How to Spark Creativity

Since graduating from college and becoming a mother, my priorities, energy, and brain has drastically shifted from formatting academic papers and citing articles to giving bubble baths and changing diapers.  It’s thrilling to change my focus and challenge my skill sets, but I like to stay fresh and current with my writing and creative projects.  I’m happy to know that I’m not alone.  Many fellow mothers, writers, entrepreneurs, and creative explorers are constantly seeking ways to learn, grow, create, and improve.  This led me to wonder how others find inspiration to get their creative juices flowing.  What is your secret?  Yoga every morning?  Doodling in a notebook with Netflix in the background?  A shot of whiskey and a chocolate truffle?

As for me, I have found inspiration through several outlets, and I know every person is capable of sparking creativity through these exercises:

HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH STRANGERS.  Some of my most memorable lightbulb moments came from having random conversations with people I did not know– at the book store, on an airplane, and even online through a fellow blogger.  So many people walk around with interesting, engaging stories, waiting for a kind person to engage in conversation with them and move them away from their sunglasses, lattes, and cell phones.  I have also noticed that a random person imparting a simple pearl of wisdom upon me seems to stick in my brain so much more than when my mother says it (Sorry, Mom.).  Even if you never see these people again, they can touch your life and inspire you to do something great.

READ A CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK.  Other sources will tell you to read articles and read books, but sometimes busy people don’t have as much time as they would like to read everything they want to read.  So I extend a simpler challenge: read a children’s picture book.  It can be a picture book that you haven’t read since you were a child, such as The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein, or a new one that is sitting on the promotion table of the book store, like Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, by Mac Barnett.  Why read a children’s picture book?  Sure, I’m a children’s librarian and love them.  But children’s picture books can be short reads that take eight minutes out of your day.  Their illustrations can make your inner child smile.  They are brimming with humor and existential life lessons about friendship, love, family, nature, death, and other challenges and beauties of life.  There are TONS of children’s picture books out there that can really brighten your day and make you feel motivated to start something new.

ATTEND A WORKSHOP.  Look up local workshops in your area of interest, from a floristry design class at your local flower shop to a one-day business class at your local adult school.  There are also countless webinars, videos, and podcasts that can make you feel like a student again.  Best of all, you don’t take home a report card with a grade!  However, you might be able to score a completion certificate that will look stellar on your résumé.

GO FOR A WALK.  Sometimes a little fresh air and a date with Mother Nature helps you reset your brain, gain some endorphins, and forget your stresses.  It opens you up and unwinds your tight spots and anxious energy.  It gives you a break to think about random things.

RIDE A BUS.  Riding a bus or other form of public transportation with no specific destination allows you to people-watch.  It’s amazing how much insight you can get by observing behaviors and relationships.  You see sights that you’ve never noticed before.  You notice what people carry with them, what they do when they ride alone, and where their eyes wander as they travel home or wherever they are going.

VISIT A MUSEUM.  Museums are not only contemplative environments where you can learn something new, but they also tend to feature a special exhibit that highlights a time period, artist, or genre that can birth epiphanies.  In addition, being close to an artifact or work of art can ignite feelings you would not have if you saw the same piece in a book or on the Internet.

ATTEND A CITY MEETING, TOWN MEETING, OR OTHER OPEN BOARD MEETING.  Sometimes we see new additions to our city, like a statue or a line of trees, and we don’t know the story behind it  Or sometimes we wonder why no one is fixing the ten potholes on one street, unaware that it has been an agenda item for several years with no progress.  Attending a city meeting, town meeting, or other open board meeting, such as for a school district or water district, can be eye-opening and educating.  This can motivate you to research improvements, write articles, create a political piece of artwork, meet and interview prominent stakeholders, or brainstorm for a documentary.  It is always interesting to find out about local issues and hot topics, like cutting public library hours or adding a strip mall with dollar stores and cash advance centers to fit a lower income demographic.

MAKE A VISION BOARD.  An afternoon of scrapbooking and magazine clipping can be easy, fun, and inspiring.  Putting motivational quotes, life goals, and dream destinations on a board can help you to remember a passion that you put on the back burner and are willing to revisit with more gusto.  Take these ideas and run with them.

RESEARCH A RANDOM PLACE.  When one of my favorite podcast hosts and successful entrepreneurs, Jess Lively, announced that she would be moving to Ann Arbor, MI, I felt an urge to look up Ann Arbor to see what it offered a thriving businesswoman like her, and if it was the kind of environment I needed to attain similar victories.  Especially since I adore her style, intelligence, and ambition, I knew that she probably wouldn’t move someplace where her creative energies would go to die.  So I Googled “Ann Arbor” to learn more about the town, which made me smile.  Ann Arbor is full of young energy with unique shops and restaurants and an ideal cost of living.  By learning about a new place, my brain nearly exploded!  I suddenly felt inspired to look up different quaint towns in the United States that I had never visited, peruse flights, browse potential jobs and places to live, and dream about a new and exciting adventure in another place.  For you, it could be the historic architecture and luxurious gardens that inspires you.  It could be the hiking trails or the history.  This exercise can really surprise you and make you want to hop in your car and disappear for a few days, giving you the gift of incomparable exhilaration, wild stories, and life lessons that push you to pursue your passions with either a fresh perspective or a renewed energy.

What are some ways you spark creativity in your life? Etsy? Pinterest?  The local open mic night?  Please share your ideas in the comments! I would love to hear from you and I know others would too!

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Serving God Through Minimalist Fashion

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

-1 Peter 3:3-4

I have always loved shopping.  Especially for clothes.  Then, when I adopted a minimalist lifestyle, I reflected on my choices, which conflicted with my need to be fashionable.

One selling point aligned with my faith.  I realized several things when I updated my wardrobe, all in respect to my relationship with God:

1. I focused less on my appearance.  Instead of feeling insecure as well as vain, I viewed clothes as functional.  I did not want them to define whether or not I was someone who could hold a conversation.

2. I wasted less money. I realized I could survive on fewer materials, which is what God intended for me all along.

3. I wasted less time. I found myself spending more time in prayer and reflection instead of shopping or stressing about what to wear to work the next day.

4. I prayed with a more grateful heart.  Lots of reflection came naturally with my lifestyle change.  I started praying more, either for strength in this endeavor or in gratitude for a clear mind and an open heart.

5. I donated to those in need. I realized that I had many usable items that another person could use, so I happily gave them away.

6. I cursed less. There was less crap all over the floor and my car keys were easier to find.  This significantly lowered my negativity.

7. I leaned toward modesty. As a children’s librarian, I couldn’t minimize my wardrobe to crop tops and denim shorts.  I wanted my closet to be versatile, featuring items that made me look professional at work, but could also be worn leisurely and comfortably on my days off.  I realized that my clothes were more modest and did not expose lots of skin.  It made me feel beautiful! Everything I wore was safe for Church.

8. I wasn’t as impressed by high maintenance beauty and expensive fashion.  I started to notice simpler beauty and style, which enamored me.  Instead of false eyelashes and fancy dresses, I quickly became impressed by top-knot buns, simple makeup, and chambray shirts.  These women radiated beauty with their style and their under-accesorizing, which is how I believed God called them to be.

9. I cared more about quality over quantity. My clothes were a metaphor for other areas of my life, like friendships and relationships.  I would rather have a lasting garment that made me feel good and confident over something trendy that would only last one season.

I learned many things and I am continuing to grow with this adventure.  Other minimalists… how have you grown through your experiences?  SHARE!

Kind and Simple: Keeping up with Blogger McMillionFollowers

“For what does it profit a man if he gains the world and loses or forfeits himself?” – Luke 9:25

I recently listened to a brilliant entrepreneurial podcast from one of my favorite hosts, Jess Lively, which featured Hilary Rushford and her golden tips for monetizing online, be it your small business, social network, both or neither.  I was captivated by her “grace and gumption,” (as she so wittingly signs on her website… Which I will have to borrow because it’s so cute and I’m obsessed with alliteration), and I found myself like most beginners in any industry: I compare my CHAPTER ONE with someone else’s CHAPTER TWENTY.  I feel overwhelmed at the start, eager to plough through and work hard to be on top and be a leader and expert.  Many times, I forget to enjoy the vulnerability and humility of knowing nothing and absorbing everything like a sponge, excited to learn new things and grow each day.

But out one thing Hilary Rushford emphasized rang true to my heart: authenticity.  She clarified that we need to find success in ways that aligned with our integrity, even if it was a slow and not-so-steady pace.  What is the point of having a million followers when they like photos of you with tassels over your boobs?  She pointed out that while we admire another lifestyle and pursue their vision, we don’t always see the behind-the-scenes, which can include a failing marriage or neglected children.

So I give myself some leeway.  I realized that I may only have 2 readers in my life who smile at my photos or find peace in my writing, and that’s okay.  Everything takes time, including efforts to reach others in a kind and simple way.  My priority is being a present, loving mother to my little babe, a positive, supportive wife to my Shane, and everything else wholeheartedly follows when I’m clocked in to that responsibility and commitment.  Not everything has to come at once, right now.  I’m enjoying myself and I thank God for that.

Minimalism: Time Commitments

Along with my material possessions, I have noticed that I need to make a drastic lifestyle change with my TIME COMMITMENTS.  For years, I have been so used to being BUSY.  A list of clubs and after-school activities; more than one job; going to school full-time with 4-5 classes; a baby shower in the afternoon and a 21st birthday party at night.  When I became pregnant and had my son, I came to an epiphany: I could give myself permission to say NO. 

So to some people, I fell off the face of the earth.  I did not show up to family functions.  Friends saw me once a month instead of once a week.

What was I doing?

Watching Netflix in bed for 3 hours with my son.

Clipping my toenails on a Friday night.

Taking 3 naps a day.

Walking around Target for about 2 hours on a Saturday morning.

It wasn’t that others were NO LONGER A PRIORITY.  Instead, I felt content with doing nothing.  I did not stress out about making guest appearances.  My real friends and loved ones understood that I have a child and that required a lot more time and attention.  Sure, if I really tried, I could get my act together every Saturday and Sunday and run around LA county for the “Liam Tour.”  But then I would be exhausted.  I would not be able to relax and enjoy my son’s fluttery eyelashes.  I wouldn’t be able to bum it on the couch with him and watch I Love Lucy.  I would miss out on a lot of little things because I was too busy keeping up with a schedule.

Therefore, mom or not, GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO SAY NO to a busy schedule.  Embrace minimalism and commit to fewer engagements.  Have a date with your bathtub, your tweezers, your nail clippers, your XBOX, your YouTube videos, and your comfy bed.  Shamelessly take more than one nap on a Sunday afternoon.  Rest and rejuvenation will freshen your mind for a later productive day.

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand. – Psalm 31:14