Generating ideas

Generating ideas: or where to start your creative journey.

Doing things

First of all, the absolutely most important thing to know about creating is that it happens when you DO things.

You can read a thousand books on creativity, how to’s, go to presentations, register for master classes, watch what other people are creating, but you need to do things.

Look at one thing you want to work better, or to be more pleasurable, or take less time. Then try to come up with ways to make it more difficult!

By making things more difficult, you might stumble on some really important features, shortcuts, or find ways to refine what you are trying to achieve.

Tips for making stuff

Here are a couple of my favorite time-honored tips for making stuff:

When you are writing, write. Don’t start editing, erasing, or amending things until you either believe you have captured everything, or you have a looming deadline locking eyes with you and not blinking.

Chunking

Chunk it out. A big project can be overwhelming. By breaking it down into discrete actions, you will be more likely to persevere and catch a second or fortieth wind to keep it going.

Breaking it up

One of my favorite hacks is to do something physical in between. If not physical, then something stupid, if not stupid, then something useful. Hurling little kindnesses out into the world also primes my work.

• Physical, for me, can be a swim, walk, bike ride, or a hefty episode of dancing to live music.
• Stupid, IMHO, is ironing something not needed immediately, refolding clothes, unraveling and rewinding spools of thread and bobbins.
• Something useful is cleaning up files, updating workflows, cooking a meal.
• Kindnesses—checking in with people who might be hurt, lonely, or scared—a call, a letter, an email, visit, or a meal.

Clutter and Me

Clutter is your friend. No. I take that back. Clutter is my friend, but we don’t always get along. Until you find yourself being walled in (limited) by it. Sometimes cleanliness IS next to Godliness, but here is one of the wisest sayings ever shared with me: “An overly clean (house/office/workspace) is the sign of a wasted life.”

The same goes for cooking, glueing, cutting, painting, drafting, or sewing. There will likely be a beginning inspo moment (which is kinda like falling in love), followed by the hum of “feel like doin’ it!,” but THEN comes the “Oh sh*t, I have a million other things I need to do right now, so I am going to a) put this away; b) leave it in the middle of the work space; c) push it over to the side for a few minutes.” Work through that.

You know you.

You know how.