Creative Style Inventory

I read Chapter 2 in The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women about a week or so ago, but I am just now finding time to blog about it. I have been busy with home improvement projects. I covered our eat-in kitchen's dining chair seats with some remnant chenille fabric. They look sooo much better without nasty kiddo stains! We also stripped wallpaper and painted my son's room a luscious shade of green. We are going to order those large dinosaur stickers to mount on the walls. My favorite is the pterosaur, the flying dinosaur.

Anyway, back to the book! So when did my creative reawakening occur? I think it has happened in fits and starts. I have searched for the THING that inspired me most for about 15 years now. I guess it can be timed with getting married and getting out of my parents' house. The first beautiful place we lived was Monterey, California. The call of the ocean with its beauty and drama is forever etched in my memory. It was there that I painted scarves and ties for Christmas gifts. I had never painted anything, and it was one of those experiences where time had no meaning. I was so involved, as was my good friend, Susan. I also became more interested in photography, as well as relearning how to crochet. Since then I have continued to crochet, and finally learned how to read patterns, which is an art unto itself! I also continued to take many, many photos, especially during our time in Italy, as well as Australia. It was in Italy that I fell in love with Renaissance art, as if it were possible not to! Now I am finding myself interested in collage, as well as abstract art. I also enjoy digital scrapbooking to tell my story. As for my natural talents, I would say I am curious, fairly organized (I am working to improve this with a wonderful set of CD's titled Get Organized the Clear and Simple Way by Marla Dee), detail-oriented, intelligent, intuitive, and compassionate.

The next question to ponder is which elements (fire, water, wood, air) draw me to them. I love water, especially the sound of it trickling down a stream. I took my dog for a walk yesterday and saw that our creek was mostly frozen, with a thin layer of snow on top. It was beautiful with the shadows of the trees upon it, as well as the deer tracks crossing the creek. I am smiling right now thinking of the deer. I love the fresh air of being in nature; it is so good for my soul. I also love trees, so wood draws me in too. As for fire, not so much, unless it is the lava flows on the big island of Hawaii.

I usually create in the mornings or early evening, when my energy levels are high. I have a room for my studio, but I need to do some rearranging and organizing to make it more conducive to creativity. I made a mind map to help me plan my creative space:



I don't have any creative rituals, but I am going to incorporate some as I organize my studio. I wish I had more time to be creative. That is part of the reason that I want to get organized and do away with the clutter. I want less things taking up space in my day and in my life. I am ready to embrace simplicity. It is clutter of all forms that drains my creativity. Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual forms of clutter just have a way of shutting me down. I have also noticed that mindless activity on the internet drains me as well. The things that activate my creativity include colors and combinations of colors, especially pure ones; reading inspiring stories, especially spiritual ones; being out in nature, marveling at everything; and seeing amazing displays of art.

I believe my greatest creative hurdle is probably that inner voice telling me that I don't have time to be creative, that I have too many responsibilities. Bah! I am ignoring that voice more and more. I am coming to believe that I need to be creative in order to have the motivation to take care of the mundane business of life. I can clean the toilet if I know that later I will be able to create! I tell myself over and over that I am a human being, not a human doing. I don't have to be doing something every minute of the day. I can sit quietly, I can reflect, I can imagine, I can dream, I can create.