Original Impulse Blog

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My 2008 Design File

I’ve enjoyed plenty of travel this year (two five-week trips in Europe, phew!). I’m happy to store my suitcase and buckle down on my winter projects. I have a backlog (would that be a back-blog?) of posts about my recent trip that I’ll be posting soon.

Stay tuned to the Journey Juju blog for reports on shopping in Europe, the variety of European markets, best places to eat in Venice and the best overall food award…it’s probably not what you think!

And watch for news of my 2010 European creativity excursions. I'm developing the curriculum now!

My posts about how to make writing and creating easier are on the Original Impulse blog. Travel-related posts will be on the Journey Juju blog.

Be sure to subscribe to both blogs for tips and inspiration on how to be most creative at work, home, in the studio and on the road.

Buff Up Your Creativity: Ten Creative Capabilities Enhanced by Travel

 

Florence from the top of the Duomo inspires

Creativity is a combination of skills, qualities and perspectives that allows someone to bring ideas into form. Identifying and cultivating those capabilities allows you to be more effective in life and work.  

It’s no surprise that the rigors of travel build our creative capacity. Both endeavors push us to our physical, mental and sometimes emotional limits. Travel and creativity (in art making, business or life) aren’t for pansies.

Fresh from the road, I’ve charted ten ways that travel cultivates creative aptitude. Check out the following ten creative capabilities to see how travel has contributed to yours. (Psst…you can travel without leaving home; see how these aptitudes can be sharpened from your home turf.)

Fire Up Your Pen with Winter Writing Workshops

 

Ready to heat up your winter with the fire of your writing? I'm teaming up with friend and author David Hicks to co-lead a series of writing workshops in Denver this winter.  David is one of my great writing allies. He edited my novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach, and gave invaluable support and feedback throughout the writing and publishing process. 

David is a kind and masterful teacher, and a great writer. I'm delighted to be teaching the first workshop and the fourth with him. I highly recommend signing up for all of them to guarantee a fiery writing practice this winter. 

Registration details are below; registrations are made through David Hicks.

Shape Up Your Writing Practice

Sat. December 5, 9:00-3:30 (David Hicks and Cynthia Morris) $125

Want to write, but find that you don’t have the time? Learn how to make your writing practice a priority and schedule your week accordingly. David and I will help you to figure out how.

 Start Your Engines!

Sat. December 12, 9:00-3:30 (David Hicks) $125

Want to start a new story, but have no idea what to write about? You actually do, but you may need some help accessing it and giving it a tangible form. A series of writing prompts will get you started on several new ventures, and advice on how to structure your story will help prevent you from getting “writer’s block” as you proceed.

Ready to Revise?

Sat/Sun January 9-10, 9:00-3:00 (David Hicks and Lauree Ostrofsky) $190

Feeling stuck about a rough draft that needs some shaping up? Let our innovative exercises help you to strengthen the structure, conflict, plot, dialogue, and point of view of your story, Improve the depiction and voice of your main character through a one-on-one session with Certified Coach Lauree Ostrofsky. By the end, you’ll have vastly improved your story and feel confident about where it’s headed.

Finish that Piece!

Sat. February 6, 9:00-4:00 (David Hicks and Cynthia Morris) $125

A workshop designed to help you to finish revising your manuscript and prepare it for publication. Includes personalized editing advice from author/editor David Hicks, and a “completion contract” with writing coach Cynthia Morris.

How to Get Published or Die Trying

Sat. March 13, 9:00-3:00 (David Hicks) $125

Learn how to negotiate the strange, overwhelming and seemingly unmanageable path to publication. The workshop includes advice on writing a successful query letter, cover letter and/or book proposal; finding a suitable publisher for your book, essay or story; and acquiring an agent to represent you in the process. 
 

Find details and register here.

Questions about the workshops? Contact David Hicks at 303-964-3677 or email me. 

Let Your Muse Lead the Holidays

At this time of year, my Muse begins to get a little squirrely. The holidays loom, a season laden with expectations and traditions that I don’t necessarily want to participate in. With tradition and obligation on the horizon, my Muse often wants to rebel and go her own way. If your creative self feels restricted by holiday expectations, try something different this year. Let your Muse lead the way in your holiday decisions.

When considering your plans for the holidays, be creative. Here are ten ways to be proactive this season, so you and your creativity can thrive even at holiday time.

1. Big picture Start by considering what kind of holidays you want this year. Think of an adjective to describe how you want to feel. Peaceful? Grateful? Connected? Make some notes about your intention. From that intention you can look at the following ways to enjoy your holidays with your Muse leading the way.

2. Food Don’t go like a zombie toward foods you don’t really want just because they’re ‘holiday treats’. If you don’t really like the cranberry sauce or the sugar cookies, choose what you do like. Take traditional foods and tweak them to make them more healthful or reflective of your tastes and/or local produce. Set an intention for how you want to eat (mindfully, with gusto, only foods you really want…)

3. Friends How do you want to connect with your friends? I most enjoy the holiday season for the time I spend with friends reflecting on how we’ve enriched each other over the year. My friends are one of my biggest gifts and when we get together during the holidays, I make sure to acknowledge the impact they’ve had on me and thank them. Jot down the names of friends you really want to connect with and make plans that are meaningful to both of you.

4. Family Holiday family gatherings can bring a sense of obligation and even dread. Try looking to the characteristics you get from your family that you are proud of and that serve you in your life and creativity. Make a list and then thank your family members for giving you these gifts. Focus on what you love, not how your dad drives you crazy with his TV watching.

5. Gift giving While I love giving gifts, I hate the obligation to give that accompanies the holidays. I prefer my gift giving to be more spontaneous and based on finding the perfect gift and matching it with the giver. What’s true for you and gift giving? Take time to consider what you really want to give. It may not be the old standbys!

6. Assess the year The end of the year provides a natural marker for reflecting on your year. Spend some time considering your wins, your disappointments, your insights. I’ll post a worksheet on the blog later this month to help you assess your year so next year can be even better.

7. Money Get real with your finances. How much do you want to spend? Many people get in financial trouble because they spend from their heart and not their bank account. Take a look at how much money do you have to spend on gifts and holiday hoo-haw and then determine where you’ll allocate your funds.

8. Creative time Time seems more crunched than ever during the holidays, but that doesn’t mean you have to let your Muse languish. Try to maintain even the thinnest thread of connection to your projects. Time spent with your Muse will provide fuel for your other activities.

9. Treats The holidays provide a great time to indulge. Rather than mindlessly taking in anything that appears as a treat, consider what’s truly a treat for you. What’s a treat you can give yourself? A piece of pie with extra whipped cream? A visit to the massage therapist or local museum? I treat myself with time in the bookstore or in my favorite shop, Two Hands Paperie in Boulder. I don’t necessarily spend money, but I gain inspiration from the beautiful books and paper products.

10. Celebrate The holidays are meant to be a time to celebrate but that intention can get lost in the rampant commercialism and sense of obligation that looms. What’s one thing you want to celebrate this year?

How are you expressing your creativity this holiday season? Drop a comment below to share your Muse’s inspiration.

This article is part of my year-long series of top ten lists to celebrate ten years in business at Original Impulse. Stay tuned until the end of the year when I bring all the articles together in one place for your creative enhancement.Subscribe to Impulses for free.

Where It's At

If you're wondering where I'm posting these days, it's over at the Journey Juju blog. My summer project is a restructuring of my web site and blogs, so watch for the new, the exciting, the vibrant.

My upcoming blog subjects include:

• The Graceful Return: Coming Home and Harvesting Your Creative Inspiration
• 29 Gleanings from My Leap (continued from January 09)
• Travel
• Art
• Practice
• Denver Sketch Crawls News

Read more at Journey Juju.