Sorry, you guys! I had to restart this group for tech reasons. The theme here is the things you have done to get out of your own way when you are trying to create but get stuck. What helps you helps everyone!


Ok, I'll start. But I've had so many issues that it would take forever to talk about them. I'll break them down in little snippets as we go along if folks want to talk about this stuff. Sometimes , for me, all goes really smoothly when I'm "in the zone", but getting to the "zone" means blasting through some big walls that don't want me to get there. I have found that sometimes the fastest way is to force myself to take one step towards it as opposed to thinking about "it". Thinking about playing the guitar is not PLAYING the guitar. And this is a constant battle for me. Overthinking has never helped me with creativity. Getting my hands around the instrument, the microphone, the paintbrush..THAT helps....what about you guys?

Guilt. Thinking I should be doing the chores or paying attention to the needs of my 5 pets and of course, my husband. So I rush through it all, feeding the dogs, tending to the cats, toss that load of laundry into the dryer, pile the dishes into the sink and let them soak, and yes, spread my arms opened wide to give my husband a great big hug. I find that by the time I've done all this "guilt duty", then I can begin.

I climb the stairs to my sanctuary of sanity and drag out all the brushes, paints, tools, papers, 3 paint palettes, two easels and buckets and buckets of water and dive right into that world of bliss.

isn't it interesting, janet, that we think we have to get everything "done" before we can dive into that bliss as you so beautifully said? i have trouble getting into a focused place when i have a ton of chores to be done too. but what i have found is that there are ALWAYS chores to be done. they never end. so if i don't carve out time to create, it will just sit there and call to me, but the shower will always need cleaning. and i just don't want to die saying "well i had a clean shower!" with all this other good stuff in me. so that's how i try to think when the "chores" come to get in the way. but you described it all so well!

Yes Lisa, interesting and I'm sure it stems from an association that I was "conditioned" while growing up such as, "You can't go out with your friends until all your chores are done." "You can't have any dessert, until you clean your plate." etc etc. I must say that I had very supportive parents in my desires to "play" and "create", but I guess they were teaching me to prioritize my life at the time?

This is a condition that I struggle with daily. I feel I have to "earn it" to "have it". But you are so right, I don't want to die saying that I got the dishes cleaned and laundry folded instead of painting or creating that master piece that is jumbled up in the brain of chaos.

Question to anyone and everyone: Do your moods create your inspiration or do you find your inspirations create your mood?

you know you have me thinking, janet. i used to be more like you. i had to get everything out of the way and almost sneak in the creative stuff. somewhere along the line i realized that not enough creative stuff was getting...well, created that way. i realized i was having the creative stuff as icing on a cake rather than BE the cake. creative moments were like dessert instead of the main meal. i don't do that as much now. now i try to use the everyday things as breaks..almost physical breaks. washing the dishes is a good break from writing or painting or computer work. it's physical and rhythmic and helpful. but i don't want it to define me. i'd rather the creative stuff does. i'm not sure when i made this change though.

great question about moods creating inspiration or inspriation creating moods....! we have to get stephen dijoseph in this conversation, because he could write a thesis on this! can it be both? certainly when i'm inspired, my mood changes. and if my mood changes, i probably receive inspiration more freely or more restrictedly depending. i think if i had to decide for me inspiration might create mood. i don't usually think of inspiration as something created but rather something i get lucky enough to have access to...?

thesis-writing dijoseph here.

hehe

get crack a' lackin', steveeee...this is your area of expertise!

Great points Lisa. I want dessert first then if I'm still hungry, I'll eat a meal. Funny now that I think about this thought. My loving mother, as you may or may not know, has Alzheimer's Disease. She was a kindergarten teacher for over 30 years and when she would take her little chickens to the cafeteria to eat lunch, she would tell her class that it was okay to eat their dessert first. And they did! So I think I'll make that change..........I'll have my dessert first please. :)

i think just about any mood can breed inspired action or inspiration.
RE: moods...Moods come from thoughts or sensations that give way to feelings that set the...MOOD. When Im in a bad "mood", i had to have a thought that I believed was bad that gave way to a feeling that set the mood...the tone...SO...my experience is that it works BOTH ways...mood creates inspiration creates mood creates..... a circle...my thoughts so far...

i didn't know your wonderful mother has this obnoxious disease. i'm sorry to hear that. how wonderful that she taught kindergarten....the land of creative bliss for sure! you should see me smiling at her telling the kiddies they could have their dessert first. what is wrong with that anyway? where to we get so rigid? i remember one night a few years ago when i thought i was breaking some kind of rule to not have salad with my dinner. and then you have to wonder about all the creative things that didn't get done because someone was obsessing about the salad getting made. thinking about mothers, i'm quite sure my mother died with too much of her creativity in her based on all the chores that she did....

I have to say that inspiration is 'created' in a way, to be received by others who view your creations. For instance, I am inspired by books I read or websites of art galleries, music, poetry..those are my inspirations. So yes, inspiration creates the mood, no doubt......be it happy, dark, sad, joy, confusion and so on. All those emotions show up in your creations. Sometimes I don't see or recognize my mood until I'm finished with my project. Sometimes those moods are roadblocks too though.

Yes Stephen, I agree. I circle that can spiral into a journey. :)

Lisa, thanks for helping me to see that it's okay to not be so rigid and conformed...I'm still work in progress.

overcoming obstacles to creativity: NO 1...how badly do you need
to create? this is a question whose answer can reveal just exactly what those "obstacles" are...ie...

make a list of needs
Then a list of wants
Then a list of would-be-nices

needs:
water
clothes
food
air
creating?

wants:
a nice car
a day off
creating?

when creating does not feel necessary
it becomes ambiguous ...when u cant live without
it..it becomes like air...it's all around all the time...

so you don't think that inspiration comes from without? i tend to think of inspiration as something I In-spire from outside of myself. moods, on the other hand, i think are created by thoughts that create emotions. i agree with steve the thesis dude on this. and then the little moods can create the bigger mood. but i can't honestly say i'm inspired by moods. i think of moods as being a state, positive or negative, that either block or permit inspiration. wow we're getting trippy here! ;-)

Making a list:
I need water.........gotta have it to paint with, clean up my messes also.
clothes.........yes, I get cold easily and can't think when I'm cold
food.......ummm.....I tend to forget to eat when I'm painting or creating a project, then my brain farts and tells me "go eat".
air.....helps the brain and other pertinent functions
so, yep, I need those elements

My want list is different:
I want better results of my creativeness
I want more paints in different colors
I want more canvases
I want to just paint and play in my little sanctuary of sanity and not do my chores

as i get older (or perhaps as i grow into myself)..so change that to as i move along in this journey of life, i find i NEED the creativity just after the most basic needs. i can't just "squeeze it in" anymore and have any type of peace within myself. i need basic comforts, then i need to create. AFTER that i need to buy some completely unnecessary objects. then clean and sort and throw them out! LOL!

LOL@Lisa. I just did that very thing this summer Lisa. Tossed it out, pondered over what I tossed out and went looking for something to replace what I tossed out! Like Stephen said, it's a circle...........spiraling and leading me up or down another winding path. But I have found, that I am a much more pleasant person to be around and with if you just let me create. Just ask my husband. LOL

i think we're probably born with different levels of a desire to create. but if you took away my ability to create, i'd be such an angry and anxious shrew. it makes me wonder about all the homemakers in the 50's who were not interested in domestic arts. which, i believe were true arts. however not for every woman. this whole thing explains the over use of librium in the 50's!!! ;-)

I agree with Stephen, yes, but sometimes the need to create isn't always reconciled with a known and cultivated talent. I believe we ALL need to create, but our experiences as children may directly relate to how we perceive our "talent". For example: Were we encouraged? Were we offered opportunity to choose a medium for our creative selves? Was this creativity valued for what it is, or was it just another chore to perform like taking out the trash.....In other words, what Lisa has created here is a perfect setting and atmosphere to cultivate our talents and desires to create. This is so important-that we surround ourselves with folks who value what is creative and unique about ourselves. Thanks Lisa, for this wonderful thing you have made here!

janet ....that was great! Donna ..great elaboration..and so true for alot of peeps...long live the wiffle-spirt!

its amazing how much more creativity flourishes these days
through the tools of technology. I would never have gotten into movies were it not for macs imovie program...

good morning,....i love you guys. just had to say that. i really want this to be a safe and encouraging place for people to explore their creative selves. just think what we could be missing in terms of someone's wonderful creation because of the factors donna mentioned....so many people are stunted creatively due to so many factors. but it's never too late. i'm so blown away by the creativity of folks here. and the folks just starting impress me so much!

It all starts with one thought to share with the world.........then watch it bloom. :)

OH! and good day to you too Lisa and all the Wifflers here.

thoughts are mighty powerful things, are they not? i'm trying to be more vigilant about mine...good morning, janet!

i think we need to get some thoughts from steen here too. she has recently started writing a novel--see her first 4 chapters on her blog!--and i was so impressed the way she just "dove right in" . she didn't stop to think. she saw a challenge in a blog and just went for it. love it!

this is brilliant, susie. and so true! I don't subscribe to the theory that artists need to be in pain to create, but I DO agree that all pain, frustration, etc can be turned into works of creativity, release you as you said. and the process is healing too, don't you think? i heard juliette binoche the other day telling charlie rose that she LOVES her fear, because she uses it in her craft constantly. she has made friends with her enemies!

I wouldn't say that I LOVE my fear-it can be debilitating sometimes. But I always learn things from it, yes. I do like the challenge of being outside of my comfort zone though. Wakes me up, makes me pay attention, and always teaches me more about myself and what I am capable of. Being fearless is an art which takes practice. It can start with small things like just speaking up at a meeting where you know people might disagree with you. Walking up to someone who you are in awe of and just striking up a conversation......the possibilities go on and on....

fear and i go way back. i'm not sure it's ALWAYS best to confront fear the way famous quotes often urge us to do. yes, most of the time it's crucial. but there are times when it's not a bad idea for us to pick our moments. pick the moments when you are more likely to succeed if you have that option, because confidence is often built on good experiences. this is not always the case. alot can be learned from falling on your face or making a dud of an art project. but some success is a good thing too!

agreed. sometimes it's best to live to fight another day. to conserve strength for the big things. i'm just saying that the little warm up exercises i described can help flex those "courage muscles" so they are in the habit of being strong. acting AS IF i'm not afraid can actually help me BE not afraid......

oh you're so right donna. sometimes ...well alot of times, i have to act "as if". i think any time i've ever gotten on a stage it was with an "as if " or two! and another trick is if the fear is really terrible, think of someone you view as really strong and become them for a few minutes. just channel all THEIR strength. it really can work!

ok, ericka, where are ya? LOL! i'm sure you're hiding here somewhere...tell us your obstacles and how you overcome (or don't!) them!