Get Sparked! Archives - Melissa Dinwiddie | Create the Impossible™

A few years ago I tried an experiment.

I’d been telling myself for years that I didn’t have time to play at my art table, and for years I’d believed this was true. Then on February 1, 2011, I interviewed an artist named Michele Théberge for an online course I was creating, and something she said early into the interview woke me right up.

“I tell my mentees,” she said, “that if you can’t put fifteen minutes into your art, you’re making an excuse.”

Oh, my gosh, I remember thinking, that’s me!

I’d been nailed…

That very day I decided to make a change. I honestly couldn’t imagine that a mere fifteen minutes would be enough to do much at all, but it had to be better than nothing!

So I committed to playing at my art table for at least fifteen minutes a day, every day in the month of February.

This little experiment changed my life.

I went on to make over 150 finished pieces in 2011 — more than I’d made in the previous decade!

Maybe more amazing, to my astonishment I discovered that:

15 minutes is actually enough to get into a state of flow
a tiny bit, every day, actually kept my toe in the creative stream more effectively than a few hours once a week (which I never managed to make happen anyway!)

This adventure in “tiny and daily” was a big part in my developing my Keys to Creative Flow (aka, my Rules for the Creative Sandbox).

Within a matter of days, my life went from shades of grey to full, blooming color, all because of just a few minutes of creative play each day.

So often I think we underestimate how essential a well-nourished creative spirit is to our overall well-being. But ask yourself honestly, how would your life be different if you made space — even just a little — for creative play every day?

Here’s what I’ve noticed: putting even a little time into one of my creative things…

Boosts my mood.
Makes me more fun to be around.
Gives me more patience and tolerance for the irritations of daily life.
Allows me to give more to the people I care about.
Makes my whole day go better!

And it’s not just me.

Science has proven that the most effective way to refuel your willpower is by spending time at something that engages your interest.

In other words, engaging your creative side is one of the most effective things you can do to increase your ability to avoid distractions and your ability to stick with things that are challenging.

In other words, taking your creative spirit out to play is not an indulgence, it’s a necessity!

You know this, deep inside. It’s what draws you to the idea of living a creative life! And yet so many of us have such a hard time making that happen.

Well, no more! It’s time to bake in that consistent, sustainable, nourishing creative practice that makes you feel so good, and makes your life go better.

And you don’t have to do it alone!

On Monday, September 1st, I’m running a new session of my 30-day program, Get Sparked, and you are invited to join me for a September of creativity, play, and joy.

Regardless of your mode of expression (painting, writing, music, whatever!), Get Sparked is designed to get you creating every day (even just a little), and to help you find joy in the nooks and crannies of your life.

There are spaces still left, but they are limited, so if you’re the slightest bit interested in finding out more, click here now to read all about the program and grab a spot for yourself.

Here’s what Cara had to say about working with me:

Since I started your program I have started to dream again, and those old feelings that anything is possible are stirring. I’m so grateful to you for that! It’s giving me hope during a time in my life when things have been very hard.

Let’s make this year your most prolific yet! Make this the year you finally bake in the consistent, sustainable, nourishing creative practice you’ve always wanted, starting on Monday!

Questions? Just send them my way. And if Get Sparked feels like a good fit, I hope to see you inside. We’re gonna have FUN. 🙂

PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

Confession: despite the best of intentions, I don’t always manage to play in the Creative Sandbox every day.

Nope. Sometimes I stumble pretty badly.

Take this past week, for example.

What with multiple deadlines up the wazoo, all converging on the same day, all my goals for slowing down and NOT overworking flew right out the window.

It was like the “bad, old days,” when I used to work late into the night every night, and rarely made time to play and create.

No ArtSparking. No playing in the Creative Sandbox.

I even forgot to meditate for three days in a row!

I did manage to do my daily 3x5x365 mini-writes, which was good. But this was not enough fuel to keep my creative spirit glowing happily.

I was not a happy camper.

The difference between now and the “bad, old days,” though, is that now when I stumble like this I don’t use it as a way to beat myself up (which, of course, only used to multiply my suffering).

Instead, I use my stumblings as an opportunity:

To remember that I’m human.
To notice where my life and behavior differs from how I want it to be, and ask myself what I need to do to move in that direction.
To treat myself with the kind of compassion and kindness I would extend to a beloved friend.

And then I get right back on the wagon.

Like my latest ArtSpark (above) says: “Remember: the most important practice is just getting back on the wagon.”

Today I got back on the wagon

I was Ms. Crankypants all morning. I knew the only thing that would shift my mood was some Creative Sandbox time. So I pulled out my paints and pens and ArtSparks-in-progress, and I just started playing.

“What would happen if I add some brush strokes to this piece?” I asked.

In fact, some of the paint dripped before I could make the brush stroke. Oops… Ah, well, I did what I usually do in that kind of situation: I added some more drips. 🙂

“What if I type a block of text in a strip down this one?” I asked next.

Then, “What if I pull out my circle ruler and draw some circles?”

Just a swish here, a swash there, and pretty soon my drafting table was covered with wet-and-drying ArtSparks-in-process:

The best part: in no time at all (literally, I think I spent about 15 minutes total), my mood went from crankypants to thrumming and smiley.

Playing in the Creative Sandbox does that.

My Favorite Power-Tool

One of the things that I know always helps me clear space and time for my creative spirit is community.

Support, encouragement, accountability, simply having my creative self recognized by kindred spirits — these are all powerful tools to help me make sure I don’t cheat my precious creative spirit of the nourishment she needs.

This is exactly why I created my new course, Get Sparked!

If you could use some support connecting (or re-connecting) with your creative side and becoming more mindful, I invite you to join me for 30 days of cultivating joy and delight in the nooks and crannies of your life.

Another confession: Get Sparked! just as much for me as for you. I’ll be responding to the prompts and sharing my creations and insights in the private Facebook group along with everyone else!

So if you’ve been wanting to come play with me, jump on in today. The party starts on Tuesday, November 5th (my birthday!)

I hope to see you inside!

[button link=”https://melissadinwiddie.com/get-sparked” type=”big” color=”orange”] Register Now[/button]

PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!

The Day I Got NAILED, and What Happened Next…

In other words, taking your creative spirit out to play is not an indulgence, it’s a necessity!

My Confession

Today I got back on the wagon

My Favorite Power-Tool

In other words, taking your creative spirit out to play is not an indulgence, it’s a necessity!

Today I got back on the wagon

My Favorite Power-Tool

Would You Like Some Cookies?