? Good. Embrace that view.

(Note: if you want to play on Playbuzz.com, check out the original game here.)

This Beautiful Life Is a Blog That Can Make Your Life More…Well…Beautiful!

[In this series, Creative Blog Profiles, joshpcreative.com takes a peek at what other creative bloggers are producing and profiles them here. They don’t necessarily know it’s happening (although we do the pingback/trackback where we can), so we’re prepared to remove an entry if they get mad. Hopefully they won’t. We just want to find creative stuff to tell you about.]

Let’s see….

Something positive, something positive. Let’s check the news. Oh, look! This presidential candidate is under scrutiny for make an awful comment. Oh, and surprise! This candidate is now under scrutiny for something they did 20 years ago. Moving on.

Let’s check celebrity news, shall we? Hmmm…. I see this star broke up with this star! Well, it’s about time, right? Oh, and this up-and-coming star is being quoted as a tastemaker even though he said things that are in poor taste. Bleah.

How about world news? Oh, I see people are still fighting. Ah, and it appears things are still melting and people are busy arguing about who or what is making it all melt instead of figuring out how to stop or slow the melting. That’s nice.

Where can a person go for something positive? Well, luckily we here at Josh P. Creative know that folks are out there in the blogosphere trying to make something good out of this crazy ol’ world that seems to serve up a whole lotta stuff to be down about.

I happened across a blog today called “This Beautiful Life” (christinawrites.wordpress.com). The author-in-residence at this positive place is Christina (of course!), and she will tell you on her “About the Blogger” page that she is happy to meet you! And you, by the way, should be happy to meet her. Christina tells us that she started her online journal/blog to, “…journal about what life has to offer and find ways to turn the negativity I come across in life into something positive.” Now, if you can find something wrong with that, then you are either not human, or one of those political candidates we spoke about before.

Her posts cover a wide range of topics, including ways to use a blog to enrich your life, finding keys to happiness (at Disneyland? sure!), and a very creative way to think about your keyboard.

I don’t think Christina is a politician, rich and famous star, or a climatology expert. She’s just a creative person out there on the Internet sharing thoughts about positivity and creativity. And here’s why that matters: negativity sells on the big news sites. Gossip gets all kinds of clicks. Sports and entertainment rule the day. But so often, those stories drag us down into a quagmire of angst, envy, jealousy, rage, and all kinds of other things that we know stink for our wellbeing. But when people blog about the positive and the creative? Well, those sites are worth looking for. And when you find them? Keep reading them.

Because hey–a positive message and a reminder that a trip to Disney is good for the soul never hurt anybody.

Don’t Let Negativity Clip Your Wings

See, the problem isn’t that we don’t have ideas. It’s not that we don’t know how to write. It’s not that we need approval or anything like that. The problem is that we let negative thoughts and distractions creep in. That’s the reason we get stifled.

The only thing that clips our wings is negativity. If we can learn to block that out, we have a clear path to soar creatively. Ways I’ve tried? Meditation. Journaling. Playing guitar. Talking through blocks with a trusted friend or family member.

The ways are endless. What’s your way to soar?

On Star Wars Day, May the Fourth (Draft) Be with You

So it’s May 4th. As any Star Wars fan will tell you, this is Star Wars Day. Why? Because…well…MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU! Get it? Get it? “Fourth” instead of “Force.”

Clever!

I love Star Wars. I’m not sure why, but it probably has to do with the whole “out of nothing, a great one rises” hero’s journey archetype thing and all that jazziness. There’s something exhilirating about a (spolier alert) hero who rises (literally) from the dust of his home planet to take on the scourge of the Empire.

You can actually see that saga continued in the new Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. I did. Twice. In the theater.

Anyway, I just wanted to give a piece of advice on this Star Wars Day 2016: never stop writing. That’s a common theme on this blog, because I am well aware of the doldrums that can hit when we are working on a new book. We start. We write. We ramble along. And then, somewhere in the mix, we have the tendency to put the whole thing in a drawer and forget about it. We lose the force, as it were.

But on this day, we say, “May the 4th be with you.” And you know what? Today, we can take that to mean that it’s the fourth draft that will be the key. I know, I know, it’s a stretch, but as with any religious holiday, we have to go beyond the obvious trappings and find the deep meaning.

I edited my first book over 15 times (with two readers). The second? Probably almost 20 edits (with four readers). It was probably more. A lot more. But I’ll be conservative. Each edit gets the juices flowing in new and exciting directions. Each edit got me past a problem or insecurity. Each edit a new saga. Each tweak a new way to connect with the writing force that’s a part of each of us.

So today, on Star Wars day, fight the good fight against the dark forces of procrastination. Fight the Darth Vader in your head that tells you you’ll “never” or you “can’t.” Resurrect a draft from the ashes and take on the empire of writer’s block. Be the author who rises from the ashes and finds greatness!

At least until that next edit comes along.

In the meantime, live long and…oh, wait…right…

May the 4th be with you.