Creative Drought

For the past several hours, I've struggled with this week's message, the words, "what will I write?" screaming in my ears. I've felt like the princess who promises her first born child to the little man named "Rumplestiltskin" if only he will spin straw into gold. Unfortunately, I'm not a princess and Rumplestiltskin is no where to be found.

Finally, it dawned on me that the most helpful thing I might share this week is how vital it is to embrace the empty spaces that crop up in life rather than running from them. Creativity is a process that ebbs and flows. And if my past experience is any indicator, often times a period of stillness or seeming emptiness precedes a period of awesome creativity (I hope!).

So if you find yourself in a waiting period, a period of low or no creativity, a period when the ideas aren't coming, the creative juices seem to have dried up, I invite you to join me in celebrating the wait rather than cursing it. Do what you can in the interim, whether that's clean up files, return calls, balance your checkbook, walk the dogs or any of a thousand other necessary daily activities. Don't do them as a way of escaping the creative drought; rather do them mindfully, knowing that dry spells happen and in the meantime, life goes on.

It's also a time to ask what part of yourself may have become disconnected in the busyness of your life. Are you neglecting some aspect of your self care? Perhaps you were journaling and have stopped. Maybe you're involved in activities and organizations that no longer reflect your values, or you need to reconnect with friends or renew some spiritual practice. What part of your life have you disowned or misdirected? Take a look to see what you find.

I hope these thoughts are helpful to you. Thanks for allowing me to share a part of my creative journey that doesn't often get airtime. And remember these oft-quoted words, "this too shall pass."

Until next time,
Betty

***********************
Quote of the Week
***********************

"It's terribly amusing how many different climates of feeling one can go through in a day." ~~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Betty Mahalik has been coaching small business owners, independent professionals and leaders who want to achieve more but stress less, since 1996. Her background includes several years in the broadcasting and public relations fields prior to starting her own firm in 1987. She is an accomplished public speaker and corporate trainer specializing in communications, goal-setting and leveraging your strengths. Since 2001, she has written a weekly motivational message, free to subscribers, titled Monday Morning Coach. To subscribe or learn more about Betty's coaching and training services, visit http://www.dynamic-coaching.com

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Creativity Information:

Related Articles

How To Let The Subconscious Mind Do The Creative Work
From time immemorial mankind has wished for an Aladin's lamp, which would make wisheds come true.The closest thing to this magic lamp is the subconscious mind.
The 7 Simple Steps To Harnessing Your Creative Power And Achieving Incredible Success
Let me repeat what I believe is the most powerful andfundamental knowledge available to man:"YOU CAN CREATE ANY ACTUAL PHYSICAL REALITY YOU WANT THROUGH THE INTENSE DESIRE, BELIEF AND PERSISTENCE OF YOUR MIND"Your desire for success brought this knowledge to you atthis very moment, there is no doubt of that. But do youknow how to harness it? To wield the power it makesavailable?Every great man and woman to ever walk the Earth harnessedthis knowledge and wielded a power that allowed them toexceed the limitations of regular humanity.
True Power: Understanding the Source of All Creation and Creativity
"True Power" is a series that will focus on proven techniques to accomplish any goal. Each exercise is designed to enlarge your ability to believe what you want is possible and will actually happen.
Creative Memory Tricks
What's the biggest problem with memory tricks? Remembering to use them, of course. There are many memory techniques that work well, but you'll forget them when you need them most - unless you make using them a habit.
The Optimal Mind State
Let's begin by defining the optimal mind state and the power it will give you to channel your energy toward your desired outcome. The optimal mind state is a quality of attention that leads to the highest level of concentration.
Creativity Management - Intellectual Cross Pollination
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.
Attraction: What We Attract With Our Creative Choices
I used to be a jazz singer. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, they were wonderful and I strived to sing like they did.
How to Make Time for Art
The key to making time for art is the ability to say "NO".If you say "yes" to everything that is asked of you, you will not have time to be creative.
Connect With Your Creative Dream
We get so busy in our day-to-day life, with all the doing and actions and daily chores, that we can quickly lose sight of the BIG PICTURE. What's it all for? What are you working towards?If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there?Taking the time to connect with your creative dream allows you to visit (and then revisit) the big picture.
Art, Artists and Vocation
"If you really want to upset your parents?go into the arts!"-Kurt VonnegutHow many times have people been told that "You can't make it as an artist."How many times when you've told someone that you are studying theater, dance, the visual arts, do people look at you and cringe; feel sorry for you, and feel that you and your family have wasted a great deal of money, and that you have wasted years of your life.
How to Generate Ideas for Info-products?
Dear friends the current study shows that there are morethan 50,000,000 registered domain names on the Internet(approx.)(Reference http://www.
Get Creativity?
Creativity is central to the management of our individual lives, but in modern times few people are able to access this as a resource. Alan Watts writes in The Wisdom of Insecurity:"We have allowed brain thinking to develop and dominate our lives out of all proportion to 'instinctual wisdom'; which we are allowing to slump into atrophy.
I Want To Create...
What would you like to create? A peaceful life, a successful life, a good life, a sculpture, a piece of art, a book? What is it that you would like to create? Whatever you want you can achieve it. All you have to do is follow your natural compass.
Mindfulness and Independence: Observing Fireworks
"It's a free country," they say. "Celebrate our independence," I hear.
7 Techniques to Supercharge your Creativity and Solve your Problems
Do you ever encounter problems, challenges or obstacles in your business? If you answered 'no,' then you can stop reading and continue to rake in the fortune you must be making. For the rest of us, the answer of course is 'yes.
Why Teach Thinking? Why Not ?
The word 'creativity' has so many diverse meanings and interpretations. I remember telling an audience of teachers that creating a mess is also creative as long as new things and views are being conjured up.
Creative Drought
For the past several hours, I've struggled with this week's message, the words, "what will I write?" screaming in my ears. I've felt like the princess who promises her first born child to the little man named "Rumplestiltskin" if only he will spin straw into gold.
How To Discover Hidden Talents Within You And Begin Appyling Them In Your Life Now
Have you decided it may be time to start creating some newexcitement in your life? If you are now retired, soon to be retired, or just now reaching those "golden years" do you feel your life has become a little dull? Uneventful? Maybe even a little discouraging?After all, when you reach this period in your life, yourroutine may have changed, your energy may have dwindled and even your drive may have simply slowed down a bit. So if you are not happy with this situation what do you do about it? Well here's something to think about that could just change the whole picture.
Creativity: Getting Out of the Box
Leadership, especially in times of change, depends increasingly on the ability of managers, professionals and even front line workers to think and do things differently. In other words, to get out of the box!So, how do we get out of the box especially when most people are comfortable staying with the tried and true rather than exploring and championing new ideas? Here are tips to jolt your mind and start thinking more creatively.
Think Orange! Creativity and the Sacral Chakra
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could just flick a switch and turn on your creativity? Sadly, at times, tapping into your creativity can feel like trying to squeeze water from a stone. The good news is, there are ways of encouraging creativity and one of these ways is through balancing your sacral chakra.
>