Jill Badonsky's Awe-Manac : More Excerpts from The Awe-manac

More Excerpts from The Awe-manac

By Jill Badonsky

In this continuing series on exclusive excerpts from The Awe-manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder, I would like to get even more exclusive. My editor wisely limited The Awe-manac to 400 pages. Kindly she allowed me to break that limit and the book is 449 and rather heavy at that. However, if she had published all I had written, the book would have been, oh, around 3,504 pages. Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but it's hard to cut out writing you fall in love with and it feels like a lot… I know you know what I mean.

So the even-more-exclusive part is that in addition to a few creative prompts from the published Awe-manac, I'd like to share with Creativity-Portalers some favorite parts of the book that sadly, ended up on the editing floor. In Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching small step fashion, this month I give you the first two of four truths from the original Creativity Crash Course.

There is a way through every creative block and the following tips are keys to many of them. Readers, I give to you, some tools from Kaizen-Muse™ Creativity Coaching:

First of all, here's the truth. Many people are creatively unsuccessful not because they are not talented but because they give up too quickly (or don't start at all). Creativity is a spiritual pursuit and when we are in the process we can be thwarted by demons, fears, temptations, distractions, doubts, cheese puffs, ruthlessly negative self-talk, email, TV, and preoccupation with creating a shine in the sink. Successful creative people have these demons too. They just persevere in spite of them and find ways to work around them. Sometimes belief is more important than talent. If you do not have that belief, treat it as a skill just as important as playing the harp, singing on tune, writing juicy, or painting with fabulousness. Practice it a little at a time (for 15 seconds believe 5% more that you are creative and over time you will simply make decisions from a place of greater belief).

Second of all, The Awe-manac gives you ways to persevere in spite of your demons, but you must first take your Vitamin Ps: patience, perseverance, practice, paying attention, permission to proceed imperfectly, and paella. Okay, maybe not paella, that's what I'm having for dinner tonight. The patience is especially important because all of these things take time to develop. Some of us give up when these qualities do not develop immediately. When you stay with a process, it is scientifically, spiritually, and simply impossible for you not to gain something whether it's skill, a product, compassion, resourcefulness, magnetism, self-respect, fulfillment, soul-balance or the quality of being a more interesting person. So acquire your essential Vitamin P nutrition with a goal of 5% more of those things each week or month.

Write in your journal about these first two truths and where you stand with them. Pick a few of the Vitamin Ps, close your eyes and see yourself in the creative process with a dose of these Ps taking effect in your mind, body, and spirit. Repeat.

And now for prompts from the January 21 Awe-manac Page...

Daily Soul Vitamin
"With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy." ~Lope de Vega

Toast of the Day
Here's to the moments when you realize the simple things are wonderful and enough.

Awe-servances
It's National Hugging Day, National Creative Frugality Week and National Granola Bar Day.

Aha-phrodisiacs
From the character of a frugal artist, write in detail about one of these topics; your garden, your next art project, the sky, area rugs. Paint, collage or doodle the garden of a frugal artist.

Enjoy yourself enjoying a granola bar with a little more present awareness today — choose your favorite or be dangerous, and try something new.

Dose of Mirth
"I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart." ~e. e. cummings

Journal Juju
Write about "envy" — what associations does the word bring up for you? Write about those things for which people might envy you. Then write a list of associations to the word "contentment." Write about where you might sabotage your creative aspirations — then picture yourself overcoming those moments. End with a credit report which is sort of like hugging yourself: write a list of things you're glad you did in the last few days. •

Next: Truths 3 & 4 of the Creative Crash Course »

Copyright © Jill Badonsky, 2009. All rights reserved.

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Updated 12/18/13