Tag: creative process

Frustration to Creation in Three Steps

My wife and I were listening that “not-gonna-write-you-a-love-song” catchy tune the other day on the radio.

You know it right?

If not, here it is…

Wanting to know the song’s meaning, I did a little digging about why and how Sara Bareilles came up with they lyrics to “Love Song.” Here’s what she said:

“[referring to her music label] They had encouraged me to keep writing, and I just wasn’t having any luck, and I was turning in the beginnings of ideas and snippets of moments of a song, and I was just getting a really sort of blasé reaction to everything. I started to get really insecure about it, and then I got really pissed off at myself for caring what anybody thought…. I went to a rehearsal space one day. I sat down and wrote something for me. And ‘Love Song’ basically wrote itself. It’s totally honest, and I’m very lucky the label liked it as well.”

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1583067/sara-bareilles-love-song-basically-wrote-itself.jhtml Continue reading “Frustration to Creation in Three Steps”

The Best: Creativity from Carbon

I like the best.

The best food.

The best technology.

The best movie, book, play…you name it.

But isn’t ‘the best’ subjective? Sometimes I have to slow myself down and ask why do I believe this is the best?

  • Who determined that gold is more valuable than silver?
  • When was it decided that if I pay more for something it’s therefore better?
  • Why do I think “the best” is “the best”?

The concusion I came to…

Continue reading “The Best: Creativity from Carbon”

The Company You Keep

[box options]Today’s post is a guest post by Haiku Kwon. Haiku is a traveler, foodie, writer, and wanna-do-everythinger. You can follow her journey of starting all over again on her blog, Life’s a risk… and I’m all in. She would love to make a new friend on Facebook.[/box]

Take a look at your friends. No, really–not just a cursory review, but an in-depth assessment of their character, integrity, passion, and motivation. Do you feel inspired and energized after spending time with them, or do you feel drained and frustrated? Continue reading “The Company You Keep”

Setting the Stage to Experience Flow

[box options]Today’s guest post is by Jason Mundok at The Wood Stove House. I enjoyed working with him on a recent project, The 24 Hour Plays. Enjoy![/box]

Photo Credit: Ernest Koe

I was recently turned on to the psychology term “flow.”

It’s a mental state where a person is so completely immersed in an activity, they enter into a state of pure focus and concentration where time has no meaning and bodily needs are essentially ignored. I’m familiar with the concept from the more common descriptions like being in the zone or in the moment.

For creatives, “getting there” can be very challenging, and the lack of “being there” can prevent any motivation to engage in the creative process. But when it happens, hours slip by and productivity skyrockets. Stuff gets done and it feels great! I’m lucky enough to experience it occasionally, but like other creatives, I’d love for it to be way more often.

Continue reading “Setting the Stage to Experience Flow”

Creativity and Comfort Zone

Your contribution to this site energizes and inspires.

Credit: Shawn Patrick Connelly (Creative Commons)

Recently, your fellow creatives wrote several fantastic post-worthy comments in response to a post about creativity and comfort zones (original post and comments here).

Here are a few notables…

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From Scrollwork:

You asked two questions: Can we create in a comfort zone? Aren’t there ways we MUST be comfortable to create?

For me, as a writer and indie clothing designer, the creation happens twice, first in my head, then in real life. I get images or phrases in my head as I awaken or shower—definitely comfortable states. I am still in non-judgmental mode.

Continue reading “Creativity and Comfort Zone”