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Kick-Start Your Creativity with a Reading Ban

Posted on August 2009 | Leave a comment

From a creativity standpoint, there are too many distractions floating around. Television, video games and the Internet aren’t bad, they’re just…distracting. But what about reading? Is that a distraction or a necessity?

I recently wrote a post about The Artist’s Way. In this book, author Julia Cameron recommends a week of Reading Deprivation.

You’re thinking, “But how will I get my work done?” If you’re creative, you’ll figure out a way. I always do.

“No Reading? I’m not feeling well…“
I was not happy about this exercise. Beyond reading for work, I take great joy in reading the newspaper. And I love the daily crossword.

So I was crabby…at first. No newspapers, no books, no magazines. No e-books, no blogs, no Facebook. Ugh. This wasn’t going to be pretty. But after the first day, I realized that I could get a lot more done without reading.

Years ago, I decided that television sucks the gray matter out of your head while you’re not looking. And no brain means no creativity. So I quit turning the boob tube on unless I was watching a specific program. Since the digital transition, I watch the tube even less because reception is iffy, at best.

BTW: If you’re wondering who those reminders for converter boxes were for, it was me. And I apologize for that.

But back to Reading Deprivation: I’m going to propose a variation on this exercise. I suggest that you take a WEEKEND of no reading. Is that easier to digest?

What does Reading Deprivation Mean?
Reading Deprivation means you won’t spend this weekend working, catching up on emails or RSS feeds, etc. But that doesn’t give license to overdo on television, YouTube and video games. Moderation and good judgement, please.

It does mean that can turn on music or talk radio. It also means that you could end up with a clean closet, repotted plants or a freshly painted room. You could find yourself picking up your sketch book or dusting off your guitar. Or maybe you’ll just have a weekend of fantastic conversation when you invite your family to join you for cards or a board game.

What’s the goal of this? Cameron says that once you run out of work, you’ll be forced to play. And that’s what creativity is all about.

Let me hear how your weekend goes by clicking “Leave a Comment” at the top of this post. To share with others, please use the links below.

Have a Refreshing and Productive Day!

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Posted in creative living, creativity, play, reading, The Artist's Way

Tagged artist, creative living, creativity, play, playful, The Artist's Way

A Creative Journey Awaits

Posted on July 2009 | 1 Comment

I’ve had a Creativity Partner for eight years now. We started working together when she directed me in plays, then she was a key member of a group formed for creative encouragement and support.

Even though the group disbanded when I moved to Texas in 2003, Liz and I continued to meet by phone once a month. The fact that she’s one of my best friends only enhances our creativity and our conversations.

Recently, we’ve both been restless. Since we know each other so well, we knew that revisiting The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity was exactly what we needed to quash our fidgety spirits. We have both gone through the book two, three or four times over the years. It’s an excellent primer for anyone interested in the art of creative living.

The Artist’s Way is first in a series of books by Julia Cameron. She offers keen insight and practical exercises for artists and non-artists. She believes that everyone is creative so you cannot teach creativity, you can only “teach people to let themselves be creative.”

The book is divided into 12 chapters, all designed to help with your “creative recovery,” as Cameron calls it. The exercises gently take you through a process of rediscovering who you are as a creative being and how you can live more creatively in your life.

Liz and I are primarily literary artists and performing artists. We’re both writers and published authors (non-fiction and technical). We also act. Currently she’s in Red Herring, a murder mystery theater troupe in Colorado Springs. I’m in ComedySportz, an improvisation group in San Antonio, and I write and perform in sketches and productions at my church.

We both direct, produce and dabble in just about anything that piques our interest. Plays, museums, music, poetry slams – you name it, we’ve probably tried it. And that’s what creative exploration is all about.

Creativity and Change
One of the most amazing things about creativity is that it breeds more creativity. It also breeds some level of discontent with the status quo.

Cameron states that as you go through the book you’ll find shifts in your tastes and perceptions. You’ll want to “weed out, sort through and discard old clothes, papers and belongings.” Thus, our restless spirits need some serious creative attention in order to quiet them down.

I’m in the middle of massive change right now…and I love it. In the last two weeks I have rearranged my office and various rooms in my home, filed or thrown away paperwork, acquired new furniture, rearranged the kitchen shelves, sold things on Craig’s List simply to get them out of my house and decided to make changes to a few relationships that aren’t working anymore.

I’m also deciding on new colors for the guest bathroom – I have hated that yucky pastel peach color since I moved in five years ago. I want to paint a couple of bed frames, stain the patio swing and paint some great looking flowers on the wall in the exercise room. I’m embroidering again, starting with an old pair of jeans that had spots of paint on them.

Sound exhausting? On the contrary, it’s been the kick-in-the-seat-of-the-pants that I’ve been looking for.

Becoming your true creative self is the most refreshing thing in the world. It’s like putting on an old, comfortable sweater that fits you perfectly. Then you have an “aha” moment when you realize how much you’ve missed it because it’s been packed away in favor of more “practical” clothing.

Discover The Artist’s Way
If this intrigues you, I would recommend that you get a copy of The Artist’s Way and check things out for yourself. If you’re really adventurous, you could find yourself a Creativity Partner. Encouraging and supporting each other on this exciting journey helps. Or you can do it alone, if you prefer.

Please let me know if you decide to explore The Artist’s Way because I would like to be your Creativity Cheerleader as you go down this exciting path!

Wishing you a refreshing and productive day…