I don’t know about you, but my creative process goes something like this:
1. Ack! I’m stuck! I can’t possibly do this, and don’t even know where to start!
2. Okay, I’m doing something, but geez, it really sucks…
3. Hmmm… This is kinda fun! And I kinda like it!
4. Yeah, baby, I’m in a GROOVE!
5. Ummm, I don’t want to admit it, but this is starting to get boring… But I had such a lovely groove… What else would I do if I stopped this??? I gotta keep at it…
6. I CAN’T STAND THIS ANYMORE! I AM IN A RUT! I MUST DO SOMETHING ELSE!
And back to…
1. Ack! I’m stuck! I can’t possibly do this, and don’t even know where to start!
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Understanding this cycle has been essential to keeping my creative taps on and flowing. Because I know that I will inevitably hit a wall of stuckness every single time, I’m able to keep pushing through in order to get to that blessed state of flow.
But it takes a lot more than simple understanding to keep pursuing creative joy.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Living in a culture that sees creative expression as self-indulgent and frivolous, we need all the help we can get to keep putting creative joy at the center of our lives.
We need a well-stocked tool box and an army of supporters.
We need to know that we’re not alone, and because self-doubt and creative blocks appear without warning, we need proven strategies to whip out at a moment’s notice.
That is, of course, what the Creative Uprising is all about: seeding your friendship garden with kindred spirits who get you, and stocking your tool box with power tools to get you — and keep you — identifying those creative hungers of yours and feeding them well.
Why?
Because feeding your creative hungers is one of the fastest routes to happiness and self-fulfillment, and it’s how you will change the world, of course!
I know this from working with hundreds of people just like you, and I know this from my own life experience.
Everything I share here, on the blog, in my Live Creative Now podcast, in my products and programs, has been tested in the lab of life, with me as the primary lab rat.
After spending way too much of my life shut off from my creative spirit (we’re talking decades), I finally came to my senses. I committed to denying myself no more, and to seeking out — and sharing — everything I could find that would help to light the creative spark and keep it burning strong.
Enter the Creative Sandbox
The metaphor of the Creative Sandbox has been key for me in getting back to flow and joy. I’ve written extensively about it, here and elsewhere, and have pinpointed ten very specific “rules” (or keys or maxims — pick whichever term you like) that I turn to on an almost daily basis whenever I’m feeling stuck.
No matter what the source of stuckness, one of these Creative Sandbox Rules has always worked to get my creative taps flowing freely again.
If you’re a subscriber to my Insiders’ Newsletter, you already have a printable poster and an mp3 of my original song of the rules.
If you listen to my Live Creative Now podcast, you may have heard me talk at length about each of the ten Creative Sandbox Rules in episode 005.
And if you’ve gone through my mini-course, Creative Sandbox 101, you’ve gotten a chance to live the rules (and it quite possibly changed your life).
If you’ve never gone through Creative Sandbox 101 (or if you’d like a refresher), here’s your chance to join the fun NEXT WEEK for just $10!
The regular price is $37, so that’s a savings of $27.
You can read all about Creative Sandbox 101 right here, but in order to get the special $10 price, head on over to the podcast and listen to any episode from 001 onwards.
Listen on iTunes | Listen on the Web
Class starts on Tuesday, July 14th and runs through Monday, July 20th.
We’ll be going through the course together as a community during that week, but you’ll have access to all the materials through the end of the year.
And because the point of Creative Sandbox 101 is to get you creating NOW, in the nooks and crannies of your busy life, I designed it so it doesn’t take much time. If you can spare fifteen minutes a day, you’ll have a blast.
(And if you can’t spare fifteen minutes a day, my dear, you’re making an excuse.)
We’re gonna have FUN! I hope you’ll join me.
Click here to find the Live Creative Now podcast archives and listen to any one from 001 onwards to find the secret link and register for Creative Sandbox 101 for just $10.
See you soon!
PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!
