I’ve been thinking a lot about the subject of  “Time” lately, especially in terms of how we view it and use it and abuse it. Since watching the time and meeting deadlines and so forth seem to be fairly common concerns among  so many creative people,  I’ll be writing about time and our beliefs and […]

I’ve been avoiding even thinking about doing an end of the year review because it sounds too clinical and institutional and pain-centered. I say pain-centered because although a few things turned out great, I didn’t accomplish as much as I had hoped to this year. I got sidetracked on some interesting and fanciful paths. There […]

If you haven’t read the old 80’s era creativity book, A Whack on the Side of the Head: How to Unlock your Mind For Innovation by Silicon Valley creativity guru Roger von Oech, you should. As von Oech describes it, the book explains how you can engage in mental sex – meaning “sex of our […]

I sometimes write in a coffee shop. I might go there because the peeps at home are driving me nuts, sometimes because I am feeling uninspired and hope a short stroll and change of scenery will help jolt my creativity, sometimes because I am away from home and just plain need a pit stop with […]

I am convinced we are both overtly and subtly influenced by the space we are in, including our work place. We need what works best for us so we can feel ‘right’ and do our best creative work. Vibe is important! How Sense of Place Influences Creativity During years of designing landscapes and gardens, I […]

Do you think clutter provides a richly stimulating environment for creativity or does it cause confusion in your mind? Some people insist that a neat and tidy environment is a prerequisite for getting down to productive work. I’m not so sure. Neat and Tidy is Productive In her MyAmericanArtist.com blog post Clutter Causes Confusion, Lori […]

You know how you come back from vacation or the weekend at the same time relaxed but also all jazzed up and ready to roll? And then you re-enter the routine of daily life and the energy seeps out of your being until you are right back where you started with the same sapped-out feeling […]

Creative people, people in the arts, and people who live a passion-driven life of making meaning can all benefit from the following guidelines to living as enumerated by Eric Maisel in his self-improvement creativity manual, Coaching the Artist Within. Know your game – your creative field, how it works, what is expected, and how to […]

Do you have a well stocked creativity kit within easy reach? In his self-coaching manual Coaching the Artist Within, psychologist and creativity expert Eric Maisel recommends you keep a special collection of organizational and management tools together in a box or in a handy spot. Doing so will help you stay organized and productively on […]

Many creative people struggle with planning. Writing in Coaching the Artist Within, psychologist and creativity expert Eric Maisel suggests “Five Golden Rules of Planning” to help creative people set their goals and formulate better, more realistic, more effective short and long range plans. Too often our best and well-intended plans fail – let’s be honest […]