Creativity Cookies: One Full Flavour

[Dan Goodwin]

One of the biggest causes of creative block is being overwhelmed by too much choice in what to create.

“Should I start a new story? Maybe I should work on my novel? That website I found on getting started with Altered Books was great, maybe I can begin one of those? Although I have those new paints I bought last year and are still sealed and unused? But then I promised myself I go out with my camera and take some black and white photos this weekend too!"

The list of possible creative projects we can start is virtually endless!

So this Creativity Cookie is called One Full Flavour and will help you choose one of those projects, get started and enjoy it to its fullest flavour, rather than feeling so confused and under pressure that you create nothing.

Head over to Creativity Portal for the full Cookie, try it out for yourself, then head back here to share your comments and experiences.

Click here to get the Creativity Cookie: One Full Flavour

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

Sounds like heaven to me :) Schedule is finally starting to sound like something I need to do also, to get in balance. My life is sorely lacking in exercise time and nature time.

Now I've got "Hazy Shade of Winter" by Simon and Garfunkel rolling around my brain ...

"Time Time TIme
to see what's become of me
as I look around
at my possibilities
I was so hard to please ... "

The present moment is all we really have, and stressing about not having enough time really does put a crimp in things!

[Patrice]

The present moment is all we have... ooohhh ... I like that.!!

[Dan Goodwin]

I agree about a schedule Patrice. I've seen this again over the Christmas break, if I have days without plans, I can quite easily fiddle about without doing very much all day!

Put a few activities in the diary, or just written on a piece of paper though, then slot other things around them and suddenly it's a hundred times more productive. Even though at first it sometimes seems like a whole day with no plans is heaven, too much of that kind of freedom means little gets done, in my experience.

Re creative space, I think more and more people are making their homes and living spaces work for them. A friend of mine has just moved her sofa and tv into a little spare back bedroom whilst the main living/dining room (about 3 times the size) is having some decorating done. The new "cosy tv room" is so popular, warm and, well, cosy, it's going to stay that way, even after the main room is ready to be furnished again.

In this country (England) we have very traditional views about how a home should be, with the bedrooms upstairs, a front room with a tv, a dining room, a kitchen etc, but these are changing, as our lifestyles are changing, and as we see that they're our homes to arrange them in the way that best suits our lives...

[Valerie]

Serendipity strikes again. I knew I wanted to go down to the studio and work, but was sitting here thinking of all the projects I have going and trying to decide what to do.

Procrasitinating, (sorry Dan) I figured I would pop in to CCS to see what was going on and saw some responses to Creative Cookie: One Full Flavour, which I had somehow missed before. I almost passed it by thinking it was probably about cooking LOL.

Anyway, so there I was reading this article telling me just what I was doing. (Downright eerie.) And the penny dropped. Just pick something and finish it.
I work like you Patrice. Have many things going at once. But I don't have a lot of space and work in many mediums. This leads to a sort of organized chaos which is not pleasant to work in. If I want to paint I have to put away the felting project, and if tomorrow I want to sew I have to put away all the paint. So, even though working the way Dan has suggested in the article is foreign to me, I am going to give it a try and see how it feels.

For my December 30 days I jumped around on different things trying new techniques and getting reaquainted with some I hadn't done in a long time. It was good in that it got me back to creating on a regular basis.

For January I am going to try the One Full Flavour method and finish a project through before embarking on another. I will still get my "variety" fix as I will be doing Vein of Gold and also joined Jules' ATC challenge, but those are things that will also need to be seen through to completion. It will be interesting, to me, to see my response to this way of working.

And, I'm rambling so I'm going off to "pick" something to finish.

[Patrice]

Though I appreciate Dan's idea - and feel it is probably best for most, I admit I would never be able to adhere to one thing (at least for very long)...

My spaces are thus:

Old house/studio/storage - where I keep my power tools and do furniture projects in decent weather. There's no heat there, so when it's below 55 degrees, it can be uncomfortable unless moving around a lot.

In my house : soon-to-be-painting-studio, about 12 x 16. Not large but with a high ceiling.

In my house: smaller collage/computer room that I mostly keep cat-free as they like to play with all my bits and pieces...

Public office/gallery: About 25 miles away, I maintain a space to show paintings and objects (in partnership with another artist). I work there seasonally (more hours during "tourist" seasons) and I have space there to paint or work on one project at a time. This has been very important in this bad economy, as word-of-mouth wasn't cutting it anymore.

So you can see that I have to schedule myself or I'd just turn in circles!

[Valerie]

It will be a challenge for me, but hopefully it will help with my space problem. My comuter/office is in the livingroom practcally between my hubbys chair and the TV and the studio is a small make-shift room in the basement. Once my son moves out I will get my "real" studio back and then I can have my computer and fiber stuff in there and paints etc. downstairs.

[Patrice]

Good on you, Valerie. I exaggerate somewhat in saying I'm working on several things "at once". In reality, I have several things at different stages of completion and I like to be able to see as many of them as possible (especially the canvases) while I'm passing by or working. I can't always predict when that got it moment will be, and then I return to the one that most needs attention.

Obviously one can only focus on one thing at a time if one is seriously working, but the proximity of other projects keeps me going. Self-imposed pressure? Possibly - but I like to think of it more as self-imposed inspiration.

I've also learned that the space I work in dramatically influences what I do; e.g., the larger the space, the larger and more ambitious are the paintings. The more organized and available the collage area, the more interesting and meaningful the results. Where do I accomplish the most? In the space that is most comfortable at the time. Sometimes it's just sitting in the living room with tiny sketchbooks or canvases listening to the television while painting away. ha ha... This is what happens when my knees or back have had enough.

[DJ]

I heartily agree with you, Patrice, that "the space I work in dramatically influences what I do". Comfort and supply availability is everything, because, as you stated, you never when a solution/inspiration will strike. Isn't it wonderful to have a space where you can leave a canvas up with paints at the ready?