Thanks to Don Morris of Encouragement Plus Coaching

Don’t believe in Branding and Logos? Check this out

“Whether you are a Mac person or a PC person, even the briefest exposure to the Apple logo may make you behave more creatively, according to recent research from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the University of Waterloo, Canada. “

What happens when you don’t create?

Do you get frustrated? Pissy? Down? Don’t give a rat’s bum?

So, what gets in the way?

For me, it’s often the trivial doing of life. It’s too easy to get busy reading the email, Facebooking, ya know doing stuff.

Why? Why that?

It’s hard staring at the blank page, searching for words, craving inspiration, finding something useful to say.

Yet, it is only in the moving of fingers tapping the keys as thoughts pour forth, that I find some train of thought, create some message — perhaps finding meaning, perhaps not. But, somehow the writing feels right. The flowing of the words lift my spirits.

The words may be crap, but they are my words, my creation. And, at least for now that is enough.

What’s your cost of not being creative?

I’ve been blocked in my writing for a bit now.

Okay, weeks!

I’ve been working with the marvelous Debora Seidman of Writing The Prayer of Your Life. And, today we had a fun session that I want to share with you.

Essentially, I have two parts of me that are in conflict.

When I told Debora that it was like the clash of The Titans (think Greek myths), she suggested I create a play with these two characters.

So, I made up this play. What was fun is I got to be the Director and the playwright. And, then as the play unfolded I got to be a character in the play.

What was really freeing was when I got stuck Debora kept saying, “it’s a rehersal! You can do anything!”

WOW! That lead to cool events and major ahas.

It was fun Playing with words… and characters. I can’t wait to see what happens in the play!!

Check out this video from Barbara Marx Hubbard on “Supra-Sexual Co-creation” — a One Minute Shift video from the Institute for Noetic Sciences.

Hubbard’s thesis is that the world shall change not through war and guilt but through the joy of creating — together!

Check out this video of a ’speech’ by David Lynch at UC Berkley.

I was pleased to find that David is a true Genre Buster(TM)… not only is he a film maker but his passion for what he calls “the doing” includes, painting, sculpting, photography, music, and a passion for BIG ideas and “diving within”.

Creative professionals of all kinds, from architects to writers, don’t do JOBS.

Well, not if they’re smart.

Creatives aren’t cut out to work for companies. As a client said today,  and I loosely quote, "companies suck the life out of you!"

Companies are about rules, policies, procedures, mass production.  Very few corporations with the notable exception of Google, Apple, and others provide the RIGHT ENVIRONMENT for creatives.

Artistic types, need to be able to, in fact MUST express their creative urges, in and through their work. For creatives their is no boundary between them and work.

They ARE their work.

And, they need environments that NURTURE, GUIDE, that expression NOT stifle it.

So, if you are a creative professional, don’t language it as a "Job Search". It’s NOT!

It’s a search for a way, a place, where you can DO YOUR WORK.

I am so bloody sick of being advised to be ‘realistic’!

F that!

What in hell is wrong with being a bloody, raging Optimist?

After all, the high priest of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman, a self confessed crumudgeon, is probably the most vocal supporter of the positive effects (and affects) of optimism.

Optimists live longer! Have more fun!! And, are damn well more fun to be with!!!

So, why the hell do the Fing "Realists" act as if they are God’s blessed army, right-hand "man", and generally better than us.

I get called a "Flake". A "Polly Anna". Oh, and worst of all "unrealistic"!!

Oh, scary.

You bet I’m un-Fing-realistic!!

I’d be freaking dead if I weren’t.

It’s because I fucking well believe "THERE IS AN ANSWER" out there somewhere. Have gone after that answer will all my goddam unrealistic, optimism… that I have managed to beat the crap out of my Bipolar Affective Disorder and am pounding the shit out of the pain associated with my Fibro.

And, I’m bloody OPTIMISTIC that one day SOON.. . I will live without pain.

So, FUCK REALISM!!

This report from Psychology Today online, suggests that by grabbing the cell phone to talk to a friend the instant a bad mood strikes we lose our independce. Their suggestion is that by mood managing this way we reduce our ability to tolerate challenges.

Hmm!

That annoys me. I think I’ll call my friend Brenda to chat about it!

I recently started reading and doing The Work laid out in Julia Cameron’s masterpiece, The Artist’s Way.

Last Sunday I got to Chapter 4: Recovering a Sense of Integrity. One of the weekly exercises is Reading Deprivation.

The idea is simple and powerful. For one week I’ve stopped reading stuff like: the bajillion newsletter I’ve subscribed to; Yahoo news; Google’s RSS feed; the dozen or so Blog’s I frequent; the forums I belong to; the books on my To-Read Shelf; the, well, you get the point.

An interesting experiment.

I’ve realized just how much crap I read… that I don’t need to.

I’ve had a few small burst of creative ideas and energy.

I’ve enjoyed just staring out the window and watching the clouds scud across the sky as they turn orange, red, and purple following the setting Sun.

I’ve also been to see how I try to justify sneaking in a few ‘reads’.. "Oh! I just have to look at this e-mail to see if its important." HA!

I think I’ll do it again… next month.

Oh, and boy am I going to cancel a few subscriptions!

I loved this line from Seth Godin’s Blog:

"The devil doesn’t need an advocate. The brave need supporters, not critics."

My work is almost exclusively with Creative professionals. And, believe me as Seth observes the challenge isn’t coming up with ideas — it’s bringing them to fruition!

Much of my work as a consultant and coach is about teaching them how to IMPLEMENT their good ideas.

Afterall, it’s been my life’s challenge… I know what it’s like to have great ideas and fail to make them happen. I’ve learned how to get past that challenge…. and that’s what I teach. And, that’s the support I provide.