Back To What? 

     School? Work? Your Creative Practice? What is it for you? Whatever it is, why not take advantage of this Back-to-School energy? Ride the momentum wave like a true surfer! 

     I cleaned my desk on Sunday. I didn't just move piles of papers and folders from one side to the other, I really cleaned my desk. Inside and on top. I shredded old papers and old client files and organized others. Then I grabbed the pledge. I have this gorgeous mahogany desk I got years ago. I love it. And when it's clean, and I can see the top of it, clean and polished, that makes me happy. And I was happy and still am to have just one 'working' corner, with my journal and the book I'm reading and the pages I'm working on resting in a neat stack and next to that the stapler and my monitor, and that's about it. Oh, of course my pens, Flair and otherwise. Clean desktop. Clean mind. Clean space. 

    And I wasn't done. Why not take advantage of the wave I was riding? So, I did the floors.  I mean, I REALLY did the floors. I mean, I got down on my hands and knees with the Murphy's Oil Soap and reached into the nooks and the crannies for the bunnies. No more bunnies. 

    Then I felt inspired to write. And so, I did. I wrote. And I wrote. And I wrote. And I dove into the edits of my novel. And I did more writing and more editing, and, well, I'm sure you're getting my drift.

     I created space in one area of my life and was inspired in another. Listen, it doesn't always happen like this, but more than not, it can. I'm stuck with my "story," I go for a walk. I do laundry. I clean my desk. I create space for inspiration. In other words, I'm creating my own inspiration. I'm not waiting for it.

    Sunday, I decided to take advantage of the back-to-school energy, and I did something productive that I had been putting off. And the result was a clean and organized workspace and inspiration. 

     Now, I'm not saying that cleaning my desk made me more creative. I'm just noticing that when I create space in one area of my life, I'm INSPIRED in another area. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm going with the latter. 

    Here are some other ways to foster your creativity when you're not feeling creative or inspired:

• READ. I talk about reading like a writer. That means you read and you notice. You don't just read to 'like the story.' In fact, the book you're reading might annoy you, or you might not like the characters or the story. Great. WHY? Why don't you like the characters? WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE WRITING? What is it about the writing that makes the story compelling, that makes the characters interesting? What is it about the writing? It's all about the language and how the writer writes. Read like a writer. 
   
• MOVE. Get outside. Walk. Take pictures while you do. The picture of the shoes above is from a bike ride. I take these pictures, and I sometimes write about them later. Why not? Just for fun? It's an exercise to try. 
   
• PAY ATTENTION to the details. Take pictures of them. Breathe them in. Notice. Feel. Use your senses and write from this place of paying attention. Write the details of your life.