More than writing…

Let me start this with….I never realized I was an artist in any sense of the word. I’m a writer.

Writer’s write.

Writer’s don’t paint, sculpt, design…at least, that was what I was told.

This writer does.

When I went off to college, my father said, “You’ll never amount to anything with a Liberal Arts Degree.”

I ignored him. (And, for the record…that LA degree??? Netted me some GREAT jobs….NASA, Sun Microsystems..now Oracle and more.)

No offense. He’d only been around intermittently, and, he’s not a writer OR IT based, in the end, it wasn’t as if I needed much effort to shut out what could have been a killing blow to my ego.

I knew I wanted to study more than one area. I never realized that my love for French (thank you Madame Volzer) and Writing (we’ll ignore the opposite for the teacher that set me off on writing), fostered in high school….would lead me into Art classes my first summer…..and allow me to declare the 3rd area of where I wanted to focus my studies.

I took Drawing 101 that first summer.

And no, I didn’t HAVE to take summer classes. I did it because I wanted to keep moving forward in my studies. Take a class for half the summer….head home and work for the other half. It was a very good balance for me.

I learned the art of seeing the space between.

You’re taught to see the ‘tween spaces. Sometimes I liken it to the fairies and the Fey stories….what’s between the spaces. Between meditation and art classes, I was taught to look at what’s between the hard lines of real objects. I liken this to my writing and honestly, life.

I see things. Most people don’t think I do. But I do. I watch. I notice. I listen. I learn. I have a semi-photographic memory, which can be a photographic one if I’m not distracted. It’s a huge help in many instances…..and sucks in others. I won’t give you the details on the blending of it all. Just having the semi-photographic one is enough to give me dreams and nightmares for years to come. (We won’t TALK about the surgeons trying to explain an operation on my grandmother and my almost passing out. It was her THUMB of all things.)

Learning the art of seeing the between spaces has only helped my writing. It allows me to take a step back and look at the whole scene.

But what about the ART?

Have you ever tried to sit down with clay and make something? It requires focused attention. Much like our writing process does. Are you stuck? Do something new…try pottery…take a class in learning to paint. Hell, get some paint, brushes….and find something to use as a canvas.

PICK A NEW CREATIVE OUTLET.

I promise, you’ll see results in your writing.

How do I get my creativity flowing?

1. Workout. I love the gym. I can’t do anything BUT focus on what I’m doing if I’m lifting weights…albeit, they have to be heavy enough to require my concentration. If I’m just going through the motions and don’t require music to help fuel me? Then I’m doing something wrong. I’m working too light, babying myself, but that’s me.
2. Paint. I don’t care if it’s a room, a wall, or a piece of wood. Find some paint, get a brush and get moving.
3. Decorate. Move a room around. Heavy lifting with furniture? Helps you get some focus back. MOVE. Then, go write. You’ll be amazed at what you get done.
4. Smile! If you’re an introvert like me, we don’t go out of our way to talk with people….we don’t engage in random conversations…so, smile, learn the art of making small talk, no, you don’t have to trust everyone, but you can smile and engage in safe environments.

What are some of the ways you get your creativity flowing?