Playing with Themes

After recently moving CreativeCrackpot.com over to a new web hosting company I decided it was time to convert the site over to a CMS. This way users may participate and discuss the content of the site. The end result is WordPress. You will be able to leave comments, ask questions, discuss ideas and connect with a community. I’ll monitor posts to filter out spammers and other unrelated clutter. This site is a playground to explore. Negative judgment is not acceptable here.

Let’s have fun!

Quiet the Critic

The single greatest barrier to accessing your creativity is self-criticism. That mental voice that says you are not an artist and therefore have nothing creative to offer. This is simply not true. This exercise is meant to bring to the surface that self-critic and put it to pasture while we explore.

What you’ll need for this exercise:
Whatever medium you choose. Pen and paper will be fine. But if you prefer finger paint … go for it!

This is not an artistic endeavor so keep it simple. Details are not important. Don’t spend too much time considering or planning this process. Sit with your materials. Get comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Let the ink flow and see what comes out. It may take a few minutes before you get an image or a voice from the critic. As it does it’s negative talk just draw. Don’t argue with it, don’t resist, just draw. What does your critic look like?

My critic can change shape and attitude on a moment to moment basis. This is the one who came up while I created this page.

sample critic: ugly web design blabber mouth

Living in a Dreamworld

There is simplicity and beauty in the expression weeding it out. What this suggests is uprooting something we don’t want to, perhaps, make room for something we do want. Creative expression is a means to achieve this. I don’t mean to suggest that living a creative life will free you of challenge nor am I suggesting the only way to be creative is through artistic expression. Creativity is about self — who we are, how we approach life, that which does not need to be proven, accepted or judged — it simply is. Creativity is about exploring what makes us unique and embracing it.

As we journey toward this self discovery, that which blocks our creativity will inevitably need to be explored as well.

In my own journey of self discovery I’ve come across and still come across core beliefs and behaviors that create roadblocks to self expression and creativity — living a life that is not fulfilling, rich, wondrous. Becoming introspective has been important for my own process to understand myself, my emotions, my interactions and my reactions to people, places and things. I’ve spent many years investigating, healing and uprooting these beliefs and behaviors which no longer serve me and essentially rob me of reverence for life and joy.

So begins the healing process.

Journaling

Journaling is a great tool for living a creative life. It serves many purposes including being a vehicle by which to process emotions. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way recommends writing ‘daily pages’. She describes this process as essentially a method to clean out the clutter or chatter in the mind. I like to think of it as a writing meditation or stream of consciousness.

Pick up a pen, sit at the keyboard or grab a sketch book — yep, journaling can be done by drawing too. The important part of this process is to leave your self critic behind and just let it flow. Maybe you want to journal on a moment when you felt everything just made sense to you. You might find some interesting information if you allow the process to flow.

sample entry: Feathered Audience

Recently I was in my yard cleaning up and taking care of the flowers. It’s a bit of a ritual for me when the weather gets warm — sort of like having a cup of coffee in the morning. The large plastic watering can always sits next to the faucet outside to simplify the process.