Wednesday morning doodle. It’s amazing how much more ready I feel to face the day after a little #creativesandbox playtime. That’s why I incorporate it into my morning ritual. It makes the rest of my day go better.

Better to get it in earlier in the day, because then more of my day goes better!
Plus then it’s about a zillion more times likely to actually happen!

As I always say, the thing I do FIRST is the thing that gets DONE! So whatever is most important that actually happens, THAT needs to happens as close to “first thing” during my day as possible.

Hence my morning doodle practice.
If I do it in the morning, it’s way more likely to happen. Then the whole rest of my day goes better, I’m happier and more productive, and it basically starts a whole positive cascade.

What triggers a positive cascade in your life? And how can you make sure it’s built in, so it happens regularly?

#creativesandboxway #originalart #happiness #doodleart #abstractart #doodlesofinstagram #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #blackandwhite #pigmamicron #visualjournal

Want to shake things up? Try the opposite of something you usually do.

When I add color to a black and white abstract, I usually fill the small enclosed spaces. So instead, I did the opposite—I got loose in the big, open space *outside*. Doing the unexpected can take your work in surprising new directions. You may not like it—that’s always a gamble—but it may lead you somewhere totally delightful that you never would have discovered if you hadn’t taken that risk.

Take the riskier path. That’s Guidepost #7 from The Creative Sandbox Way. Find the other 10 Guideposts by searching for “creative sandbox rules” on my website, or get the book at http://bit.ly/2dnWyeJ
You might just be the next person whose life it changes. ?

#creativesandboxway #originalart #abstractart #doodleart #pigmamicron #derwent #inktense #watercolorpencils #visualjournal #morningart #playtime #makeart #artheals

Playing at my art table! Squee!
#mixedmedia #workinprogress #originalart #abstractart #cracklepaste #pastel #spectrafix #goldenpaint #watercolorground #zillerglossyblack #zillerink #archespaper #layers #wip

Here’s how I like to start the day: a little black and white abstract doodling while sitting up in bed.

After meditating. After journaling. Though it could come before those things. Whatever order works for you.

Why do I doodle in bed? Because the thing you do first is the thing that gets done.

If I don’t do it first thing (whatever “it” happens to be), it’s liable not to happen at all… Does that ever happen to you? It sure happens to me!

So I’ve figured out that WHATEVER I really want to MAKE SURE I get done during the day, that thing should happen FIRST THING.

If I want to make sure I get some creative time in, even just a little bit, then I’d better make sure I make it happen first thing in my day!

And first thing for me is when I’m still in my bed!

Hence doodling in bed!

It works for me. And in my world, whatever works is right. ?

So what works in your world? How do you ensure that you get your Creative Sandbox playtime into your day?
#creativesandboxway #originalart #dailydoodle2017 #doodleart #dailydoodle #doodlesofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #abstractart #pigmamicron #creativesandbox #playtime #firstthing #firstthingsfirst

The doodle grows, while listening to Profit, Power, Pursuit, with @taragentile.

Listening to podcasts while playing in the #CreativeSandbox is one of my favorite parts of my #morningritual!

What distinguishes playing in the Creative Sandbox from other ways of creating?
The ten Creative Sandbox Way Guideposts, of course!
1. There is no wrong.
2. Think process, not product.
3. Think quantity, not quality.
4. Think tiny and daily.
5. Just start. Anywhere.
6. Ask, “What if..?”
7. Take the riskier path.
8. Dismiss all gremlins.
9. Spring the Comparison Trap.
10. Treat yourself with compassion.

I walk you through all of them in my book, The Creative Sandbox Way, which has already changed the lives of so many readers. You could be next! ?

It all starts with letting yourself play.
What will you create today?

#creativesandboxway #originalart #doodle #doodleart #dailydoodle2017 #dailydoodle #artistsoninstagram #abstractart #doodlesofinstagram #pigmamicron #blackandwhite