How Full is Your Well?

No, not a well that holds water, I'm referring to your 'Creative Well". While I believe all of us can be creative in our own chosen fields of interest and daily life, that doesn’t mean we are always our creative best. Let’s face it, some days I have great ideas and just can’t get them down on paper fast enough and other days I need a cup of coffee or a diet Coke before the cobwebs clear enough for me to focus. Other days I am productive in many ways and can accomplish a lot but am not very creative. I have come to accept this ebb and flow and learned that there are things I can do to replenish my creativity and bring myself back. These are simple, fun, sometimes off the wall ideas that can rejuvenate you, add spark to your day and help you be your best. What works doesn’t have to be hard, it just has to work.

My top five:
1. Going for a drive: I know gas isn’t cheap and this may not be feasible for you, but because I travel to do what I do, it works for me. If I have a problem to solve or an idea that has been incubating in my brain, I can count on several hours of alone time in my car, watching the countryside go by, to come up with my best ideas. The hardest part is remembering them when I get out of the car. I’ve tried a small voice recorder in my car, calling myself and leaving a voice mail message, writing clues for myself on scraps of paper while I’m driving and pulling over at an exit to get those thoughts on paper before they are lost. If you have a better way of capturing creative thoughts while driving, I’m open for suggestions!

2. Quiet, alone time: Those close to me have heard me say this over and over till they are probably tired of hearing it. I need a certain amount of quiet time alone to feel balanced and creative. That was easy to accomplish when I was younger and single. However as a wife, mother, daughter of an aging parent, speaker and artist, it has become harder to come by. I have learned to steal snatches of quiet here and there and keep reminding myself that someday it will be quieter and I probably won’t like it!

3. Piddling: Piddling occurs when you have no huge goals, particular purpose or timelines looming and you allow yourself to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It can be done in your own home, it can be done while you’re shopping, or it can be done at work if you can get away with it. Piddling can be very productive and almost yoga like for me. I seem to get a certain far off look in my eye when I am pondering and piddling that scares my husband because he knows when I’m really thinking, something is about to change!

4. Exercise: Not complicated; running, walking, aerobic classes, dancing, swimming, walking your dog, whatever you like and will do on a regular basis works. It helps you physically and revives you mentally. Shake it up and change your routine to keep it fresh and keep yourself interested. I get inspired differently when I do different activities.

5. Quotes & Inspiring Articles: I love to meander through motivational books of quotes or short essays that reinforce my priorities. I am a firm believer of keeping several resources around that I can easily grab for motivation and inspiration. Some I recommend are:
-The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
-The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
-The Change-Your-Life Quote Book by Allen Klein
-www.quotationspage.com
-www.brainyquotes.com

More Ways to Refill Your Well:
-Take a shower-great for creative thinking and attitude lifting.
-Take time to doodle
-Take your watch off and lose track of time
-Use crayons, color pencils or colored markers for your to do lists, rough drafts, etc. to shake it up.
-Observe and play with pets or other animals
-Hang around young children-play with them, listen to them, do an activity with them. They are always original.
-Browse a bookstore or library
-Cooking-A creative outlet in itself, can be very freeing and allows for experimentation.
-Listen to music of your choice.

Darla the Plumber?

Well, that might be stretching it, but here's the story. A couple of weekends ago my husband, Paul, embarked on his yearly "Follow the Tigers" trip when he and his friends travel to watch the University of Missouri football team play an away game; this year it was to Lincoln, Nebraska. My daughter, Doran, and I look forward to this time to do our stuff, which usually includes an out of town shopping trip, I mean, it's only fair right?

Around 10:30 p.m. on Friday night we were getting in order so we could leave as soon as possible on Saturday morning. I was cleaning up in the kitchen and, having used the last paper towel, asked Doran to go downstairs and bring up some more rolls. When she came up from the basement she offhandedly asked, "You know the basement floor is all wet, right?" (This is when everything fell apart!)

I, in my old, but still comfy Victoria's Secret robe (do not think slinky or silky here, it's cotton and covers my entire body), headed down and discovered wet carpet, wet boxes, and water dripping from a pipe on the furnace that came from who knows where. After retreating to grab a pair of Crocks, I returned and began moving boxes, old golf club bags, a set of folding tv trays and 14-year-old Lego toys out of the way so I could begin to figure out what was happening. Doran was getting a bit excited now and wanted to help so I sent her for a flashlight, some old towels and finally banished her upstairs to keep her out of my way and iron our clothes for our shopping trip I was NOT giving up on yet!

Paul, was so glad to hear from me at 11 p.m. when I semi-hysterically told him the furnace was leaking, the basement was wet and asked if he had a clue what to do! Our plumber friend was nowhere to be found or else wisely decided not to answer anyone who was calling him after 10 o'clock at night. There were more phone calls back and forth, more drama, a few raised voices and a lot more leaking water until I told both of them to leave me alone to think and if I need them, I'll let them know. I sat on the damp concrete floor in a tiny space between the water heater, furnace and wall with dirty towels and my beloved robe wrapped around my legs as I mentally inventoried the situation and what I thought would work. By about 1:30 a.m. the leak was temporarily stopped with the aid of a hose and clamp I borrowed from the dehumidifier, the cut off necks of two large balloons I found in the attic and a lot of creative thinking.

By 2 a.m. I had notified Paul, taken a shower, and climbed into bed exhausted but kind of proud that I save the day, or at least the basement, by using my creativity and whatever we had on hand. My stop gap solution held for 3 days until Paul and the plumber could handle it in a more conventional way.

The lesson to be learned is, creativity isn't just for the fine arts, it's for life and it's inside you to use anytime you want to access it; I would suggest today!

Learning about turnbuckles

My front porch is evolving into a wonderful retreat. This year I decided I wanted it to reflect a New England style, since my husband is from Rhode Island and we love it there. Everything has pulled together nicely with the adirondack chairs, a natural wood and shell wallhanging/wind chime I created last week and comfortable cushions and rugs. Because one end of the porch gets the strong morning to noon sun I have always wanted an outdoor drape that could be pulled to shield plants and people from the summer sun if needed. I was sure I had heard Martha Stewart mention one in her pre-prison stage.

Weeks ago I started my quest to either buy drapes already made or find indoor/outdoor fabric and make them myself. Online I found fabric called rugged red, hoped it would match the colors of the porch and it did. Two weeks later I finally finished planning, measuring, pressing and sewing the drapes so they could be hung. Now the question was how? The drapes measured approximately 90" x 90" and because they were made of all weather fabric, were quite heavy.

This is when I learned about turnbuckles. Instead of a curtain rod my husband suggested using heavy wire, eye hooks and a turnbuckle on one end to tighten the wire so the curtain rings would glide easily and it could all be easily removed. What is a turnbuckle? Webster's describes it as: a device that usually consists of a link with screw threads at both ends, that is turned to bring the ends closer together, and that is used for tightening a rod or stay. And it worked! The drapes are secure, it can be easily loosened and removed, and there is no bulky rod to mess with.

So if turnbuckles can exist all this time and I've never heard of them, then what else is out there that can be useful, make my life easier, or inspire creativity that I don't even know about? More than any of us can imagine. Want some new ideas? Start with exploring a hardware or home store with no particular purpose in mind. Just roam the aisles, brainstorm and discover new uses for old items or new products that inspire projects of their own. Creativity can hit you anywhere if you keep yourself open; why not go wandering today?