Nov 30, 2011

Why Creative People Need to Write

Creativity and writing are closely linked. I am not talking about “Creative Writing” – the type of imaginative writing you may have done in high school, I am talking about writing, which in turn, sparks your creativity. If you are truly a creative person, you no doubt have lots and lots of ideas swimming in your head at any given time. Perhaps you wake up and already feel so full in thought the day overwhelms you. This is where writing comes in.

Last year, I attended a women’s retreat and so much of the day involved journaling in order to bring about your hopes, wishes and best self. My putting these ideas “out there” you announce your intentions with hopes they will come back to you. I have rarely written in this journal since, however, I am constantly reading what I wrote that day as a source of inspiration.

Other creative sources, such as the popular book “The Artist’s Way” suggests waking up each morning and writing a few pages of uninterrupted thoughts and ideas, anything goes – This will just get your ideas flowing and get you thinking and your mind going for the day. Sometimes the best ideas come in the quiet moments when we unplug and give ourselves the chance to breathe, versus the moments when we are forcing creativity.

I recently stumbled upon a really cool website called 750 Words. Taking the idea from “The Artist’s Way,” this website provides a private place for you to journal each morning an helps you keep track of the amount of writing you are doing. The cool thing is, this site takes away all the bells and whistles of most sites so you can do what you came to do- Write! I personally prefer to hand write my thoughts, mostly in my “Brain Book” that goes everywhere with me. To each his own!

I am not sure if we all have time to wake up each morning and write, however, incorporating some writing into your day or even week is bound to help you become more thoughtful and creative, giving you that reflection time you crave and we never seem to get!

Do you have your best ideas when you sit to write or think in the quiet? Maybe you prefer sketching?

What gets you thinking creatively?

http://artprojectgirl.blogspot.com artprojectgirl

How’s everything going with Nora? I hope you are getting some sleep! Enjoy! And don’t worry about work! Your friend, Erica
- http://theartofeducation.wordpress.com Jessica Balsley
  
  Hi! Things are going great! We are adjusting quite well and she is sleeping well. I am enjoying every minute at home!
  - http://artprojectgirl.blogspot.com artprojectgirl
    
    Sleeping well! You are a lucky lady. I’m so happy for you it took Stella 8 months to really sleep through the night. . . though I never admitted that to anyone because I kept hoping for the best. Sleep makes everything easier!
  - Vivian
    
    Jessica,
    This is a great reminder to me, as I used to do morning and or evening pages religiously, but teaching full time, no way! I just don’t have that time. But it is so important and I am looking forward to implementing it again!!!! YES to writing!
Maryldepalma

I don’t know if it’s because I am an art person or what but I have always had this hand/brain thing with writing. My brain simply functions more efficiently through hand-writing and I can think with more clarity. Many people can sit down at a computer keyboard and begin typing something out but for me I have always had to hand write things and then type them. Of course emails and things like that are exceptions but anything that really involves a lot of thought or personal reflection I end up having to write out. I have to write. Many times I am so desperate to write something that comes into my head that I will write it on just about anything I can find (the backs of lists, my calender, random receipts, etc.) Consequently, I have made a “brain book” and I love it!

Just one final thought on writing because I have always been a writer ever since I was young: This is one of my most recent”writings” scrawled in my handwriting on the back of a sheet of random paper. It attempts to answer one of those perplexing questions that come into my head – ”Why is it important for a person to learn how to write?”

Here’s what I came up with – Using a variety of word choices and sentence structure translates into a high degree of clarity of thought. The effective ability to choose the right words to say just what you want to say is the result of higher level thinking processes. It means you really know your thoughts and desires. Education gives you that ability.
- http://www.theartofed.com/ Jessica Balsley
  
  This is kind of deep. I like it! Glad you made your very own brain book! I also hate paper with lines, which kind of goes against my super organizational tendencies. I like the writing to take control of the paper and take over the paper. My husband is into Evernote, but I am kind of blah about it because I like my writing, too! Thanks for sharing!