Ways to Take A Creative Leap
http://talentdevelop.com/articlelive/articles/1246/1/Ways-to-Take-A-Creative-Leap/Page1.html
Cynthia Morris
Cynthia Morris is a writer, writing coach, teacher, and speaker. She is certified by the Coaches Training Institute, and provides a wide range of coaching and programs for people who want to write, create art, cultivate leadership and realize meaning and balance in their lives. Original Impulse
By Cynthia Morris
Published on 11/29/2011
If you were leaping off from where you are now, what would your Creative leap look like? It may be taking up a new art form or learning a new language. It may be buffing up your resume and quitting your job, or taking steps to launch that new business you’ve been dreaming about. Whatever your leap, no matter how big or small, I encourage you to take it sooner rather than later.
If you were leaping off from where you are now, what would your Creative leap look like? It may be taking up a new art form or learning a new language. It may be buffing up your resume and quitting your job, or taking steps to launch that new business you’ve been dreaming about. Whatever your leap, no matter how big or small, I encourage you to take it sooner rather than later.If you were leaping off from where you are now, what would your Creative
leap look like? It may be taking up a new art form or learning a new
language. It may be buffing up your resume and quitting your job, or
taking steps to launch that new business you’ve been dreaming about.
Whatever your leap, no matter how big or small, I encourage you to take it sooner rather than later.
Get Some New Shoes or Boots
This may seem like an odd way to take a creative leap, but there are many among you who know the power of a good pair of kickums.
After my 2006 Paris tour, I realized that I needed to treat myself with some boots. I had pined for a pair of leather boots for a long time. In 2003, I had made a collage that included not one but two pair of leather boots in the style I wanted.
So, after my tour ended, with a couple hundred euro in cash that needed to be spent, I hit the Boulevard Saint Germain. It took awhile, but I was determined. I finally found my boots.
Once home, I had to have them stretched twice so the left foot fit comfortably, but all the trouble was worth it. When I wear them, I strut. I am a woman who earned these expensive boots. I am a woman who knew what she wanted and went for it.
People comment on them all the time. I never spend that much money on clothing, but this creative leap was well worth it.
Start an Automated Savings Account
The biggest excuse or reason for not taking a leap is lack of money.
But, bit by bit, you can raise cash for your leap. Start by identifying something you want – a trip to Paris, a new pair of boots, a workshop or retreat.
Once you know how much you need, you can start saving for it. Open an online INGDirect savings account with high interest and set it up so it’s automatically deducted from your account on a regular basis. In short order you’ll have earned your way to your leap.
My friend Deborah wanted to go to India for a yoga festival. That’s a lot of money, you think. Yes, you’re right. Between plane fare, the festival and lodging for two weeks, we’re talking thousands of dollars. Would you have given up on it if you didn’t have the funds readily available?
Deborah didn’t. In November, she set aside 10% of the money she made for the India trip. She tapped into her frequent flier miles and got the ticket for free. Then, she kept manifesting more gigs and more money, and now she’s booked her trip and leaves in February.
You can do this too. What do you want? How much does it cost? Write it down, start saving for it, and let unexpected boons fuel your dream.
Get a Creative Leap Notebook
I believe in the Write It Down, Make It Happen (book by Henriette Klauser) school of thought.
Get a notebook for your big ideas and keep adding to it – notes, lists, ideas, rants, fears, costs, contacts, ephemera, anything that sparks your imagination.
Having a place for your ideas gives them respect and holds a space for them is one step closer to reality.
Don’t get all fancy and buy a notebook that’s too pretty to write in.
I have two of these, both gifts – leather bound notebooks with thick, perfect paper in them.
I love these notebooks and the intent behind the gift but I don’t know if I will ever be able to use them.
I even (horror of horrors!) thought about cutting out the watercolor paper for use elsewhere.
My favorite notebooks are the Italian Moleskine notebooks or the French Clairfontaine notebooks. Get the Clairfontaine notebook with the colored paper that has about ten sections divided by tabs. This is a great notebook for those of us who have multiple projects going.
I use the big softcover Moleskine notebooks for work and projects, and carry the small reporter’s notebook with me to capture ideas and resources that others give me.
Chances are if you are reading this, you have a stack of notebooks waiting for your brilliance. Go, now, choose one, and start your Creative Leap notebook. Use it to record any inspiration you may get from my 29 Ways to Take a Creative Leap.
Break Up or Get a Divorce
Ouch! That’s harsh! It’s sad but true that our primary relationship can be like a tether keeping our hot air balloon on the ground. If you are blissfully ensconced in your relationship and it SO completely fuels your highest good, skip this one.
If not, take an honest look at what your relationship is doing for you. The biggest leaps are often precipitated by a breakup.
Think Eat, Pray, Love. What if Elizabeth Gilbert had stayed in that relationship out of duty or fear? She would not have taken her incredible leap and we wouldn’t have that great book to read.
I broke up with my dear boyfriend Cameron in November. I knew it was time, but I had no idea that once I did, a huge download of my next leap would be revealed to me.
Find Your Creative Leap Ancestors
It’s always scary to leap into the new, which is why I always suggest looking for role models.
Those who have gone before give us inspiration, provide a map of courage, and prove to us that it can be done. My biggest Creative Leap Ancestor is Sylvia Beach, the subject of my novel.
Sylvia went to Paris in 1917 and opened a bookstore with a $3,000 check from her mother. She kept the bookstore alive until 1942, when the Nazi Occupation of Paris forced her to close her doors.
Sylvia devoted herself to helping writers, selling their work, hosting readings at her store, and connecting people when they came to Paris to live the writer’s life.
Her friend Ernest Hemingway said that she had ‘a God-given gift for friendship.”
You can see why I draw inspiration from Sylvia – her courage to move to France and become a businesswoman (and that was not a common thing at that time!), her ability to form a community of people who loved literature, and her sense of service to help others.
Creative Leap Ancestors can be dead or living.
A few of my living Creative Leap Ancestors include: Ani DiFranco, Christine Kane, and SARK.
[Photo from my post Healing and art: SARK and others on abuse and creativity.]
These are creative women who do their work well and inspire others.
Who are your Creative Leap Ancestors?
Get Real about Your Excuses
Before you can leap, you may need to address your fears and excuses. This exercise is like a psychic clearing. It’s amazing what happens when you write down your fears and excuses. After a while, they evaporate and you realize they’re not real.
Do this today. List 29 excuses or fears that prevent you from taking a Creative Leap. (Bet you won’t be able to come up with that many!)
Once you’ve written them down, read them aloud. Do this in front of a mirror if you can.
What do you notice? How real and true do your excuses seem when you get them out of your head, onto the page, and speak them aloud? I imagine that you’ll discover how limp these excuses really are.
List Your Successes
Now that we’ve cleared out your excuses and fears, it’s time to get real about your successes.
Past Creative Leaps pave the way for future ones. See some in my post about Creative Confidence.
List 29 Creative Leaps that have been successful for you.
Once you’ve listed them, jot down the skills or qualities you were using when you did the leap.
For instance, when I lead my first tour in France, I needed to call on my organizational skills, my willingness to step into the unknown, and my passion for France. I developed my ability to work with numbers and my French language skills.
As in the 29 excuses exercise, read your successes aloud while looking in the mirror.
~ ~
[Image at top is from the page on her site about her program The Creative Toolkit for Travelers.]
Excerpted from Twenty-Nine Ways to Take A Creative Leap by Cynthia Morris - a PDF available at her site (click on 'Freebies'):
Original Impulse
~ ~
Cynthia Morris is a teacher, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), and author.
She says, "It's my life's work to help others navigate their creative journeys" and provides personal creativity and writing coaching, plus a wide range of coaching and programs for people who want to write, create art, cultivate leadership and realize meaning and balance in their lives."
A testimonial: “Cynthia, because of your encouragement and guidance, I’m watching my book go through the final production stages. I hired you as a writing coach, but you’ve been so much more. You’ve coached me through personal challenges as well. Your coaching is invaluable to anyone who wants to get things done and needs accountability. Thank you.” - Alyson B. Stanfield, Art Marketing Consultant, Author of I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion (available at her site Art Biz Coach).
Learn about the many programs and resources that Cynthia Morris provides at her site
Original Impulse
~ ~
Whatever your leap, no matter how big or small, I encourage you to take it sooner rather than later.
Get Some New Shoes or Boots
This may seem like an odd way to take a creative leap, but there are many among you who know the power of a good pair of kickums.
After my 2006 Paris tour, I realized that I needed to treat myself with some boots. I had pined for a pair of leather boots for a long time. In 2003, I had made a collage that included not one but two pair of leather boots in the style I wanted.
So, after my tour ended, with a couple hundred euro in cash that needed to be spent, I hit the Boulevard Saint Germain. It took awhile, but I was determined. I finally found my boots.
Once home, I had to have them stretched twice so the left foot fit comfortably, but all the trouble was worth it. When I wear them, I strut. I am a woman who earned these expensive boots. I am a woman who knew what she wanted and went for it.
People comment on them all the time. I never spend that much money on clothing, but this creative leap was well worth it.
Start an Automated Savings Account
The biggest excuse or reason for not taking a leap is lack of money.
But, bit by bit, you can raise cash for your leap. Start by identifying something you want – a trip to Paris, a new pair of boots, a workshop or retreat.
Once you know how much you need, you can start saving for it. Open an online INGDirect savings account with high interest and set it up so it’s automatically deducted from your account on a regular basis. In short order you’ll have earned your way to your leap.
My friend Deborah wanted to go to India for a yoga festival. That’s a lot of money, you think. Yes, you’re right. Between plane fare, the festival and lodging for two weeks, we’re talking thousands of dollars. Would you have given up on it if you didn’t have the funds readily available?
Deborah didn’t. In November, she set aside 10% of the money she made for the India trip. She tapped into her frequent flier miles and got the ticket for free. Then, she kept manifesting more gigs and more money, and now she’s booked her trip and leaves in February.
You can do this too. What do you want? How much does it cost? Write it down, start saving for it, and let unexpected boons fuel your dream.
Get a Creative Leap Notebook
I believe in the Write It Down, Make It Happen (book by Henriette Klauser) school of thought. Get a notebook for your big ideas and keep adding to it – notes, lists, ideas, rants, fears, costs, contacts, ephemera, anything that sparks your imagination.
Having a place for your ideas gives them respect and holds a space for them is one step closer to reality.
Don’t get all fancy and buy a notebook that’s too pretty to write in.
I have two of these, both gifts – leather bound notebooks with thick, perfect paper in them.
I love these notebooks and the intent behind the gift but I don’t know if I will ever be able to use them.
I even (horror of horrors!) thought about cutting out the watercolor paper for use elsewhere.
My favorite notebooks are the Italian Moleskine notebooks or the French Clairfontaine notebooks. Get the Clairfontaine notebook with the colored paper that has about ten sections divided by tabs. This is a great notebook for those of us who have multiple projects going.
I use the big softcover Moleskine notebooks for work and projects, and carry the small reporter’s notebook with me to capture ideas and resources that others give me.
Chances are if you are reading this, you have a stack of notebooks waiting for your brilliance. Go, now, choose one, and start your Creative Leap notebook. Use it to record any inspiration you may get from my 29 Ways to Take a Creative Leap.
Break Up or Get a Divorce
Ouch! That’s harsh! It’s sad but true that our primary relationship can be like a tether keeping our hot air balloon on the ground. If you are blissfully ensconced in your relationship and it SO completely fuels your highest good, skip this one.
If not, take an honest look at what your relationship is doing for you. The biggest leaps are often precipitated by a breakup.
Think Eat, Pray, Love. What if Elizabeth Gilbert had stayed in that relationship out of duty or fear? She would not have taken her incredible leap and we wouldn’t have that great book to read.
I broke up with my dear boyfriend Cameron in November. I knew it was time, but I had no idea that once I did, a huge download of my next leap would be revealed to me.
Find Your Creative Leap Ancestors
It’s always scary to leap into the new, which is why I always suggest looking for role models.
Those who have gone before give us inspiration, provide a map of courage, and prove to us that it can be done. My biggest Creative Leap Ancestor is Sylvia Beach, the subject of my novel.
Sylvia went to Paris in 1917 and opened a bookstore with a $3,000 check from her mother. She kept the bookstore alive until 1942, when the Nazi Occupation of Paris forced her to close her doors.
Sylvia devoted herself to helping writers, selling their work, hosting readings at her store, and connecting people when they came to Paris to live the writer’s life.
Her friend Ernest Hemingway said that she had ‘a God-given gift for friendship.”
You can see why I draw inspiration from Sylvia – her courage to move to France and become a businesswoman (and that was not a common thing at that time!), her ability to form a community of people who loved literature, and her sense of service to help others.
Creative Leap Ancestors can be dead or living.
A few of my living Creative Leap Ancestors include: Ani DiFranco, Christine Kane, and SARK. [Photo from my post Healing and art: SARK and others on abuse and creativity.]
These are creative women who do their work well and inspire others.
Who are your Creative Leap Ancestors?
Get Real about Your Excuses
Before you can leap, you may need to address your fears and excuses. This exercise is like a psychic clearing. It’s amazing what happens when you write down your fears and excuses. After a while, they evaporate and you realize they’re not real.
Do this today. List 29 excuses or fears that prevent you from taking a Creative Leap. (Bet you won’t be able to come up with that many!)
Once you’ve written them down, read them aloud. Do this in front of a mirror if you can.
What do you notice? How real and true do your excuses seem when you get them out of your head, onto the page, and speak them aloud? I imagine that you’ll discover how limp these excuses really are.
List Your Successes
Now that we’ve cleared out your excuses and fears, it’s time to get real about your successes.
Past Creative Leaps pave the way for future ones. See some in my post about Creative Confidence.
List 29 Creative Leaps that have been successful for you.
Once you’ve listed them, jot down the skills or qualities you were using when you did the leap.
For instance, when I lead my first tour in France, I needed to call on my organizational skills, my willingness to step into the unknown, and my passion for France. I developed my ability to work with numbers and my French language skills.
As in the 29 excuses exercise, read your successes aloud while looking in the mirror.
~ ~
[Image at top is from the page on her site about her program The Creative Toolkit for Travelers.]
Excerpted from Twenty-Nine Ways to Take A Creative Leap by Cynthia Morris - a PDF available at her site (click on 'Freebies'):
Original Impulse
~ ~
Cynthia Morris is a teacher, Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), and author. She says, "It's my life's work to help others navigate their creative journeys" and provides personal creativity and writing coaching, plus a wide range of coaching and programs for people who want to write, create art, cultivate leadership and realize meaning and balance in their lives."
A testimonial: “Cynthia, because of your encouragement and guidance, I’m watching my book go through the final production stages. I hired you as a writing coach, but you’ve been so much more. You’ve coached me through personal challenges as well. Your coaching is invaluable to anyone who wants to get things done and needs accountability. Thank you.” - Alyson B. Stanfield, Art Marketing Consultant, Author of I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion (available at her site Art Biz Coach).
Learn about the many programs and resources that Cynthia Morris provides at her site
Original Impulse
~ ~