The truth is, inspiration doesn't always strike! But something does! Perhaps we've had a difficult day, or woken up with a sleep injury and nothing seems to be going "right." The creative choice--the difference between people who feel creative and people who don't is choosing to take whatever comes (bad day, etc.) and using it versus letting it use you. Inspiration may not strike, but creation will!
"Boldness has genius, magic in it." -Goethe
I'm in Phoenix, Arizona, getting ready to put on my one-woman-show, The Punchline at the Phoenix Fringe Festival. It's no simple task being a solo performer. The benefits are that you don't have to compromise your vision with other people who you might work with, and that you can perform as much or as little as you like. The challenges are that, until you are ewell-known (and even then sometimes) you are responsible for your own promotion.
It can be a strange sensation for many artists and performers to promote their work as much as is needed. We often believe our art should speak for itself. Or that it's somehow shameful to "brag" about what we do. For those of you who are not yet famous and have a generally healthy disposition, I suggest you learn to brag about what you do.
Tomorrow I will go out to Phoenixand Scottsdale and promote my show by handing out flyers and talking with people about what I do. I'll do it all week to sell out my five shows. If I find myself with waning enthusiasm, I'll phone a friend to help encourage me.
I often think of my favorite musician to stay inspired. I remind myself that if he hadn't promoted his music, the world wouldn't be such a beautiful place. And I understand that I too must give my gift to the world. Not out of self-serving or indulgence, but out of reverence for the gifts we have been given.
Would you like to feel more productive, more excited, and less like you're pulling teeth while creating your artwork? It could be as simple as turning your desk to face a window.
Does it ever seem like you're just not "on your game" and you can't figure out why? Perhaps you haven't yet found your Creative Groove. I had a realization recently that changed my whole sense of myself as an artist and creator. I was feeling discouraged about writing comedy, and not getting that "funny" feeling I get when I something makes me laugh for a while.
One day, while talking about it with a friend, we started joking and laughing, and I suddenly remembered that I'm funny when I'm with other people! Things strike me as funny, and I get to share them around people I have fun with--particularly people who I don't feel competitive with or judged by. That's when I open up, laugh at things, and start to feel the creative juices flowing. That's also when I pull out my notebook and joke that I'm going to write down what just happened. My friends laugh, but I really write it all down. If we "wrote" it together, I ask their permission to talk about it on stage.
I also know about myself that once I've written notes, I need time on my own to edit, sort things out, and use the other side of my brain to see what else I can fill in. I also use the time on my own to reflect if what I'm writing about really feels like it's in my "voice" and it's aligned with what I want to say to the world, or if it's really been influenced by that particular group of friends. Then, I go back to people again--this time an audience--to work on my material next.
I actually knew how to get into my Creative Groove, but I'd forgotten. Do you know where to tap into your Creative Groove? Take some time to answer these questions to help you consider when you feel most creative. What does your body or heart want to tell you about when it's happiest and most free? Is it:
Night time? Morning? Afternoon?
Every day, same time?
Big chunks some days? Little bits every day?
Doing it when you don't feel like it and then getting in the groove?
Only when you feel like it?
Do you groove better around people or alone?
Which part of the house? Or maybe a cafe? Loud cafe or quiet one?
Maybe at a co-working facility?
What foods help you create better?
Are you more creative standing? Walking? Dancing? How about showering?
Do you need to meditate, exercise, eat, sleep, or vent before you're ready to create?
"Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox?"
-Dr. Suess
If feels like Green Eggs and Ham, you're on the right track. Invest some time getting to know just how you like to work! You'll be happy you did.
In our last post, we looked at the final logistical checklist as well as made sure self-sabotage didn't get the best of us.
If you've created something like an art exhibition, you can skip to the end of this post. If, however, your work is a performance, you've got one last step before celebration... The performance! This is your pep-talk!
This is your night! It's the evening you've been working toward for your whole life in fact. All the preparation you've done from learning your ABC's in kindergarten to eating lots of vegetables to sitting with the creative part of your spirit and letting what's there come out has prepared you for this evening. I say this to let you know that everything you have done up to now has allowed you to have everything you need to give yourself fully to the artwork.
You have been put on this planet to manifest this creative work, and no other being can contribute what you are about to offer. It is a precious gift. The value and validation of the work will not come in the praise or criticism of the audience, but in the fullness of your expression. The more vulnerable, honest, and authentic you are as you offer your gift, regardless of how you think other people will like it, the better a gift it is. Others may recognize it or not, but you will know in the depths of your heart that you have mingled your life with the divine for having given this treasure.
The final part of manifestation really is to receive your heart's thanks, and the appreciation of others for what you've manifested. Let your gift be an inspiration and a celebration that you have won your game! Party, dance, sing, laugh, and rejoice! Really let yourself know how great this is! Your full celebration of this success will complete the loop and allow you to rest and prepare for your next creative feat. Congratulations! I look forward to accompanying you on your next adventure.
"The thing about performance, even if it's only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities."
-Sydney Smith
