January is Creativity month as well as Mentoring month and I was fortunate enough to be invited to be the guest speaker and the guest Mentor for the Peninsula Branch of the California Writers Club. I wanted to start 2009 off for all of us on an enthusiastic and positive note about our writing. Writer’s Block is a phrase known to strike terror in the hearts of all writers because we can’t call on our Creativity to perform like a trained monkey. But we can use little tricks to coax and “invite” Creativity into our lives. The list below was meant to be a jumping off point for a discussion among the meeting attendees so they could recognize just how much they already know and are doing to keep themselves engaged in their writing life!
1. TAKE A HIKE! or a walk, or a swim, or do yoga – in other words exercise and breathe deeply!
2. GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO PLAY – go to a museum (many have a free day once a month), take in a play or concert (if you volunteer to usher you get to see the performance for free), take a class, attend a reading, or go fly a kite.
3. SEEK OUT THE MASTERS – what do you admire about them, study how they did it, transcribe a chapter of your favorite book, join a club, or attend a workshop.
4. TAKE A NAP – dream your way to Creativity!
5. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX – there’s always another way to accomplish something.
6. SIT IN A DIFFERENT SPOT – take yourself out of your familiar surroundings and observe how a new environment affects you and your writing.
7. CHANGE YOUR FOCUS – be willing to see the situation from another point of view. (journal, write a letter, write a list)
I was very pleased to be invited to be the Guest Mentor at the Mentoring Session after the main program. We did a hands-on exercise so that participants could engage all of their senses in the creation of a vision board. The supplies were simple: a large piece of poster board, glue sticks, newspapers and magazines, but the results were amazing. The starkness of black and white newspapers contrasted dramatically with slick glossy magazine pages as participants devised treasure maps envisioning what 2009 will manifest for them.
Judging from the enthusiasm generated by this exercise of everyone involved, I predict 2009 is going to be an excellent year for WRITING!
Be well.
Mary
Mary E. Knippel
Writer, Speaker, Workshop leader and Creativity Mentor – encouraging Creativity as a Healing Tool
Simple Abundance Certified Workshop Leader
Simple Abundance Illustrated Discovery Journal Workshop Leader
Come discover the most important woman in your life…Your Authentic Self!
Visit www.openuptoyourcreativity.com (PayPal available on line) for current schedule.
We do not write to be understood, we write to understand.
Mary,I’m finally reading your “Creativity” blog. You do such a good job clearing things up! Between blocks and blogs and my bio-vignettes, I need all the coaching I can get.
Also, congratulations on having been invited as the guest speaker and the guest mentor for the Peninsula Branch of the California Writers Club