my personal blog<\/a> I use the tagline, “Better living through creativity… and cocktails” and I really believe it. Every day that we can do something creative is a better day than it would have been, otherwise. Now this doesn’t mean composing sonnets or your lunch break or painting a masterpiece after dinner. At least not every day \ud83d\ude09 But little things like doodling in the margins of your notebook or even organizing your space can be considered creativity at work (creative problem solving is creativity at its finest).<\/p>\nOf course, there are those days, you know the ones, when you don’t have time to create more than some CO2 as you breathe a sign of relief that the day is finally over. Still creating, you just have to look at it the right way.<\/p>\n
I’m big on making to-do lists, and including creative bits in the to-dos along with the work and home stuff that also needs to get done. But what if you don’t know where to start or you’re in a bit of a rut? I’ve got a suggestion for that!<\/p>\n
Several years ago I first encountered The Artist’s Way<\/em> by Julia Cameron. It’s all about ways to recognize and work through creative blocks and when in doubt, I turn to her techniques. There are 12 chapters and the original idea was that you’d work through a chapter a week for a 3 month pick-me-up, but I know plenty of people who take a month per chapter and make it a whole year’s activity. There are different actions to take (aka homework) with each chapter, and some of my friends have found it nice to have the extra time to work through the exercises at their own pace.<\/p>\nRegardless of the schedule you choose, as I started to work through the book I found that I was just super open to creative possibilities and the ideas started coming fast and furious. That was also the same year I started to keep a notebook close by at all times so I wouldn’t get bogged down trying to remember each of them. Something I still do, and my stack of notebooks is a treasure trove of ideas just waiting for the right moment.<\/p>\n
So if you want to add “Be more creative” to your 2016 goals but are unsure of where to start, check out The Artist’s Way.<\/p>\n
Have a safe and happy new year!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Is that too much to ask? I don’t think so! Are you looking forward to 2016? I know we’ve got a couple more days until the ball drops and we all try to remember to write\u00a02016 instead of 2015 (at least 5s turn into 6s very easily!), in my head I’ve already flipped the calendar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[25,26],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspo","tag-creativity","tag-the-artists-way"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7cd0I-E","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":59,"url":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/perfection-is-overrated\/","url_meta":{"origin":40,"position":0},"title":"Perfection Is Overrated","author":"Jennifer","date":"March 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Especially in DIY. As I approach 40 I'm either becoming (even more) cynical or just plain realizing how fixated we become on certain ideals. Don't get me wrong, ideals are fabulous, but life is seldom ideal and we have\u00a0got to stop exhausting ourselves trying to attain implausible goals. Life's too\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspiration"","block_context":{"text":"Inspiration","link":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/category\/inspo\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Imperfect-Rose.jpg?fit=735%2C1102&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Imperfect-Rose.jpg?fit=735%2C1102&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Imperfect-Rose.jpg?fit=735%2C1102&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Imperfect-Rose.jpg?fit=735%2C1102&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30,"url":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/well-that-was-unexpected\/","url_meta":{"origin":40,"position":1},"title":"Well That Was Unexpected!","author":"Jennifer","date":"November 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday afternoon, as I was trying to get back in the swing of not being on the cruise ship anymore (my inner ears have yet to get the message...makes for interesting times) my phone rang and it was Paul, my contact at the Big Distributor, the one that was so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspiration"","block_context":{"text":"Inspiration","link":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/category\/inspo\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thecraftybranch_creativemischief_cprholidays_cards_samples-0486.jpg?fit=533%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thecraftybranch_creativemischief_cprholidays_cards_samples-0486.jpg?fit=533%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thecraftybranch_creativemischief_cprholidays_cards_samples-0486.jpg?fit=533%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24,"url":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/eleventh-hour-save\/","url_meta":{"origin":40,"position":2},"title":"Eleventh Hour Save!","author":"Jennifer","date":"October 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to the efforts of my contact at the distributor, the final pieces of the kit puzzle\u00a0arrived last night, just in the Nick of time! See what I did there? It'll be more apparent in a minute... The time has come, friends, to let you see the next kit, or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Kits"","block_context":{"text":"Kits","link":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/category\/kits\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thecraftybranch_cprholidays-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thecraftybranch_cprholidays-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thecraftybranch_cprholidays-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thecraftybranch_cprholidays-1.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16,"url":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/were-go-for-mischief\/","url_meta":{"origin":40,"position":3},"title":"We’re Go For Mischief!","author":"Jennifer","date":"August 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Cue the muppet flails and excessive exclamation points because I, for one, am super excited to announce the first Creative Mischief Kit is now available!!! Whew! That feels awesome to say. Seriously. A refresher: Earlier this year I, Jennifer Vanderbeek, had the idea to open an arts & crafts supply\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Kits"","block_context":{"text":"Kits","link":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/category\/kits\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thecraftybranch_creativemischief_pleinair-3.jpg?fit=600%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thecraftybranch_creativemischief_pleinair-3.jpg?fit=600%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/thecraftybranch_creativemischief_pleinair-3.jpg?fit=600%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28,"url":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/why-were-not-a-subscription-box\/","url_meta":{"origin":40,"position":4},"title":"Why We’re Not a Subscription Box","author":"Jennifer","date":"October 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I hope everyone is having a lovely Monday morning. It was nice and chilly when I left for work, today, and it's not even supposed to get too hot, either! That nip in the air definitely makes it easier to think about Christmas card making and all the other holiday\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42,"url":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/sometimes-the-best-reaction-to-loss-is-inspiration\/","url_meta":{"origin":40,"position":5},"title":"Sometimes the Best Reaction to Loss is Inspiration","author":"Jennifer","date":"January 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Like a lot of people, I woke up yesterday to the news that the world had lost a creative, talented, innovator. David Bowie (1947-2016) died two days after his 69th birthday. On his last birthday he released a new album, even though he'd been battling cancer for the last 18\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspiration"","block_context":{"text":"Inspiration","link":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/category\/inspo\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Art-as-Shorthand.jpg?fit=735%2C1102&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Art-as-Shorthand.jpg?fit=735%2C1102&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Art-as-Shorthand.jpg?fit=735%2C1102&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Art-as-Shorthand.jpg?fit=735%2C1102&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41,"href":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40\/revisions\/41"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecraftybranch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}