From: Trookies2 (Original Message) Sent: 10/6/2007 10:39 AM
how much space do you make in your life
for your creativity?
Often we complain and feel frustrated that we're not able to be more
creative, looking for reasons and stocking up on the "if onlys".

"If only I had more [fill in the blank here] then I'd be so much more
creative..."

.........................................................................................
Ultimately we all have a choice about what we make space for in
our lives.
.........................................................................................

If you're making it about as easy for creativity to make its way
into your life as it is to find a quiet seat on the Underground at rush
hour, then maybe it's time to look at how you can be more open and
welcoming?

Here then, are the 3 crucial areas of your life where you can make
space for creativity:

.................................
Make space in your day
.................................

This is about making space in your daily schedule to create. How
much time do you spend regularly (ie every day!) on creative
pursuits? An hour? 15 minutes? Less than 15 seconds?!

Begin to make space in your day by committing to a fixed time slot
to create. Choose a time when you naturally feel most creative,
whether that's early in the morning, mid afternoon or late at night.
Then create for a minimum of 15 minutes each day.

There are 96 periods of 15 minutes in a 24 hour day, meaning
spending 15 minutes creating is a little over 1% of your time each
day. And if you can't commit 1% of each day to creating, maybe you
need to question how important is it you after all?

.............................................
Make space in your surroundings
.............................................

Sometimes we have a desk or workspace so cluttered we can barely
see the surface. Then when we come to create, we can never find
the right materials or equipment, and by the time we've cleared a
space to work in, the creative momentum has all but evaporated
and we hit a wall.

Make space in your surroundings by spending some time organising
your workspace so it's somewhere you can go to and begin creating
almost immediately. The fewer physical obstacles there are, the
easier you'll find it to create.

If desk space is tight, invest in portable trays or boards you can
have your materials and equipment set up on, so you don't have to
get it all out of boxes each time you go to create.

...................................
Make space in your mind
...................................

This is the most important area of all. If you haven't made space in
your mind to be creative, then you'll always find ways of blocking
yourself and stopping yourself reaching anywhere near your true
creative potential.

Ask yourself what you really believe about yourself and your
relationship with your creativity. Take the time to write down your
thoughts and beliefs. If you find you're writing statements like "I'm
not really creative, I'm a fraud" or "I don't really deserve to be more
creative" then obviously this is going to seriously hold you back from
freely creating.

Write down everything you believe about yourself and your creativity
- whether positive or negative. Then, focus on those positive
empowering beliefs, and make space in your mind for more of them
by weeding out those negative and destructive thoughts and beliefs
that hold you back and drag you down.

...........................................................................................
Focus on each of these 3 key areas in turn to make space for your
creativity.
...........................................................................................

You'll be amazed at how a little focused effort in any of these areas
can significantly increase your creativity in a matter of days.


..........................................................................................
Share your experiences and comments