Kick-Start Your Creative Engine 9|30|11

Friday, September 30, 2011

Kick-Start Your Creative Engine

Marjorie's Birthday Rock ©2011 LoraFisherPhotography

this creative life ...
Kick-Start Your Creative Engine

In photography, as with all of the arts, there is an exquisite moment when conscious thought ceases and something else takes over. In this ‘decisive moment’ the shutter is opened and the image is captured as a memory of light and color, to be reanimated in the darkroom or on the desktop.

The word that comes closest to describing this moment is ‘gratitude’. It’s a fleeting and profound sense of gratitude that motivates creative people to do what we do. We act out of gratitude for the beauty surrounding us, for the humanity in our presence, and even for the cruelty that compels us to create, whether it’s a photograph or a painting, the written word, film, music, or dance.

It might not even feel like gratitude in that moment, especially if our creative motivation comes from pain. But, it is within this state of gratitude that we find the strength to express that pain, and in the process, bear witness to the beauty of who we are through our art.

The opposite of creativity is depression — a particularly virulent form of self-hatred — the experience of which is a death-blow to the creative impulse.

Being engaged and productive is low on my list of priorities when I'm closed off from life. The antidote to this, I've found, is to consciously remember what it is that I’m grateful for: home, friends, family, beauty, safety, my garden — whatever it is that’s challenging my peace in the moment is diminished by recalling the good.

Ba-Bee Got Back

©2011 Lora Fisher Photography

Repeating this exercise throughout the day and making it a daily habit is one of the healthiest and most life-affirming actions that we creative humans can take. Not only does it make our existential reality tolerable-to-great, it gives us the energy to engage and re-engage with our art, and with other human beings, productively and with kindness.

Gratitude is depression’s Kryptonite.



9 Ways To Kick-Start Your Creative Engine

1)   Ask yourself what gives you the deepest pleasure and satisfaction, and then make time for it. You will wake up tomorrow morning with a lighter heart.

2)    Give someone an unexpected gift of your art, words, or music. The ripple effect of generosity will be strong and supple.

3)    Give yourself 5 minutes to simply watch, look, and see all that surrounds you. That is where your inspiration will be found.

4)    Don't have space for an outdoor garden to inspire you? An indoor garden provides the same sense of connection, purpose, and inspiration.

5)    For today, allow yourself the pleasure of feeling gratitude. Use that as your inspiration.

6)  To kick-start your creative engine, allow yourself time to do nothing. Then, do something just for yourself. Then, create something. They are often the same.

7)    Allow yourself the pleasure of doing some small thing for someone else. (Suggestions: smile at the grocery clerk; acknowledge good work; sign a petition.) A small act of kindness can make a world of difference in someone's life and can cause your heart to sing in the process.

8)   What is the very best thing that you have to offer the world? Don't know? Think about it and get back to me.

9)   The process of defining who you are as a creative human is ongoing. This is best addressed after a good night's sleep and a giant cup of freshly brewed coffee.



Diamond Sun ©2011 LoraFisherPhotography