Get A Creative Life

Welcome and Who Are We?

Do you want to GET A CREATIVE LIFE?

Do you dream of expressing yourself artistically?
Is there a closet artist inside of you?
Has your artist been suppressed for years?
Do you yearn to live authentically?
Are you frustrated in only allowing part of you to be seen?
Are you tired of number crunching and hiding your other talents?

We have created a blog for many of us who dare to claim the artist within. This is a place for anyone who:

- Has stifled their creativity
- Put their creative dreams on hold
- Negated their creative side buying into the starving artist stereotype
- Wants to be more creative in their current work
- Would like to make artistic pursuits their primary business and be financially independent
- Is willing to take risks

How are we different?

- We are not just another program telling you how to be more creative.
- We are not just another strategic planning and business consulting company.

What really makes us different is:

Why "Get A Creative Life?"

Hello, my name is Jayne and I am an artist…Except no one actually knows this, not even me until recently. I have finally had to admit to myself and others that my path in life is to express my creative talents and prosper while illuminating the path for others.

The "Get A Creative Life" program is a project that originated from the authors’ desires and attempts to live the creative life. We’ve been through the gamut, gotten the cuts and bruises and we are still on the path… in fact, we can see the clearing in the forest! I (Jayne) have been working on this for years. My chosen career was social work and later counseling. I chose this because it was what I believed I had the talent for that I could make a living at, but not what I really loved to do. I suspected I had creative talents and passions early on but I didn’t let myself contemplate an artistic career for very long- too impractical. (Can you relate?) Who hasn’t heard disparaging comments about the artist’s life? Get a "real" job, starving artist, etc.

How I became a Creative Strategist

Alyse here. . .

I have been creative all of my life!
Sometimes I hid it behind a veneer of being structured, practical and doing the right thing. When I think of creative, the word expression pops out. How can I be creative if I don't self-express from a place inside? That place inside often does not have a name - intuition, talent, or driven by some higher power. Some say the God within. Whatever drives the creative process is unique and magical.

What have I done with my creative bent?
From a very young age my mother encouraged us to do art projects. We (my brothers and I) always made our cards for birthdays, holidays and other occasions. This habit continues till today.

I loved drama at high school and was involved in all of the plays. I especially enjoyed singing and took classes. I also took art at school, which entailed art history and 2 dimensional art projects (mostly painting). Then it was time to choose a career. Public Relations or Interior Design/Architecture. Well, here is where the practical and creative begin to meld.

Morning Pages Build Awareness

Alyse here. . .
Since we believe in practicing what we teach, Jayne and I continue being part of our Artists Way group - A 13 week “course in discovering and recovering your creative self.” So many awareness's arise, as I continue my daily commitment writing 3 pages every morning, called Morning Pages in the Artist's Way.

Sometimes the process is illuminating with insights as my pen flows across the page effortlessly. Other times since the guidelines are to keep the pen moving, lines may be filled with “what to write now… what to write now…” Then another thought flows from some inner part, connecting the banal and or the creative. Keep writing!

The practice of building self-awareness is one of the 10 Strategies to Get A Creative Life. One way to increase self-awareness is to take alone time each day, and reflect. Writing when done in stream of consciousness style without editing, is in itself a form of meditation.

Action Step
Commit to writing each morning for one week. No editing, keep your pen flowing. Write about whatever thoughts and feelings surface.

Question
If you have done this process before, how has it been helpful to you in your life?