Creativity's Workshop

Extraordinary things happen in ordinary minds

Monthly Archives: June 2010


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Retreat!

Girl sitting in a window reading a book.Fear not, there are no invading hordes. I say ‘retreat’ in the context of a getaway from daily routine. By the time you read this, I will be on a plane to Hong Kong (ah, the wonders of scheduled posts). It’s time for a visa exit, just a quick pop out of China and then back in. Yes, although Hong Kong is now part of China, it’s still technically considered exiting the country when you visit. Go figure.

Anyway, I’m hoping to spend some of my time writing and brainstorming ideas. I’ll let you know later on in the week how that turned out. Till then I will leave you with some thoughts about discovering you own creative retreat.

Why Retreat?

When we are at home we’re usually thinking of all the things we need to do. Cooking, laundry, ironing, sewing, plumbing, cleaning etc. While most of us still manage to carve out time to work on our creative projects, these wonderful pockets of time are still competing with everyday life. And so, sometimes, we just need a break – an opportunity to have some special time with our Creativity.

The February 2010 Writer’s Digest contained an article by Kathryn Haueisen Chasken entitled ‘DIY Writing Retreats.’ In it she described a retreat as:

any opportunity to treat yourself to a quiet place where you can work uninterrupted for a short period of time.

Uninterrupted time with your Creativity is a golden opportunity to produce new ideas and concepts or work on things you’ve being dying to get to. It’s an important part of keeping your Creativity happy and healthy. The good news is, it doesn’t have to cost a lot of time, money and petrol.

How to Retreat

Notice the quote above mentioned “any opportunity.” Chasken highlighted that retreats do not need to be week long trips to far away places. They can simply be a couple of hours spent in a coffee shop, writing. She also specifically mentioned writing in a library, in a book store reading corner, in a hotel lobby or at the homes of friends or relatives who are away. You could also try a local park or beach. Each of these usually requires very little travelling and hardly any monetary outlay (at most a cup of coffee).

The important thing, as Chasken points out, is to:

determine exactly when (day and time) and for how long (whether 30 minutes or a whole afternoon) you plan to step away from work, family or other obligations – then stick to it.

It’s also important to decide what you wish to accomplish during your retreat. Do you want to hammer out a set number of words in your latest novel? Do you want to uncover the fix for a niggling plot hole? Do you want to experiment with a new form of writing? Or are you an artist hoping to find a new location for your next landscape? Maybe you’re a musician toying with the idea of learning a new instrument or piece.

What do you need to accomplish? Where can you go to do that?

I am hoping to take advantage of my necessary trip to get more storyboarding done on my novel and outline some new blog posts. Pop back in a couple of days to find out how I went.

Till then, please let us know if you’ve discovered a retreat that works for you?


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Why You Need an Idea Book

A woman looking up from her book. I wonder what goodies she has in there.

Image Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Earlier this week Creativity wrote about the importance of To Do Lists. Today I’m talking about another type of list – a list of ideas.

We touched briefly on this concept in the post Keeping Your Creativity Entertained when discussing having a notebook handy and journaling. Now I’m going to expand on it by explaining how to create an Idea Book.

First of all, what exactly do I mean by ‘an Idea Book’? Basically I mean getting your ideas down on paper (or computer screen); just getting them out of your head. The book can contain a basic list of ideas, or it can be far more in-depth with each idea taking up many pages. It all depends on the complexity of the ideas you’re trying to capture.

You may already be recording this information in your journal, on your whiteboard, on your fridge. That’s great. The important thing is to designate a place where you can catch all your random ideas, so when an idea flits through your mind you know exactly where to take it. I’ve found having a book specifically dedicated to idea catching works for me. It’s full of random drawings, quotes, possible book titles, characters, plots, locations, descriptions, facts. Anything that sparked excitement in my mind, no matter how small. I fill it with colours, pictures – things I feel a connection to. And best of all, because it’s all in a book, it’s portable.

But is it really worth all this trouble to put your ideas on paper? Let me give you some reasons why you need to start this habit.

It Gets the Ideas Out of Your Head

I don’t know about you, but I can’t keep ideas in my head. Some ideas stick around, jumping up and down screaming, ‘Record me!’ As Creativity mentioned earlier, when something is knocking around in your head, the voices reminding you of it, and willing you to do something about it, can be deafening. But there comes a point when these voices get distracted by the next big thing, or simply give up. If you haven’t captured the idea by then, you’ve missed your opportunity.

Other ideas briefly appear, tantalize you with their possibilities and then disappear just as quickly. These ideas are no less valuable. Capture them, and who knows where they will lead.

The act of getting ideas out of your head and onto paper can actually strengthen your ideas. Often if you start recording while the excitement and idea are fresh, the idea becomes clearer and bigger as you work.

It Helps Sort Wheat from Chaff

Not all ideas are worth pursuing. You want to find the idea that really excites you, that energizes you, that you are willing to sacrifice time for. The best way to find that idea is to record all your ideas. As you look over your list, that special idea will stand out. It will be the one your eye is continually drawn back to. It’s the one you keep adding to.

It Helps You See Connections

I once read a really great article by Orson Scott Card about Distractions from Writing. It started with a question from a reader who explained that he couldn’t ‘stay rooted to one project.’ He described continually leaving projects half done because of all the new ideas that kept popping into his head.

Orson Scott Card’s reply was very interesting. (I suggest you go read it in full of you have the chance.)

First of all he called the situation ‘thinking like a writer’ which means if you’re a writer you’re face this situation at some point. Then he let us all in on a little secret. None of those ideas are ready to be written when you first think of them. You need to keep the ideas moving through your head, because:

…pretty soon you’ll find two completely unrelated stories that, when you combine them, suddenly come to life in a way that is so rich and inventive that all your ideas that keep coming up now fit within the story instead of distracting you from it.

He also pointed out that if your idea came while you were working on a project, perhaps the idea is somehow related. He suggested spending minutes, or even a couple of hours, working through the idea. This may eventually show you how the idea is connected to your work-in-progress.

It is so true. Often our ideas are connected or should be connected. We may not notice this while they are swimming around in our head, but once they’re out on paper we’re much more likely to find the similarities and connections. So don’t miss the opportunity to discover them.

It Saves Ideas For When You Need Them

Sometimes I only get part of an idea, say a title or a snippet of dialogue. I know it’s not enough on it’s own, but I want to keep it safe until I have the rest. So I write it in my Idea Book, happy in the knowledge that I can find it when I need it again.

The Idea Book can also act as your personal collection of writing prompts. The best part of recording your ideas is reading back over them later, especially on those days when you’re stuck for ideas or craving entertainment. I love looking through my idea book. I start giggling, or at least crack a smile, every time. Sometimes I find a spot where I can add to an idea. Other times I discover something I can use in my current project.

If nothing else, the book makes me feel safe, because I know I have bottled ideas whenever I need.

It Shows Your Creativity You’re Trustworthy

As Tiv pointed out earlier, for our relationship with our Creativity to blossom, we need to prove we take his/her ideas seriously. One of the best ways to do this is to write the idea down. Give the idea it’s own special place on a page. I guarantee you, once you start writing ideas down, plenty more will appear.

Getting an idea down on paper is also an important part of an idea’s life cycle. Check out The Secret Life of Frank on the blog A Big Creative Yes.

What about you? Do you have an idea book? How do you keep your ideas safe until you need them?


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Save Your Creativity’s Sanity – Write a List

Do you hear voices in your head? Everyone does. You have the voice of your Conscience, the voice of your Inner Critic, the voice of your Fear and, if you’re doing things right, the voice of your Creativity.

But there’s another voice, in fact a chorus of voices, which can drown out all of the above and make it downright impossible to have an internal conversation. These are the voices of your Internal To Do List.

Let me tell you, once these guys get going, your mind can turn into a veritable cacophony very quickly.

“Send that letter to Aunt Phyllis.”

“E-mail boss about yesterday’s meeting.”

“Pick up kids at 3:30.”

“Tonight we’ll have stir fry. Tomorrow spag bog.”

“Buy sugar, milk, apples, peanuts, flour, toothbrush for William, dog food, beef mince.”

“Buy credit for your phone.”

“Pick up kids at 3:30. Don’t forget!”

See?

Soon these items become a chant, constantly resurfacing in your mind. The little ‘To Do Men’ worry you’ll forget something if you don’t hear the list often enough, so they say it over and over and over again.

Meanwhile, you and your Creativity are trying to have a conversation which may just change the total focus of your latest creative project, but he/she can’t finish a sentence without the chorus chanting, “Dog biscuits” and “William’s toothbrush.” And as anyone who has been interupted multiple times while trying to explain their Master Plan knows, this is infuriating.

I’ve tried everything, from gagging the chorus to distracting them with Mexican salsa (the eatable and dancing variety). They chant through it all.

The worst part is, even if I do succeed in shutting them up, half an hour later I’m in big trouble because now the list has been forgotten. It blows my mind that dog biscuits and phone credit are of earth shattering, forehead-slapping importance in your world, but there it is.

So, the end result is: Your Creativity is completely out of options and the only person who can solve this problem is you. But fear not. The solution is so simple.

Write a List

All you need is a pen and paper, although you can use an iPhone app, a computer widget, the palm of your hand, the whiteboard on your wall, the forehead of a spouse…but pen and paper works just fine.

Every time you hear the chorus start to chant a list item – “Cut your toenails before shoe shopping.” – write it down!

The simple act of recording a physical list takes all the stress out of the chorus.  They see their words of wisdom have been heard, they figure that the job of remembering is in your court now, and they pop back into the recesses of your mind to watch World Cup reruns.

What you do with the list is entirely up to you. Most people lose it, and then lament the absence of their chorus. But others find lists work very well. (It’s true. Stephen says!)

So why not give it a go? If it gives you and your Creativity a little more private discussion time, then it’s worth it.


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Charlotte’s Friday Mini-Critique

This Friday’s Mini-Critique on Word Strumpet is based on excerpts from my short story Buried Jewels!

Click here to read the critique.

Click here to read the entire short story.

Charlotte writes a free mini-critique every second Friday. Why not give it a go? It’s a great way to learn more about your writing.


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The Library: The Pocket Muse Books

The Pocket Muse by Monica WoodI haven’t added to The Library for several months and I’m overflowing with books, movies and music to mention. Today I want to talk about one of my favourite books. If you are a creative writer, you must own this book.

It’s called The Pocket Muse, written by Monica Wood and published by Writers Digest Books.

I have read many books on writing but this one is the pick of the lot. It distills all the necessary wisdom into bite sized chunks, interspersed with writing prompts, gorgeous pictures and quotations. Wood covers an amazing variety of subjects, from prompts to get your writing started, through dealing with writer’s block, to finding an agent. Each new page is a delightful discovery, covered with hilarious and thought-provoking photographs, tasteful use of colour and intriguing designs. Just what Creativity needs to rejuvenate and start sparking again.

Along with the encouragement and eye candy, there is your fair share of “marching orders” regarding procrastination, writing routine and other areas where writers need frequent prompting. But Wood always makes sure she ends with a positive.

If you would like to read excerpts from this book, pop over to Monica Wood’s site.

My only complaint is, because the book is full of random snippets, it’s difficult to find the point you want a second time. I’ve spent ages flicking through the book trying to locate a quote or prompt I want to read again, cursing the fact I hadn’t put a marker in it – but then I love everything in the book so everything would be marked and I’d still be stuck.

The second volume The Pocket Muse Endless Inspiration is just as good. It contains more of everything that made the first book great, as well as extra information which completes the collection of writing wisdom.

In the immortal words of Goldilocks, these books are ‘not too big, not too small. Just right.’ If you haven’t bought, borrowed or secretly absconded with one yet, get cracking.


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Keeping Your Creativity Entertained

LightbulbContrary to popular opinion, Creativity is not a light bulb.

Sure, she has moments when the light bulb of inspiration appears, but she herself is not the light bulb.

You can’t just switch your Creativity on and off, expecting that each time you press your magic ‘CREATE’ button he/she will reappear as bright as ever. People seem to believe that’s the way we Creativities work, but it’s complete codswallop.

Put the bucket on the other foot for a minute. Imagine if the person you most wanted to please in the whole wide world kept telling you to ‘sit quietly in that cold, dark corner until I call,’ and then went about their life without you. How would you feel? By the time this person gets around to calling you, the solitude has sapped all your spark and you’re feeling less than charitable towards your old idol.

You pickin’ up what I’m layin’ down here?

For Creativity to turn up and help when you call, you really need to make sure Creativity is with you all the time. None of this switching on and off. None of this banishing to the corner stuff. If you want Creativity in your life, switch on and leave on!

But here comes the question: What do you do with Creativity once he/she is permanently switched on?

I’ve heard some people describe their Creativity as disruptive, rude, loud etc. I suppose I can see what they mean, although I’d prefer to use such words as effervescent, fearless and schloopy.

But arguing semantics is not going to change your Creativity’s behaviour or your viewpoint, so I’ll try another way. Let me explain how to live with your Creativity permanently switched on.

Live Creatively

First of all, remember that Creativity isn’t just good for creative writing, painting, inventing, composing. He/she can impact everything from the way you wear your hair to how you plan your time to what you buy at the grocery store. Seriously, the possibilities are endless.

So invite your Creativity’s opinion, even on the mundane aspects of life. Look for moments where your Creativity could have some input. Should you wear the black dress or the light blue? What about the black dress with a pink headband and your silk butterfly scarf tied about your waist?

What if the wife wants to you do some gardening in the middle of your favourite sporting event? Perhaps you can painstakingly weed the azalea bed right next to the lounge room window. Then you get to garden and watch through the glass at the same time. (Important to have beer and remote control with you. And don’t cheer too loud or she’ll begin to wonder how those good-for-nothing pain-in-the-proverbial plants suddenly became worthy of the Mexican Wave.)

There are so many opportunities to use your Creativity every day. When cleaning, cooking, exercising, laughing, crying, learning, working, holidaying…the list can go on and on…but I’ll leave that to your imagination. The important thing is Creativity can have an amazing influence and enrich every aspect of your life.

Another suggestion for living with your Creativity is to carry a notebook with you at all times. When your Creativity is active, he/she is prone to light bulbs of inspiration. If you’re not able to follow up on those ideas right away, make sure you write them down somewhere. This helps you to remember the idea, and shows your Creativity that you take him/her seriously. Prove that you value every idea, and you’ll get a whole lot more of them. (We’ll deal with what to do with too many ideas in another post. At this point, just revel in the output.)

Journaling is also a good method of keeping your Creativity active. Set aside a time every day where you pour your creative ramblings onto the page. Your Creativity will get into a routine of turning up on cue and will be ready with new things to write about. Because we Creativities do like routine. Sometimes. It’s complicated. I’ll post about it later.

Now, while this point is not my favourite, I do understand why it needs to be said. There are those times when you have to distract your Creativity (and have something to distract with). Perhaps during an important business meeting or a special outing or an MRI. Somewhere, sometime when you can’t include your Creativity. At that point, tactfully suggest that he/she pop into the back rooms of your mind somewhere and chill. If this gentle hint doesn’t do the job, then pull out a conundrum, for example: “What do a raven and a writing desk have in common?” Hopefully this will force your Creativity into think mode and give you a little quiet to do whatever it is you need to do.

Don’t be quick to put this step into action though. You may find Creativity is actually useful during business meetings, special outings and MRIs. I believe I was of great help to Jessica during her MRI. (Although, come to think of it you’ll have to ask her if she feels the same way.) Still, if you happen upon a rare occasion where you do need your mental space, that’s my suggestion.

As you look for opportunities to include your Creativity in everyday things, you’ll find his/her influence in your life will grow. When people talk about ‘a creative person’ they mean someone who exudes creativeness. Who walks, talks, eats and sleeps creatively. That may sound overwhelming and unachievable but the truth is anyone can do it– you just have to be brave enough to start. Once you do, you’ll continue to discover new aspects of your life where Creativity can have a input. It’s like pouring molasses. Getting that first little bit out of the tin is hard work, but once it’s going, you can’t stop it until it’s covered everything you own in sticky goodness.

Sound daunting, embarrassing, intense, stressful, impossible?

Don’t worry. Stick around and I’ll walk you through it.

Do you feel the influence of your Creativity in your everyday life? Please comment. We’d love to hear about it.

Image credit: Microsoft Clip Art


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Thanks to the Audience

audience1

Recently I’ve been giving thought to my audience – the people I hope will visit and revisit Creativity’s Workshop; the people I should be writing for. While I’d like everyone passing by to enjoy this blog and learn something new from it, there are a group of readers I would especially like to help.

I’m specifically talking about ‘new’ writers, those who are still trying to find their ideas and creative routine. Those who want to know how they can wake up each morning with things to write about. Those who struggle with the white page and lose their flow of words.

So while artists, musicians, inventors and the like will find useful things here, I’m a writer and that’s the field I understand best. Therefore, that’s the field I feel most qualified to write about.

Having said that, I don’t want to focus just on the writing side of the subject. As Creativity will bring out in her next post, to be creative on the page, or canvas or drawing board, you need to be creative in life. Once you unleash your Creativity, you can’t just turn him/her on and off as you need. You need to live with your Creativity, every single day, whether you’re writing that day or not.

How?

That’s what I want to cover on this blog. How you have live a creative life and then translate that creativeness and enthusiasm onto the page, or whatever medium you choose.

Plans for the Future

At some point in the near future, once I get my new schedule figured out, I plan to begin posting twice a week. Creativity’s been nagging to have more opportunity to post. She’s rolling in ideas, she tells me, and needs to get them posted or else they’ll clog up her Workshop. And when Creativity nags, ignore at your own peril.

I’m also planning to include guest posts from some of my friends who can tell you more about what makes their Creativity tick.

How Can You Help?

I’m always interested in feedback. I’d love to know what you’ve found useful and what you feel was boring or didn’t quite hit the mark. The more I understand about my readers the better I can write for you. So please, comment below or drop me an e-mail (jessicabaverstock(AT)gmail(DOT)com) and let me know your thoughts.

Do you have friends who are searching for their Creativity or looking for ways to harness their Creativity? If so, please invite them over. The more the merrier.

Before I sign off, I want to thank you for reading. You are a wonderful audience. I can’t wait to see what we’ll discover together.

Image credit: Microsoft Clip Art


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Finding Space

 My new room

(I’m using a new method to post to my blog today so please forgive any hiccups along the way.)

Above you should, hopefully, see a photo of my new room. Not the best picture, I know, but you get the idea. I have moved in and I’m setting up my desk. It looks a little bare at the moment, but come back in a couple of weeks and it will be full of stuff.

I am just rolling in stuff. I’ve got the stuff I brought with me, the stuff my family and I have bought since we’ve been here, the stuff I left up here from my last visit and the stuff my friends have given me as housewarming/I-don’t-need-this-anymore-here-you-have-it presents. On top of that I’ve got the stuff my landlady has left behind. Lots and lots and lots of stuff.

So after 2 months of living out of a suitcase, I get to move into my new room and begin packing. Yes, packing. Finding ways of packing all this stuff into my little apartment.

Thankfully I have inherited the packing gene from my dad and pride myself on being able to fit just about anything anywhere. The past week has been a strain on my ability though and last night I failed miserably. But today I’m back to trying again.

I believe the trick is to view packing as a puzzle. It’s about finding the right piece for the right place. Usually this takes fiddling, creative thinking and several goes before you get things exactly right, but then that’s half the fun, isn’t it?

Here are a few more tips I’ve learned along the way:

  • Add levels to your space. We all rely on cupboards and draws to store our things. Sometimes we have really big things (books or boxes) next to smaller things (knick knacks, cups, plates etc). This leaves ‘dead space’ above the smaller objects. If this situation occurs in a storage cupboard where things will not need to be moved often, then try first lining the bottom of the shelf with the boxes or books and then add the smaller objects on top. If this occurs in a place where you’ll need to access things regularly (kitchen cupboards) invest in some extra wire shelves which will provide you storage space in the ‘dead zone.’
  • Look for new packing places. It doesn’t take long to fill up cupboards and draws. Then what? There are actually many more places you can store things. Old boxes and suitcases can go on top of the wardrobe. There is, of course, always the space under the bed (for those fortunate enough to have it). In my case I have a table up against a side wall. It’s not for sitting at, so I’ve covered it with a tablecloth and used the space underneath for storage. Look around at spaces you’re not using and see if you can increase your storage area.
  • Prioritise. Even if objects fit better in a different order, sometimes snug packing is not the most efficient. Put often used objects towards the front and seldom used objects at the back. Don’t be afraid to unpack and try again if something is not working. Far better to spend half an hour repacking now than to waste time and build frustration every day because you have to move half a dozen things to get what you need.
  • Know when to throw out. Some things are just not worth storing. Half empty jars of that horrible hand cream your sister gave to you because she couldn’t stand it either. Disposable mirrors, brushes, soaps, shampoos, shower caps, toothbrush/toothpaste packs etc. Sure, you may use them one day. But would it be easier when that day comes to just go out and buy another one? (I stress at this point that I have yet to master knowing when to throw out.)

The Knick Knack Conundrum

What about all those little souvenirs, gifts from friends, gorgeous greeting cards collectable figurines which vie for shelf space? Here’s a trick I learned from a friend’s mum.

Instead of putting them all on shelves until they’re clumped so close you can’t make out one from the other, why not divide them up? Display some and store the unused set somewhere safe. Have summer knick knacks and winter knick knacks. Or change them around every year during spring cleaning.

This gives you the advantage of uncluttered knick knack space, as well as a change of scene whenever you get a little bored of what’s there now. Because a change is a good as a holiday…and usually a good deal cheaper.

So the trick to using space is finding the balance between efficiency, practicality and comfort – all with creativeness splashed liberally around.

Do you have any storage tips to add? I’d love to hear them.