Awakening Creativity – Part One

Welcome to part one of a 10 part series exploring the ways in which we can open to being creative and freeing those stuck places that block our efforts. These are not written in any order as they can be worked on one at a time or several at a time and…you will probably find yourself going back to many of them again and again (and maybe even yet again. :) ).

So, grab your sandwiches, your hiking boots, your honey pot and flag and let’s go (don’t know why but Christopher Robin and Pooh Bear’s Expotition to the North Pole is in my head as I think of this series. :) ).

Yes, It’s Important

While these are not written in any order I have to say that this one may very well need to be first and it is one you’ll come back to repeatedly. It’s one I’ve been remembering at this moment and have had to come back to again.

It is so easy to discount creative efforts. We are surrounded by the drive to achieve something tangible and often that tangible gain must be visible immediately (usually in the form of money). Those who have strong skills in business or computers and science are considered useful while those in the more creative fields are thought of as interesting people with good “soft skills” and don’t seem to be valued as much. I think it’s interesting that, without creativity, there would be no businesses, no computers or technology, no science, etc so I do find the disparity in value to be a bit of an enigma. It baffles me.

This is not a diatribe on business practices or society’s perceived ills but rather to make the observation.  This way of thinking could very well be why it’s difficult for us, as individuals, to value our own creative spark; to hear that part of our soul which longs to bring forth something whether that’s a beautiful painting, a new book or a new type of robot that seems near sentient. It’s easy to fall into the rather dark place of devaluing our own contributions as creative people.

Now, it is incredibly rare for me to say “you must” but, get ready for it…you must not fall into that place. If you do, learn something to take with you on your way out. :) Your creativity is important. Your endeavors to bring something new to the world are very much needed. Never let anyone tell you that you are being lazy, that you need to “wake up to reality and suck it up,” get a “real” job, etc. Even if you work in a “real” job, if you are a creative person your TRUE Real job is in that creativity. Value it that way.

Right now, I am at home writing a variety of books and in the studio finishing my first CD. I’m not yet bringing much in the way of income into my life. I live with someone who currently has two good paying jobs – one full-time and one part-time. The weight of the financial burden falls on the other. Many times I find myself darkened by guilt over this and I hear myself say “I need a real job.” The truth is I wouldn’t mind at least a part-time “real” job to ease my own finances and to ease the burden of the other (though I work to minimize that burden every way I can) but, lately, it has gone beyond that. I found myself way off track because of that guilt and lost in the daily living stuff – always behind on everything I needed to get done, feeling the pressure to contribute meaningfully NOW, and upset by that to the point of not getting anything done at all. Well, you know whose “fault” that is? Mine. My priorities got lost because I let them not because of anything this incredible person in my life did or said. So, after giving myself a good talking to and taking responsibility, I remembered gratitude, remembered my priorities and why I left the “real” job to take on my Real job, and remembered the key to that: treating my job with as much love, discipline and value as anyone else’s job. I go to work just like everyone else though my offices might look different than someone else’s. As for my paychecks…they’re on their way. I love my job. :)

If you wish to live a creative life, whether you continue working in a field that may not suit you (and that may be necessary for awhile) or not, know that your creativity is as important and valuable as anyone else’s job. Set up your day so that you go to work (at a job you actually enjoy ;) ) and treat it that way. Approach what you do with love. We value what we love; we take care of what we love; we take time for what we love.

If you believe that you are meant to be a writer or musician, actor, artist, entrepreneur, inventor, etc allow yourself to truly soak in that belief. This means expressing it, disciplining yourself to make time for it (and, yes, it will take discipline – it’s so easy to be sidetracked) even if the only time you have is two hours in the middle of the night once a week, closing your ears to those who would say you cannot or that you are being irresponsible and lazy, and taking full responsibility for your choices, actions, thoughts and beliefs.

Yes, it is important. Your Real job is important. You were born to bring to the world who you really are. Realizing that, valuing it and remembering it again and again is your first step. The rest will follow.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anaïs Nin