Archive for Daily Creative
Daily Creative: A Silent Day… Just for You!
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever thought of being silent for an entire day, weekend or week? Most of us tend to talk a lot. Maybe too much. We ramble on or just fill our minds with so much that we don’t allow ourselves to be alone with our thoughts.
When we constantly keep our minds busy, we miss out on a great many things. We miss out on our deeper inner thoughts, our creative muses, being comfortable with our own silences. It may take practice at first, but it’s almost like meditation. Quieting our thoughts and mouth to let our true selves really “speak” to us can make us grow in many other ways. 
I have always wanted to go on a weekend silent retreat, the time just hasn’t worked out yet. It is my goal to do that someday soon. I just need to really plan out in advance to m ake that happen.
So…have you ever been on a silent retreat? Have you taken time just for you and your thoughts? Maybe it’s something to add to your list. If you think “no way!”, maybe a semi-silent retreat is a place to start. Or, maybe try this first by taking a day or an afternoon all to yourself and not talking.
I have treated myself to several Silent Days and just love it. I like to do it in the fall and spring, as it seems like a perfect “change of seasons” kind of thing to do. I will often pack a lunch and go to a lake near the city and spend the day enjoying a walk, some prayer time, maybe do a short bible study, some more quiet time, and writing in my journal. I have had some fantastic creative and life changing ideas investing this time alone with myself.
Guidelines for your own Silent Time:
Go somewhere you won’t be disturbed, or let those who you live with know you need your quiet space for a while. Shut off your phone. No watching TV. Spend time reading, journaling, listening to quiet music, meditating, praying, talking a nature walk, or generally being quiet and reflective. If you choose to read, only read for a short time, and choose something simple. The point isn’t to just read your favorite book and avoid talking, but to really settle yourself into a time of quietness. Have a notebook or journal handy to jot down your thoughts.
So, dear blogging friends, my challenge to you is to gift yourself a silent time. I know it may take some planning, but set aside a day in the near future to do this. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, if you tried it, your experiences, and how you felt after you did it. I am looking at my calendar and scheduling my own day right now…
Daily Creative… Inspiration Boards
Posted by: | CommentsDo YOU have an Inspiration Board? 
An Inspiration Board is a fabulous way to display ideas, thoughts, keepsakes, and images to “inspire” one to create, connect or live from.
There are many reasons to create these boards- to inspire our thoughts; to remind us of lovely, favorite things; to inspire our creativity; to keep our goals in front of us; to keep us positive or grateful; or to help us with a project.
I like to use Inspiration Boards for all of the above. I have a rotating board that changes with my mood. I have a few more boards for projects and creative boosters. I also have some Inspiration Folders and Binders- filled with overflow elements that I seem to wander through when needed.
Key elements for an inspiration board: keep it in view, keep it simple enough to gain from the content, keep it fresh if you are not looking at it and responding to it.
How does one create an Inspiration Board you say? It can be quite simple- a cork board and some push-pins can be an in-expensive starter. A custom fabric covered board with criss-crosses of ribbon to hold the elements on is another version. A vintage framed magnet board with hand-made magnets is another.
Not enough wall space for a large piece? Try a small cork inserted into a cabinet or closet door. As I mentioned above, try out a Folder or Binder if you are limited on space or just prefer to be able to carry your inspiration around with you. Either way, it’s a simple way to hold on to the elements that strike our hearts or creativity.
What goes on it? Anything that inspires you!! Favorite quotes or scripture, photos of places or people, art, magazine clippings, handwritten notes, advertising images, color swatches, words, fabric, jewelry, ribbon, in other words, anything that brings you joy and motivates or inspires you!
My challenge for you today is to create a Inspiration Board. If you already have one, either update that one, or start a new one. Let your imagination take off as you introduce these new thoughts to the front of your brain!
Daily Creative: House Cleaning?
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Cleaning house is such a creative inspiration for me. Not the “run-through-the-house-and-clean-up in 15 minutes” kind of clean, but the really deep cleaning process is what I am referring to. I know that sounds really weird, but I think there’s something about doing a routine task that clears the mind. I also think it’s the physical act of touching and handling every piece that surrounds me on a daily basis. The moving of the furniture, dusting the objects, the small details noticed, I think those are the things that start to stir my mind.
I did just that on this holiday weekend. (Okay, not what you normally would do to celebrate a 4th of July holiday, I know.) But, our kids left us home for the weekend, so the Hubby and I decided to stay home and tend to our place. We re-mulched all of our backyard landscaping and gardens and deep-cleaned several areas in our home. It felt good and was much needed! I do have a few areas that still need attention, but boy I feel much better now. I will be able to start my week more focused now that the dust bunnies are gone and my floors are scrubbed. I know, like I said it’s weird, but it works for me!
What sorts of things get you thinking creatively? Do you like to get out to nature, do you like to draw, do you like to meditate or go for a jog? Let me know what gets you thinking… I may try it too! Thanks for stopping by and live creativity today!!
Daily Creative: Master the Art of Living
Posted by: | CommentsI read a quote the other day and it really spoke to me. I think I have always felt this way about what I do, but reading someone else’s thoughts about it, really struck me. Here it is:
“The master in the art of living make little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information 
and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both.”
That quote was written by James Michener. I have always believed that God has created each one of us with distinct abilities that only we have. When we are in our “sweet spot” as Max Lucado says, we are where God has designed us to be. That spot is where we find this “mastery of living”, it is our ART. It is who we were meant to be and it doesn’t feel like work, it is who we are.
So my creative challenge to you today is to really think about who you are. Are you living the life you were designed to? Are you mastering your sweet spot?
IF you are… yea! I am so thrilled for you, you have found your calling. Rejoice in it and share it with us… please comment below. IF you aren’t, it is time to really reflect on this challenge and maybe make some changes to your life. Life after all, is far too short, and if we aren’t doing what we love and were designed for, then it’s probably about time we did.
Go ahead, what are you waiting for? The world is waiting for you…
Daily Creative: Joyful Attitude
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How joyful are you? Are you an optimist or pessimist?
Do you practice an attitude of gratitude?
Our days are really determined more by our attitudes than our circumstances. It’s not about what happens to us, but how we respond to our circumstances that makes our lives fulfilled. Even though our days can be stressful, frustrating, and certainly not as we planned, we can still practice being grateful for what we do have and what is truly important in life.
I know you’ve heard it before, but what we often prioritize our days or even lives doing, isn’t what brings us joy and fulfills our lives. We are all designed to make a contribution to our world and often we miss our calling. We know when we are not in our “sweet spot” and feel unhappy, passing that frustration on to others.
Can you practice being grateful for what is in your life today? Don’t worry about what you don’t have, focus on all of the things that make life rich for you. What do you have to offer? Who can you build a relationship with? Who has a need that you can fulfill? We are designed to contribute, what is your calling?
Even when circumstances happen to us that seem less than ideal, there is usually a learning moment, some insight, or even a bigger plan to what is happening. We can be thankful for many things, even in the midst of a storm. Our character is built on it and our attitude is shaped by it.
A wonderful friend’s son was injured severely by a fall off of a roof when he was just 1 year into college. He was paralyzed from the chest down. As he lay in his hospital bed, he told his family and friends how lucky he was. He was still alive and he could breathe on his own, unlike the man in the bed next to him. Over the last few years, he has been in and out of the hospital, had countless surgeries, and many setbacks. He learned to cope with his challenges and move forward, all while maintaining his positive attitude. Through it all, his faith never wavered, but grew stronger. Still in a wheel-chair and unable to walk, he went back to college and earned his engineering degree and is currently designing projects that enhance the lives of other physically challenged adults. He is an inspiration to everyone who knows him. He has built his reputation on being a man of integrity, heart and gratitude.
I challenge you to make a list of 50 things that you are grateful for today…. it’s amazing how much we take for granted. Take time to notice all you are blessed with. It will change your day.
