REMINDER QUESTIONS:
1) What problem are you using for this exercise?
2) How do you feel about completing this exercise?
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Surprise! - Gratitude Break
SURPRISE!!
Today is the day to take your gratitude break!
Take five minutes to focus on a person, place or object that you are thankful for. If you choose a person, please try to express your gratitude in person. If not, send them a card or silly gift, if they are far away.
Enjoy!
This week’s article is about problem-solving. It goes without saying that while you pursue your creative process you will also be problem-solving at many different levels. This is practical exercise designed to direct your full attention to the one issue that may be one your mind this week. Remember that this article will be posted over three days with reminder questions, a gratitude and a success break on the Tuesday and Thursday.
FOUR PAGES TO A BREAKTHROUGH
By
Lael Johnson
WHY:The last two questions to address are the why and the how of trusting. The why is be clearer to you now. I know that when I can’t trust myself, or for some reason I’m feeling emotionally chaotic, I make more mistakes. I interrupt my creative process more. I tend to block letting many of my earlier bad habits sneak back in and trip me up. When I don’t trust other people, I won’t give my full attention to them. I’ll be a cranky learner, because I’d rather be somewhere else and I may be rude to people. Sometimes it’s necessary to put myself in a situation like this, because of work, learning a new skill, or in some other situation. Usually I can calm down by the end of the day, but on some days, I’ve been known to carry those old feelings with me until the end of the day. That habit can be very distracting not too mention destructive in the long run.
REMINDER QUESTIONS: October 12, 2006
1) What kind of negative thoughts are you struggling with today?
2) In what area(s) is your trust the strongest?
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SURPRISE!!
Today is the day to take your gratitude break!
Take five minutes to focus on a person, place or object that you are thankful for. If you choose a person, please try to express your gratitude in person. If not, send them a card or silly gift, if they are far away.
Enjoy!
WHAT: What does trust look like? Do you know? Have you ever thought about what it looks like? My guess is that had I asked you to write a journal about trust, being sure that you included an image, all of your images would be different. Why? How you trust is unique and individual. The overall principle of trust is something we can all understand and always practice more. But to identify it in detail, that is very unique. What do you trust when you start creating a piece? This is what I would trust. I would trust my brain to create ideas, associations or other images that would eventually lead to one solid, workable idea for a piece. Something else I would trust: that I can give shape to that solid workable idea. Giving shape to my idea, also includes giving it color, personality, texture, any components that it will need to move well or hang better around someone’s neck. Finally, I would trust myself to start the piece and walk it through to completion. This one is important for anyone who struggles with procrastination. Procrastination the first signal, that there is something other than trust on my mind. during the creative process. I may not discover the source for awhile, but I really need to make sure that I don’t let my piece lie fallow, unless I really need some time to percolate or I need to rest my hands. Even then I need to keep an eye on the time I take away from the piece, because I often take more time than I should, to keep my creative schedule consistent. Do you know what you should trust when you start to create? Give it some thought. I don’t think I’m finished with this answer, but I will let it percolate for awhile.
REMINDER QUESTIONS:
1) What did you discover when you answered the question who do you trust?
2) What is your toughest creativity trust area?
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SUCCESS BREAK - October 10, 2006
SURPRISE!!
Today is the day to take your success break!
Take five minutes to focus on one of your current successes. Focus on each detail, sense, word and thought involved in this successful situation. When you are finished share this success with one other person!
Enjoy!
This week’s article covers trust and the part it plays in your creative life. I will ask questions covering the four W’s and the how of trust. This article is designed to peak your interest in trust, as well as to nudge you to look more closely at your own trust issues when applied to your creative process. Remember that the article will be spread out over three days with reminder questions and breaks during the week.
TRUST
I want to remind you of a few points about solving your procrastination problems as I wind up this article. Remember to be aware, be persistent, practice and regularly express your gratitude. As you focus on these four areas, you will begin to see your negative thought processes, replaced by more peaceful ones.
REMINDER QUESTIONS:
1) What creative project did you recently finish by deadline?
2) What creative project are you still stalled on?
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Gratitude Break - Surprise - October 05, 2006
SURPRISE!!
Today is the day to take your gratitude break!
Take five minutes to focus on a person, place or object that you are thankful for. If you choose a person, please try to express your gratitude in person. If not, send them a card or silly gift, if they are far away.
Enjoy!
To-Do Lists: Lists are easy to write in your journal. If you can write a laundry list, then you can write a journal list. Feel free to choose organization tools that work best for you. My preference is to use a combination of my calendar, some goal files (pc), index cards and my memory. When I’m creating lists, I like having access to both flexible tools(cards and memory) and a workable structure ( past lists and some goal files). Remember to write a clear, easy to read, and detailed to-do list.
