Creativity Coaching : Dan Goodwin : Happy Travels on the Creative Journey

Happy Travels on the Creative Journey

Why It’s All about the Trip, Not the Vehicle

By Dan Goodwin

Sometimes, creating is all about the trip, it almost doesn’t matter what vehicle you’re travelling in. Let me give an example to explain:

I’ve been dancing Salsa for about 8 months now. I adore it, and if I was honest, I’d say I was just a little bit addicted. That Salsa bug has bitten me hard!

So what’s the big appeal, why has Salsa dancing become such a crucial part of my week?

It gives me a number of valuable things:

1. It keeps me fit and healthy.
   
   
2. It enables me to meet great new people.
   
   
3. Through helping out in the beginner classes, it allows me to bring the same kind of happiness to others that I got when I first got the dancing bug.
   
   
4. It allows me to have a huge amount of fun dancing with the opposite sex, without the usual complications of “does she / doesn’t she / why’s he asked ME to dance?” We’re all there first and foremost to dance and have a wonderful time.
   
   
5. It gives me a new challenge, a fresh way to learn and develop myself.

Over the summer, my regular Salsa class had a 4 week break. My regular partner was also away. I quickly got bored dancing on my own in my living room, so decided to go out and find some dance floor action.

I went to a couple of other Salsa classes, and after a bit of research into other dance nights locally, decided to try Ceroc with a few of my Salsa friends.

Now, three lessons into Ceroc, I’m starting to feel some of the same excitement in my feet, smile on my face and tingly warm inner glow as I get from dancing Salsa.

I thought about why this was. Going to Ceroc gives me the following:

1. It keeps me fit and healthy.
   
   
2. It enables me to meet great new people.
   
   
3. Through helping out complete newbies, it allows me to bring the same kind of happiness to others that I got when I first got the dancing bug.
   
   
4. It allows me to have a huge amount of fun dancing with the opposite sex, without the usual complications of “does she / doesn’t she / why’s he asked ME to dance? We’re all there first and foremost to dance and have a wonderful time.
   
   
5. It gives me a new challenge, a fresh way to learn and develop myself.

PLUS there’s a bit of overlap in some of the moves. Which means I get a new source of moves from Ceroc that I can “Salsa-fy” and bring to my Salsa dancing repertoire.

Hang on, doesn’t that list of benefits look a bit familiar?

Now, Salsa classes have resumed at my regular club. But I think I’m going to also carry on going to Ceroc.

Despite finding the Ceroc style of dancing a bit quirky, and nowhere near as smooth or fluid as my beloved Salsa, I had the realisation that it wasn’t all about the dance. It was about the whole experience.

It wasn’t about the vehicle, it was about the trip.

How do these tales of Danos on the dance floor relate to your creative life?

Think about what you create, how you create, WHY you create.

What does it really give you, what does it bring to your life that makes you keep doing it? What does creativity bring that means you can’t imagine life without it?

Sit down with a large blank sheet of paper and just have a brainstorm. Write in the centre of the page “Being creative brings me...” and write everything you can possibly think of. Then write a few things more.

Once you realise it’s all about the trip — the creative journey is what’s so thrilling, rewarding, enlightening and irreplaceable — you’ll gain new levels of motivation and desire to create.

You’ll make creating more of a priority, and as a result create more of what matters to you most.

I wish you happy travels on your creative journey — whatever vehicle you’re travelling in... •

© Copyright 2007 Dan Goodwin

About the Author | More by Dan Goodwin
Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin is the author of “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. Sign up right now and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, at www.CoachCreative.com.

09/06/07