7 Easy Creative Rituals to Spark Your
Imagination and Inspire
Your Soul
By Nancy Marmolejo
Creativity is a mysterious force that visits us with great ideas,
new ways of seeing the world and the courage to do things differently.
Revitalizing your creative talents will help you in the most unexpectedly
wonderful ways: a new business idea, a renewed commitment to self-care,
an appreciation for the beauty that lies all around us.
Finding a small bit of time each day to feed this force will
not only reward you with increased creativity, but also an expanded
sense of appreciation and gratitude for the creative process.
The following list highlights simple yet powerful actions you
can take to spark your creative energy from the inside out.
- Keep a Daily Journal
Use a journal to jot down the meandering thoughts of your mind.
Write, draw, doodle, paste collages together. Stuck between your
great ideas are random thoughts, mental notes, and menial observations.
Use your journal as a place to deposit these thoughts, keeping your creative
mental workspace clear. Think of it as feng shui
for the mind, a way of keeping the creative juices flowing.
- Create Sacred Space
Find a place in your home to
keep inspiring, motivating and spiritually significant objects. Remind
yourself that creativity flows like
water and wind, that it is steadfast like earth and powerful like
fire. Collect objects from nature to remind you of this. Place
things that awe and inspire you, projects you’re most proud
of, and photos of people who support and encourage your creative
action.
- Reflection.
Reflection can be a minute of appreciating
someone or something, or it can be a day of meditation and writing. Find
ways to incorporate
reflection into your daily routine, noting how experiences
and interactions help you grow as a creative person. This is great
for surveying what inspires you and what blocks you, what attracts
you and what doesn’t.
- Get Away.
If you can, find some time to sneak away and enjoy a creative
pleasure. It can be an hour wandering through a craft store,
window shopping, a hike in nature or a visit to a special place. If you
have kids and can’t get away alone, don’t worry.
Enjoy the outing and reflect on it together. There are no rules
to creative
getaways.
It is whatever touches you at that moment.
- Do Something Loca.
What’s something crazy you’ve always dreamed of doing but didn’t
because of insecurity, fear or intimidation? Make a pact with
yourself to get to know your Inner Loca (or loco for you guys
reading this) and find ways to let her out to play each and
every day.
- See the World Through a Child’s Eyes.
Children have the amazing ability to be open to the possibilities
of just about anything. Give yourself playtime to see the world
through the eyes of a child. Sometimes it can be simply sitting
on the floor and looking at a room from a new angle, or giving
yourself permission to laugh and have fun.
- Chart Your Course
It’s one thing to dream of creative things and it’s
another thing to make them happen. Look at all the wonderful
ideas you have
and pick one to act upon. Make a commitment to do at least
one daily action to support this idea. Doing the footwork to make
your dream a reality will show you how easy it really is to
turn ideas into action.
Ritual is a series of repeated
acts. By incorporating creative
ritual in your life, you will increase your innovation and creativity
in ways that will surprise and delight you. Try at least one
of
these actions and feel your creativity grow! •
© 2005 Nancy Marmolejo
About the Author
Nancy Marmolejo helps creative and entrepreneurial women hone
in on their core strengths to turn ideas into action. She helps
both the wildly creative and the mildly creative launch innovative
ideas, enter new markets, and build on natural talents.
Visit Nancy Marmolejo on the web at www.ComadreCoaching.com to
receive a free copy of Get Creative Now! Four Simple Tools to Boost Your
Creativity from the Inside Out and the award winning
newsletter The Pocket Comadre.
02/21/05
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