Get A Creative Life

What does lighting the outside of your home and painting have in common?

What attracted me to this article is the ability to take an alternate approach. If every problem is a nail then you need a hammer. Maybe or maybe not. What else could you use?  What if you take one approach and apply it to another task?

In this case the designer Peck from Creative Lighting Design and Engineering recommends beginning a lighting project as if you were painting a picture. Look at the view with perspective. Then decide which elements to focus on. Each  lighting hub is a piece of the whole canvas, and at the same time a delightful focal point of lighting. Check out the pictures.

http://www.jsonline.com/homes/remodel/aug05/348890.asp

What approach can you apply to another task to get a  more creative solution?

Successful artists have a plan

Are artistic endeavors seen as valid? Often creative people have to get over the first hump of really believing in their own self worth. It does not help when societal bureacracies also try to tear down the walls of creative ideas.

This article from Sydney Australia focuses on the main character, Purvis, as he takes his talents and develops a comprehensive plan to make a living out of fine art.  One of the keys to Getting A Creative Life AND being successful is to develop a plan. The tools that Purvis learns are those that we teach our clients, in order to get a creative life. To learn more about how we work with you to get a creative life, email us at: getacreativelife@gmail.com.

Read on . . .
http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/making-a-living-turned-into-a-fine-art/2005/08/21/1124562744723.html

How about investment banker and poet for a creative life?

I felt energy surge through me as I read this article. Here are many of the ingredients of living a creative life. Doing what you love, being creative, helping others, feeling respected and financial prosperity.

John Barr says, “A career in business that now includes about 32 years on Wall Street has always been a source of joy to me. Unlike my father, who worked for a railroad, I love my work and was really delighted to find a career that involved people I respected and clients I could serve. The other river has been poetry and I really couldn't imagine my life without that.”

For more inspirational read on . . .
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=393255&rl=1

What if you won the lottery?

Many of us dream of winning the lottery. Some of us even dream of it, without even buying a ticket. Research shows that many people who win the lottery years later, end up poor.  What would you do if you won $45 million and made your dreams of living your creative life come true?  How ready willing and able are you to live your creative dreams? Is your plan already underway, so that if you had a windfall you would simply plug in the pieces?

Read on to be inspired by this man's dreams coming true . . .
http://www.lotterypost.com/news-118033.htm

Right Brain or Left Brain?

Find the man in between the coffee beans...

Doctors have concluded that if you find the man in 3 seconds that your right half of your brain is better developed than most people.

If you find the man between 3 seconds and one minute, then your right half of the brain is developed normally.

If you find the man between one minute and 3 minutes, then the right half of your brain is functioning slowly and you need to eat more protein.

If you have not found the man after 3 minutes, your right half of your brain is a mess, and the only advice is to look more for these types of exercises to make that part of the brain stronger.

The man is really there... really.

Jayne here,

It took me almost a full minute because I was expecting it to be one of those "magic eye" trick pictures. Interesting how my beliefs can slow me down!

Please share your experience with us below

(Thanks to Carol C. and Carol B. for sharing this with us!)

Completions Free Up Creative Energy.

Alyse here . . .

Today, in working with a client, I was reminded of how important it is to our wellbeing to find way to complete with people from the past. By completion I mean taking action to find resolution and peace with past relationships and situations that have troubled us. Completions can free up creative energy. The action we take can be a conversation conducted in our imagination if the person has died. Or, it may be crucial to have a face-to-face conversation to confront baggage from the past.

Find a Picture of Your Creative Life

Jayne here…

Recently I went to see a good friend perform at a local music venue. I enjoyed the music, and I was noticing my personal reactions to the performance. First, I must confess that I am in awe of what my friend does. She writes wonderful songs and sings them brilliantly. My secret creative desire (well, not so secret these days) is to write music and perform - has been for years. I’ve learned to sing pretty well (or so folks tell me), I know a little guitar and piano, but up until now have not followed through with that next step into writing my own material.

This is not the first time I have seen my friend perform. Last night she was superb. Her lyrics seemed right on the money and her voice, clear and beautiful. She easily accompanied herself on guitar. I found myself drifting off into a sort of reverie of "what if?" My admired friend is the closest model I have for my creative life. I found myself imagining myself in her shoes; thinking about what it would feel like standing on the stage beaming at friends, relatives and adoring fans. I imagined what it would feel like to sing with such confidence and joy, reveling in the words and songs I’ve written. I imagined enjoying the community who are singing along with particular favorite songs of mine. I felt joy and excitement at the prospect.

Are Personal Discovery and Play Complementary Survival Tools?

Alyse here. . .

Jayne and I have been co-facilitating an Artists Way Group based on the book by Julie Cameron. A theme that surfaced this week was one that, at first, seemed like a contradiction: dig deep and play. We were being asked to take time to be introspective and uncover our blind spots, and take time to nurture ourselves, play and have fun. Julie Cameron says “It is a paradox of creative recovery that we must get serious about taking ourselves lightly. We must work at learning to play.” 

When I am acknowledging and exploring my strengths it is easy to think about playing. I am already on a natural high. But, when I am delving into my limitations and acknowledging what it will take to really make changes, do I feel like playing? Well, escape maybe, play- probably not. How can I juggle the two worlds of play and personal discovery in order to live my creative life?

Downtime is Essential for Creativity

Jayne here...

I’m rethinking a belief I’ve held for a long time: to produce "good work" you have to "work hard." Whether you are creating art or focusing on a project for your job, to produce takes effort. Julia Cameron puts forth a different perspective in The Artist Way.

"Art (or creativity) is not about thinking something up. It is about the opposite- getting something down. The direction is important here."

Her point is that we have all the ideas we need to available to us through a higher consciousness if we can be still enough to tap into them and get them down; like taking dictation. It seems the struggle to produce may be counterproductive.

In order to get whatever it is we are reaching for we must be listening; listening to ourselves, and listening the world around us. To listen we need to stop. Be still. Creative living requires downtime. Do you ever find yourself saying: "I’ve got too much to do! I’ll take that walk (listen to music, sing, etc) later, after I finish this work project or these emails." Of course, later never comes.

Interview with Eleni Kelakos

We have a fun job! We interview real people with real creative lives. Both Alyse and Jayne live in cities with many interesting creative people. Who says you have to live on the coast to have a creative life! Well, I guess Alyse, does live on the coast, in Long Island NY . Jayne lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the heart of the Midwest. We don’t have to dig very deep to find people who are genuinely living creatively and were willing to share. We believe you will be fascinated and inspired by their stories. You may even put some of their suggestions into practice.

This time we spoke with Eleni Kelakos who resides in Ann Arbor (Formerly of New York and Los Angeles). Eleni is an active member of the business community with her Communications Coaching and can also be seen on stage performing musical theater or her own music. She is an accomplished singer/songwriter with several CDs to her credit. Jayne and Eleni both felt an immediate connection when they first met at the Ann Arbor Chamber meeting last year. She generously shares the wisdom she has gained on her creative path.

Here are a few highlights of our conversation with Eleni.

I’ve created a program, (The Tallest Poppy Program) … that involves a one-woman theatrical show with music and monologs based loosely on me, Eleni, and my life as the Tallest Poppy. I wear a Tallest Poppy costume. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a six foot woman in a green tutu with petals around her head. Really, it’s empowering. It’s thought provoking. It’s designed especially to get girls right at that "cuspy" period when they are moving into adolescence, when they are being told by their peers and by the general media "diminish yourself, be less than your are." I’m saying, "Be everything you can be, what ever that is, and celebrate being unique."

I’m asking my SPEEK clients to do the exact same thing… I give permission to give yourself permission to be everything you can be. I am an artist coming in to the business world with the intention of remaining an artist in the business community because I feel it’s really needed!