creativity – Page 7 – Andrew Zahn

Make Lists

Lists are powerful.

Lists remind us of what’s important.
Lists help us focus on the task at hand.
Lists help us celebrate accomplishments.

Recently, I combed through a journal I wrote in October of 1997 and stumbled across a list of eighty people and things I was thankful for.

Reading this list early in the morning–before my workday began–was such a great way to start the day! I loved reading this list so much that I’m thinking of making this a frequent practice.

Here’s my 15-year-old list of thankfulness. (After you read my list, start your own thankful list in the comments below!) Continue reading “Make Lists”

[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”

What Gives You Goosebumps?

We act out of duty or out of passion.

Sometimes we act out of duty and passion.

But passion always wins.

Always.

For creatives, we have to feed ourselves some daily goodness to replenish our levels of passion and creativity. I have a list of go-to things that always fills me up with passion, inspire me to action and ignite me to create. Continue reading “What Gives You Goosebumps?”

Not My Proudest Creative Moments

If you want to make an omelette, you’ve got to break some eggs.

And I broke a few eggs this weekend. Come to think of it, I’ve broken a lot of eggs. As I look at my blog over the past year I realize I’ve had some great successes and some pretty awesome failures.

But that’s the thing about failures: without them, we never have successes.

We have to fall down to learn.

My Failed Newsletter

I count it a success that I finally finished sent out my first once-or-twice-a-month newsletter. Learning MailChimp for a non-designer like myself was akin to speaking a foreign language. After stumbling around and finding my way in the dark, I finally sent it out.

But I made a few mistakes… Continue reading “Not My Proudest Creative Moments”

When You Don’t Feel Creative

Confession: I haven’t felt creative this week.

+Perhaps it’s because I was on an awesome vacation last week and am back at my (very good, but not always inspiring) day job this week.

+Perhaps it’s because I’ve got a cold.

+Perhaps it’s because I haven’t exercised enough.

+Perhaps it’s because fill in the blank with your reason here .

I don’t know why I haven’t felt creative this week, but in many ways it doesn’t even matter. I know that if I focus on not feeling creative, I’ll do nothing. I won’t create.

I still pumped out two commercial scripts, finished editing a video and put the finishing touches on my soon-to-be released e-book 10 Commandments for Creatives (get more info on it HERE). Continue reading “When You Don’t Feel Creative”

Precision Walking

People are amazing aren’t they?

The Japanese video below is like marching band without the instruments, weird outfits and Americans.

When I see something like this it makes me wonder how many other ideas are out there that no one ever thought to develop.

I hope this gets your creative juices going too!

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Redefine the Muse: Who’s Responsible for Your Creativity?

[box options]Your creativity flourishes when you stop blaming others for not creating.[/box]

Simply put…

It’s you who created.

It’s you who did not create.

Not a muse. Not a spirit. It’s you.

The Muse

I believe in a muse (of sorts). I really do.

I believe you need to position yourself for your creativity, and I believe that you need to create a safe environment for your creativity to flourish.

But when happens when it doesn’t flourish?

Do you stop creating?

Did your ‘muse’ fail you?

Should you just wait for the muse to strike again (or not)?

The problem with believing whole-heartedly in the muse is this: it’s an easy out.

As artists, we can quite easily be ruled by our feelings. If our feelings say “we have no inspiration, no muse, no hope,” we can easily give up. Continue reading “Redefine the Muse: Who’s Responsible for Your Creativity?”

Don’t Give Up

Don’t give up.

Don’t you dare quit.

We need you.

We need what’s in you and what you have to give. No one else can communicate it like you can.

No one else forms ideas like you do.

No one else creates what you create.

No one else.

No one.

So you better not quit.

When you quit, you’re not just quitting on you, you’re quitting on us. You’re quitting on what we need from you. Continue reading “Don’t Give Up”

Create from Your Core

The sleazy car salesman. He just wants your money. He doesn’t really care if you get the car you need or want.

The way-too-eager date. He (or she) only wants your body. He/she isn’t interested in who you are.

The ‘can I ask you a question’ person at the mall kiosk. They just want to sell you hair extensions, skin creams, or helicopter gadgets. They’re not really interested you. (Aside: My stock response to their ‘can I ask you a question’ ice-breaker is always “you just did.” Then keep walking. Write me. Let me know if it works for you too.)

This one-dimensional approach wreaks of disingenuousness. It blasts insincerity up the nostrils of true passion leaving it feeling numb and jaded rather than infused with life and fire.

The same is true of your creative work; it must be authentic to be truly beautiful. If your work is not genuine, it’s perceived like a cheaply executed facelift: it looks okay, but everyone who sees it knows that it’s not quite real. Continue reading “Create from Your Core”

Lust and Your Creative Passion

[box options] You’re reading creative passion love (or hate) letters from yourself, to yourself. You wrote what you are about to read. You wrote it with your life.

If this is your first visit, start here with Day 1.[/box]

Dear Me,

Before we jump into today’s letter of your creativity rehab bootcamp, here’s what you’ve written about thus far…

Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 were all about getting yourself to feel again. You might’ve felt angry or frustrated at first. But mostly you felt empowered after you wrote this. You realized you’ve abandoned your creativity.

Passion begets passion.

In Day 4 you identified the four surrogates that make you think you’re living, feeling and creating. But they’re masqueraders.

Day 5 shined a spotlight on the cockroach of apathy, the first surrogate to creative passion, and it scurried away.

Ahhhh… and here we are at Day 6. How do you feel tackling these demons?

Empowered? Furious? Frustrated?

On this path you’re on, it’s just good to be feeling. For so long you felt nothing but confusion and ambiguity.

In a world of numb, artists make us feel.

At least you’re feeling again.

At least you’re angry or inspired or fill in the blank .

At the very least, feel something. Continue reading “Lust and Your Creative Passion”