Creativity Pip's School For Slumpy Creatives

Pip’s School For Slumpy Creatives : Lesson One

August 10, 2016

Here’s Lesson One in a free series designed to shake off the slump and kindly lead you down the path to nicer times! 

 

Don’t belittle yourself. Be BIG yourself.
Corita Kent

 

Perhaps you are a bit fortunate like me and you KNOW how important it is to do creative things? Go you!

Or perhaps you’ve been told that creativity is really just wasteful faffing about? Dang. That’s no fun. Nu-uh.

Perhaps you’ve come to creativity after doing something you felt wasn’t creative? And aren’t sure where it fits in, but know it’s something you want to bring into your life more and more? I like your instincts.

Or maybe you aren’t sure if you have a creative bone in your body and you are hiding up the back of this class hoping people won’t notice you?! Come sit by me.

All those places are a good spot to start from, truth be told. We’re going to do some fun stuff together. Yep.

So, here’s the thing. Are you ready? OF COURSE, everyone is creative.

I know you may have heard this before and perhaps dismissed it as a lame platitude? A false affirmation? Just a crock of sh*t?! Well… Shoosh!

I am an expert on this stuff and I know it’s true.

 

hello birdies

 

Everyone is creative… because we all have BRAINS! Granted, some of us use our brains in different ways to others, but we all have a firm foundation for fun fulfilling times, if we focus on the good stuff and give ourselves permission. Yep.

We could not survive in our day-to-day life without creativity.

Granted, you may not be weaving baskets, knitting socks or painting portraits like a boss (or maybe you are!) But you are making clever decisions and problem-solving and carving a path in your own unique way every single day (even when it feels like you are getting nowhere!)

The way you make your tea, get dressed, sign your name, cobble together a playlist, wrap a gift, speak to your peers, choose your groceries, write a letter, negotiate a compromise are just a few times your creative nouse comes out to play.

These daily personal decisions, solutions and choices are the foundations of creativity.

They are your one foot in front of the other micro-creativity moves. These are the little sparks, the glimpses, the hints that show us we are capable of more. That we are capable of a lot. That if we just trust ourselves and do small things every day to improve our lives and foster creativity, we will not only survive, we will thrive. Yay for thriving!

A creative approach to daily life—a creative practice—reduces stress, gives us opportunities to express ourselves and teaches us things we need to know. Not only does it help with decision-making, prioritising and self-esteem, it enriches our work life in other ways because we sidestep the usual solutions and push ourselves to be a real ‘breath of fresh air’.

We step out of our usual groove and tend to be more mindful and intentional. (More on mindfulness later on in another class!) And by its very definition, a creative approach is hands-on, offering a practical let’s-do-it-now path to improvement or growth or change.

There’s a wider benefit to this creative life. Lots of other people notice it and want to be part of it too.

Creativity is catching.

It’s a powerful, personal asset; super valuable and useful, yet mercurial and hard to measure. We all have our own ideas of what it looks like. We’ve seen ‘creative people’ and admired them. Pip’s School For Slumpy Creatives is all about what creativity FEELS like. It’s about finding daily ways to remember, nurture, awaken, refresh and celebrate the creative bits of you!

Let’s catch ourselves being creative every day. See you back here very soon for Lesson Two!

Class dismissed!

pip signature

 

Optional homework:
Make a list of creative decisions you made today – big or small.
OR make a list of ace things you noticed in your travels.
OR read up on Sister Corita Kent.

 

 

more birdies

19 Comments

  • Reply Clare August 16, 2016 at 12:16 AM

    Sister Corita is so fab! I think it was your very good self who first introduced me to her. Creativity is a wonderful thing and must always be squeezed and squished into a day.

  • Reply Miss K August 11, 2016 at 4:24 PM

    These days its only the incidental bits of creativity I can fit into my day,never thought of it this way as you just think of the big creative projects(which are so hard to fit in when you have to get ready for work,go to work,work tirelessly all day,come home,exercise,make dinner,read,then fall asleep with book on forehead)

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 11, 2016 at 7:49 PM

      Book on forehead. YES! I reckon starting small and reframing your idea of creativity provides a REAL BOOST of hope and leads to good things… x

  • Reply Jen August 11, 2016 at 9:51 AM

    Pip, you might enjoy this podcast episode: http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-mind-of-an-architect/ which is all about the attempts to study ‘the creative personality’ in the 1950s

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 11, 2016 at 7:48 PM

      Oh thanks Jen! I will be sure to have a listen. I really appreciate you telling me about it!!!

  • Reply Kate August 11, 2016 at 8:32 AM

    I have never considered myself creative, but am often told that I am. I love to knit and crochet and like useful things to also look beautiful but because I always follow a pattern I haven’t considered myself creative. I always thought that creative people were the ones who came up with unique and individual items, that’s not me.
    I’m keen to see where you take us on this journey Pip.

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 11, 2016 at 7:47 PM

      But even when you follow a pattern, you make creative choices – you choose the pattern, the materials, who the finished project will go to and how to use your time… so you see, you’re TOTALLY doing it, without knowing it… and your skill is your art. x

      • Reply Kate August 11, 2016 at 8:37 PM

        Awww Pip you are the best. Always, always you make me feel like a champion. Thank you x

  • Reply Amy August 11, 2016 at 3:45 AM

    Thanks so much for posting this, just yesterday I was telling my husband how sad I am that I used to be so creative and I seem to have lost it somehow, and how sad I felt about it. I’m so appreciative. I will be following closely.

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 11, 2016 at 7:46 PM

      GREAT! Lesson 2 will be up on the weekend! I am glad to be useful and that it’s found you at a GOOD TIME! x

  • Reply Isabel August 10, 2016 at 11:11 PM

    I 100% agree that everyone is creative, Pip. Have you read ‘Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative’ by Sir Ken Robinson? He is so smart and awesome, and makes the point that when you ask a roomful of kids ‘raise your hand if you’re creative’ almost all of them will put their hand up, but when it’s a room of adults, only a handful will. He argues that the education system we currently have is a throwback to the industrial age when we needed to train people to work in factories, so creativity was beaten out of us and we were taught to follow orders. And that it’s still a bit that way – when the most important thing we should be teaching kids is to think creatively in order to deal with the issues of the future! Anyway, he’s very pro creativity just like you, check him out, he’s done a couple of ace TED talks too. Cheers to creativity, and to you Pip, for keeping it on the agenda xx

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 11, 2016 at 7:50 PM

      I have a couple of Ken’s books and I agree he is a total creative champion. I will put that one on my list too. x

  • Reply Carla August 10, 2016 at 9:03 PM

    Aww thanks Pip. It was timely that I came across your little post. Love the video of Sister Corita.

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 11, 2016 at 7:49 PM

      She’s amazing, isn’t she?! I love her so much.

  • Reply Naomi Bulger August 10, 2016 at 5:21 PM

    Pip, you are an amazing source of encouragement, kindness and creative inspiration. Thank you for everything you share and do. I miss you and the BWP Facebook group, but still so love this blog of yours. xo

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 10, 2016 at 6:46 PM

      Aw! I am so glad you are still about the place. PHEW. That’s reassuring! xxx

      • Reply Naomi Bulger August 11, 2016 at 8:16 PM

        Ah cutie pie. I’m not going anywhere!

  • Reply Robyna August 10, 2016 at 4:59 PM

    And those little things in life are a lot more fun when you do inject a bit of creative spark I think. Like having a pretty shopping list or a favourite pen to write it with.

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes August 10, 2016 at 6:47 PM

      It really, truly is a lot more fun! And it helps us to feel more hopeful and buoyant! x

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