Three Ways Journaling Can Boost Your Creativity and Your Business

I have a friend who has struggled with her creativity for a long time. She's extremely uncomfortable thinking of herself as "creative." We've been working together on it, and making progress. One of the tools that's really helped her has been journaling.

From Julia Cameron's The Artist Way to Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones to Linda Trichter Metcalf, Ph.D. and Tobin Simon, Ph.D.'s Writing the Mind Alive to numerous other publications, journaling has enjoyed a long history of creative-nurturing along with a host of other benefits.

For my purposes, I'm defining journaling as any sort of loose, longhand writing. Whatever thoughts come into your head you put them down on paper. There's no structure, no form, nor concern about spelling or grammar or even legibility.

Even if writing isn't your dream, incorporating a regular program of journaling into your life is a wonderful way to jump-start your creativity and cultivate a constant flow of new ideas. Here are three reasons why.

1. Helps you get rid of the junk in your head. We all have it. Junk thoughts. Everything from self-defeating comments ("Oh, I'll never be good at that." or "Who told you that you could be a writer?") to the "worry of the moment" to neurosis of every type to the ever-growing, constant to-do lists.

Who can be creative with all that noise going on? For that matter, who could even hear a creative thought over all that racket?

Journaling is a way to quiet the mind. Writing all that junk down transfers it from your head to the paper. Suddenly, you find you can actually think rather than simply react.

The best part is this quiet lasts long after the journaling is done for the day. And if you journal frequently, then the effect is cumulative.

When I finish journaling, I find that I feel peaceful. Calm. Able to focus. The junk is gone, leaving space to be creative.

2. Gives you a chance to try new ideas. What better way to see if a new idea will work than to try it out on paper? You can write out the pros and cons, describe a scenario, play "what if" games ("What if my new business was successful?" "What if I tried that new advertising campaign?" "What if I contacted the editor at Money Magazine?"). And the best part is it's all in a private little notebook that no one will ever have to see.

Try writing down your hopes, dreams, goals, visions. Play around with them. You may find as you journal about them, a strategy for making them come true suddenly presents itself, right there in the pages of your notebook.

3. Helps you build a bridge to your muse. This one really only kicks in after you've sufficiently done number one (at least, this is the way it works for me). It seems only after I've gotten most of the junk out of my head that the muse sometimes slips out to play a bit.

How do you know the muse came to visit you? When that brilliant idea flashes in your head. It may not happen while you're journaling, but instead while you're showering, walking, driving or something else. This is the muse talking to you.

It's important to remember muses have quiet voices. They can easily be drowned out by the incessant bickering of the other noisy chatter going on in your head. Once you can get those other voices to shut up, you can start to listen for the muse.

Don't worry if this doesn't happen right away. There have been weeks and even months when I write nothing but junk down. But then, one day, that great idea appears on the paper or in my head as I'm walking my dogs.

And when that happens, I know all the time I spent journaling about nothing has paid off.

Creativity Exercises -- Journal more ideas

I would love it if you made a pact with yourself to journal regularly for a month. If that's too much of a commitment for you, try it as a creativity exercise.

Write down your challenge at the top of a piece of paper. Maybe it's ways to increase business or promote your products more or a new PR campaign. Now just start writing about it.

Don't think, just write. Fill a few pages of musing about that particular challenge. Don't type it either -- write longhand. If you wander away from it, try nudging yourself back.

Write for at least 20 minutes. If no answer presents itself in that time, don't get too hung up about it. Try it again the next day or a few days in a row. Sometimes it just takes awhile to jar things loose. And remember, great ideas have a tendency to pop up in the most unexpected places, not just when you're doing something "creative."

Michele Pariza Wacek is the author of "Got Ideas? Unleash Your Creativity and Make More Money." She offers two free e-zines that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at TheArtistSoul.com.

More Resources

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

More Creativity Information:

Related Articles

What Open Stage is Teaching Me About Life
After many years of performing as a vocalist, I switched my focus to my training and work as a music therapist. I love sharing my music with my clients with special needs and it continues to be an incredibly rewarding field of work.
Sing & Be Well
When people find out that I'm a music therapist, the comments I hear most often are "I wish I could sing!" or "Oh, I love to sing, but I'm not good enough to do it in front of anyone". Some of these people tell me that, as children, a parent, teacher or someone else told them that they should just mouth the words because they didn't have a good enough voice.
Take Time To Think
I recently saw a program on television wherein the participants discussed the degree to which present day computer technology has contributed to our economy, well-being and our ability to communicate. They pointed out the many ways that this technology was already obsolete and that further refinements will impact our future in ways we dare not imagine.
True Power Series Part I. Visualization: Image Production and Verbal Thought
(5 minutes a day)There is no limit to what you can visualize. The most effective visualization usually happens when emotion is connected with a strong image as, for example, when you really want something specific that you think will make you happy.
Creativity Myths
Sustained myths about Creativity and Innovation lead to confusion, bad practice and bad decision making. Some of them include:1.
Analysis of The Monkeys Paw by W. W. Jacobs: A Study in Lateral Thinking
I first read The Monkey's Paw as a youngster in Junior High School. I was touched by how an elderly couple received the gift that everyone would want, three wishes, and how the gift turned into a curse.
Unlock Your Creative Secret Weapon
It seems like this week a ton of people have been asking me how they can become more creative. I even had one client jokingly accuse me of being in cahoots with the Devil in trade for my creativity.
Recharge Your Battery
It was 4:15PM on a Thursday when I arrived at the hair salon to get my haircut. My hair appointment was at 5PM but I arrived there quite early.
A New Discovery Of An Old Secret
Some years ago, when the world seemed to close in on me and I felt asthough I was trapped between the sword and the wall, I made an excitingdiscovery. Actually, it was a phenomenon that was as old as dirt but ittook on significant meanings for me because it freed me from all myproblems and all the stresses and pressures that were being imposed uponme.
Are You A Creative Meathead?
Remember Archie Bunker's description of what a Meatheadwas on All in the Family?Dead, from the neck up!When it comes to creaivity, innnovation, coming up with ideas that magically turn into money - are you alive?Ever wonder how some of the big names in business are able tocontinually come up with new, innovative product ideas, marketing programs and publicity projects?New ideas are the lifeblood of leaping to the top of your field.Without diving into the bowels of scientific theory, itis absolutely true that to fuel creativity, your brain needsnew input.
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.
20 Ways to Keep Your Writing Inspiration and Creativity High
When stressed or blocked it is wise to make a change so thatwe don't stay in that place. Yet, many times we forget someof the simple things that we can do for ourselves, quicklyand easily to bring our inspiration back and increase ourcreativity.
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.
Becoming More Creative -- What We Can Learn From Disney
When you think about the legacies Walt Disney left us, do talking mice and a multigizillion dollar company come to mind? Actually, those are only the products of his prodigious and rich creativity - dig deeper and you start to realize one of the most intriguing heritages Disney left was his processes.Disney was a creative and problem-solving genius.
Creating and Living Your Ideal Legacy
A legacy is more than a gift that lives on after you. Certainly, a legacy is a contribution to humanity.
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.
The Source of Growth and Creativity
Bare attention (to objects, people and circumstances) is what brings order in this world and in your personal world. If you know how to move your attention without the involvement of mind, positive creation happens as a result.
What is Creativity?
Here in England September represents the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn as well as the start of the new school year and the start of many new initiatives in business, life and lots more besides.When anyone is looking to make any kind of change in their life, often the approach they take needs to become attractive or appealing in order for them to maintain it and often it may not remain attractive or appealing for as long as we like.
Finding A Little Adventure
I have had more than my share of exciting times and I'm grateful for every one of them.There was the time the bear came into camp at 11:00 p.
Problem Solving Techniques For Business And Life
Learning a few good problem solving techniques can improve your bottom line and your life.Do you ever run out of good ideas, or go around in circles trying to come up with a solution for a persistent problem? Maybe you just need to learn some simple problem solving techniques, and then start applying them.
>