Music, Moving, Making...

Do you have things that help you weave creative thinking and actions into your week?

To keep it simple yet actionable for myself, I’ve chosen three domains to proactively plan for and progress at the start of the week: Music, Making and Movement.

Music

I like listening to mellow instrumental or non-English language music while working. I find it less distracting yet energising. My music choice for this week came easily. I attended Seckou Keita’s gig at The Junction in Cambridge on Friday. Seckou is nicknamed ?"the Hendrix of the Kora". As far as I am concerned, the man is a magician! He wowed us with stirring Senegalese music including an introductory demo to Kora playing.?

I had not seen Seckou or the 22-stringed instrument being played live before but found the music familiarly evocative, right from the pre-show promo videos. A few of the newly discovered songs have now made it to my Creative Flow playlist (Spotify)?

Making

I started this year seeking more hands-on “slow-making, off-screen” time. I find it motivating to line up a project, mull over “how to” and work through it. A good place for me to look is in my wardrobe for something old that can be re-fashioned.?

This faithful 15-year-old (at least!) denim jacket, still in fantastic condition is now in the spotlight. I’m attempting a leather patchwork makeover to make it more interesting to keep wearing. I also figure that any mistakes can easily become a feature so let’s see how this goes! What’s more important is the act of making.

Movement

One of the positives of owning a dog is that you’ll be pushed out of the door even when the weather is dire. So I confess, there is no additional effort on my part to do something new to move however, it gives me the good-for-me glow and this impacts on the rest of my day and the quality of my work.?

What is new is the addition of two elements to my walks. Firstly, I’ve set myself a 15,000 steps-per-day target. I only made the target twice last week but the consolation is that I'm now consistently above the “standard” 10,000 daily steps so those steps are taking me in the right direction of being outdoors for longer and in nature. I’ve also started wearing a 5kg weight jacket, some baby steps there for some strength training. Feel better, do better, right?

What’s on your list of small or not-so-small creativity-boosting rituals?