Losing my Passion

As I was sitting on my front porch today watching all the neighborhood kids run around, relishing these last few weeks of outdoors time, I found myself being a little jealous of their joy. Their energy. Their passion.

I have had a lot of good things happen this year. I moved into a new position at work. I've been healthy. I've lost weight. Took a great family trip to Disney World. But I seem to have lost my passion for a lot of things I once treasured. Some of those things I can live without, and chalk it up to "people change". But some things I don't WANT to let go...taking photos, scrapbooking, blogging about more than book reviews, my role as family memory-keeper. I dropped Project 365 and only got two months in to my One Little Word project. I have only scrapped through September 2011, and have not yet printed any photos from 2012. What gives?

While I feel a tinge of disappointment, mostly I feel an awakening. A welcoming of possibilities. An excitement to recommit to these things I love. I've enjoyed browsing for some new products that might help me simplify my memory-keeping, like Project Life. I'm gathering up supplies to start prepping my December Daily project. I've ordered last year's pictures for my girls' school albums. I have two meaningful blog posts written and scheduled.

Action feels good.

Have you had a similar experience? Lost your passion and joy for something you truly love? How did you re-ignite that spark?

What Does Creativity Mean to You?

What does creativity mean to you?

On one of my rambling wanders through the Web, I came across The Creativity Project, wherein several creative thinkers answer this question. It's pretty thought provoking. Here are some of my favorites quotes and pieces of quotes:

•  "...wake up every morning and choose to make a change in the world." ~Everett Bogue
• "Look for not what is, but what could be. Then chisel away until you reach it." ~Thom Chambers
•  "Creativity is seeing the possibility in the seemingly impossible." ~Raam Dev
•  "Creativity is the mighty force that generates ideas and clever solutions." ~Lex Garey
•  "Creativity is deep listening and turning what you hear into compassion, a solution, a strategy." ~Danielle LaPorte
•  "Creativity is ignorant confidence." ~Arielle Patrice Scott

Check out the entire e-book at Lex Garey's blog, then spread the creativity!  What is your definition?

Becoming a Life Artist: Week 5- Play!

According to Ali Edwards, play and risk encourage growth. Risk doesn't always mean something radical or dangerous. I'm talking about little things that take you outside your daily routine and comfort zone, both in daily life and your creative pursuits. This can open you up to new ways of viewing yourself and your world.

Why don't you...

• take a different turn on your way to work?
• shoot a black and white photo instead of color (or vice versa)?
• mix up the page sizes in your scrapbook albums?
• try a new recipe?
• paint a piece of old furniture?
• go to the movies by yourself?
• use paint with your rubber stamps instead of ink?
• write with a colored pen?
• order an unfamiliar coffee flavor?
• sit in a different place at your dinner table?

Today I pledge to try something new and out of the ordinary (for me, anyway). Instead of listening to the news on my way to work, I will put in a CD. What can you do today to take a risk and play?

Becoming a Life Artist: Week 4- Celebrating the Everyday

Today Ali Edwards is inspiring me to talk about celebrating the everyday. I think this is my favorite of her life principles. To me, celebrating the everyday means being present in the moment, looking for beauty in my surroundings, and recording our daily routines and conversations through photos, my blog, and my scrapbook layouts.

Here are some ways I document and celebrate the everyday:

• Project 365: A photo a day for a year. I have captured food, faces, and places, relationships, my job, and possessions that bring me joy. I can't wait to look back at the end of the year and see what themes emerge. You can find my weekly shots here on Sundays.
• Facebook status updates: funny things my kids say, what we're having for dinner, results of medical tests. A fellow blogger I know at Away We Go used Facebook updates as the basis for her Christmas letter- what a great and simple way to look back on the everyday moments in a year!
• Dinnertime routines: At our house we start dinner with gratitudes, in the form of "What was your favorite part of the day?" It reminds us all that every day has beautiful moments and reasons to give thanks. Simple, little moments usually make the list, such as "seeing my friends at daycare" or "getting to take a nap". Here is a week's worth of simple gratitudes that I posted a while back.
• Scrapbooks: Sure, holidays and big events have a place in my albums. But I think the layouts I enjoy the most focus on daily moments and show a more complete picture of our lives. Here's one about playing in the snow in our yard.

Are you focused on the here and now and enjoying the little joys life has to offer? How do you celebrate the everyday?

Thinking inside the circle

I found this post on "Just Cherish Today" about the saying "thinking outside of the box". This phrase is intended to inspire creativity, but isn't it already overused, and therefore less effective? This blogger offers the term "thinking inside the circle" as an alternative. She suggests that "Thinking inside a circle would express a contained, focused method of thinking - while continuously adapting (no corners like boxes, circles just continue on)."

I like this. I came up with some other good reasons for using a circle instead of a square box:

1. circles are friendlier and more inclusive (circle of friends or family circle)
2. circles suggest an overlap or swirling of ideas- much more creative
3. circles are historically associated with infinity, continuity and connection
4. circles are also known to represent unity, wholeness, and completion

So next time you challenge yourself to "think outside the box", try thinking inside the circle instead. Reflect on some of the key terms listed above and see what it inspires!

Becoming a Life Artist: Part 2- Go With the Flow

"Go with the flow" is our topic for this week's look at living a creative life, inspired by Ali Edwards. Last week we discussed "It is OK".

For me, going with the flow is the key to decreasing stress in my life. Having the ability to adapt to life's curveballs adds to the "It is OK" life attitude. Going with the flow allows me to work around problems (heck, even expect problems as a fact of life!) and let go of strict rules about how things must be done.

In my crafting projects, going with the flow often means accepting mistakes or accidents. Sometimes this just means leaving something as-is and being happy with the fact that another scrapbook page is completed, another memory documented. Sometimes a mistake can be an opportunity for further creativity. Serendipity can lead me to substitute a product in my stash instead of the "one I really need", or using my tools in new ways.

Going with the flow also reminds me that there is a natural ebb and flow to feeling creative. Sometimes I am almost overrun with inspiration and can't wait to get to my craft room. I also go through phases where I simply don't feel like creating. I used to panic at these times. What if I never get inspired again? What if all my ideas have been used up? I am getting better at accepting these lulls in creativity. Let go of the pressure to create. Put my energy into other areas of my life. That being said, I do have some favorite ways of getting over a creative hump:

• read a book or magazine
• take a walk by myself
• visit a thrift store, flea market, or yard sale
• leaf through my older scrapbooks
• watch a movie
• have a chat with a friend
• browse challenge websites
• do a craft project with my kids

Do you suffer from fear of losing your creative edge? What are some ways you break through a "block"? Really, we all want to know!

Related articles by Zemanta

• 201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity | Write to Done (writetodone.com)
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• 4 Steps For Explaining The Creative Process (hellobeautiful.com)

Welcome to my blog re-launch!

Image by Glamlife-studentportal via Flickr

Welcome to my blog. I hope you find something here that inspires you, touches your heart, or just resonates within your own life. My life is a continuous balancing act between family, work and personal pursuits. Throughout this journey of life I seek inspiration and creativity in the every day. This blog is a reflection of that journey.


As many of you know, today is a re-launch. A re-birth, if you will. New name and tag line, new look, new layout. I have spent the past couple of weeks really focusing on how I want to live my life and how I want to communicate that through my blog. I realized that everything I really want to blog about revolves around creativity. By this I don't simply mean craft projects; I mean the deeper understanding of living a creative life through photos and words, connecting with others, and reflecting on what I see, hear and do in my day to day activities. Posts surrounding these topics will be the heart of my blog. I hope to post on a semi-regular basis with a weekly template of sorts:

• Sunday- Photos
• Monday- Food for the mind, body and spirit (inspiration)
• Tuesday-
• Wednesday- Creative Writing
• Thursday- Scrapbooking and other crafty things
• Friday- Lists and Links
• Saturday-

You will notice that two days are empty- this gives me flexibility to a) take a break b) post about what is inspiring me at that moment c) follow up on a previous post.  Flexibility and going with the flow, to me,  are a huge part of creativity and remaining fresh and passionate about what I do.

I am passionate about a great many things- books, crafts, my family, and photography, to name a few. I will blog about these things. Mostly it will be my opinion written out of genuine love for a product or service. That being said, the FTC requires that I tell you when I receive compensation for using or reviewing a product or service. Of course I will! This is what that means to you:

If I receive a free product to review or use on a project, I will tell you.

If I receive a trial offer or other compensation for reviewing a service, I will tell you.

If I receive free products or other compensation for being on a design team, I will tell you.

If I use products that I won in a contest or from a give-a-way, I probably won't tell you. This is only because all my craft items get thrown together and I just won't remember where something came from!

Now that you're informed, relax, grab a cup of coffee, and browse my blog for inspiration surrounding a creative life. Here are a few previous posts to get you started.

Things Kids Hate to Hear
Project 365
Gratitudes
Sweet Sleeping Girl
Wishes

I hope you will visit often. Share your stories and ideas. Connect with others. Enjoy!