A Creative Life

Today in art class I taught a very important lesson.

Being Creative.

I'm so sick of hearing "I suck at art." "I can't draw." "I am not creative enough." 

I hear this daily. And from 5 class periods. 

By the end of the day I just want to say, "STOP!" 

So, today I stood up in front of class and did just that.

Stop putting limits on yourself.

I shared with my classes this advice, and I felt like you should hear it too.

Tips For Living A Creative Life

Always be Creating. Don't just use a phone or computer to write your ideas down. I always use old fashioned pen and paper.  Something about holding a pencil in your hand gets the ideas flowing. Constantly be doodling or taking notes. Make things, draw, write, take photos, always have your brain and your hands moving. This is like writing our dreams and ideas down, the more we do it, the more we train our brain to give us ideas.

At this point I showed some of the students just how much I  carry with me in my purse. Two hard bound sketchbooks, a dream journal, a regular journal, a pack of pencils and pens, and note cards. Just in case. 

Don’t let people categorize you.  This is my favorite one. When we reach a certain age people are often “boxed” into categories. These “boxes” are exactly what they sound like. We are boxed in, and that stifles creativity. Don’t let anyone categorize you, or give you a name other than your own or a number.  When someone tries to categorize me, I reply with, "No, I am Rachael." Never ever let anyone take your identity away from you. Never let anyone put you in a category and box you in.

Maintain Your Childhood Spirit.  If you lose this, you are losing a huge part of your life. All kids when they are young are creative geniuses.  Then at a certain age, the art gets beaten out of them.  They are told they can’t draw, and soon they believe it. Look at your surroundings with eyes of wonder and awe. This world truly is magical. Laugh often, play often, and be happy.

Practice Mindfulness and meditation.  Be in the present moment, look at things in new ways and soak up you surroundings. Sounds, people and images are there to inspire you. Time spent spacing out, sleeping, dreaming and looking is the most valuable time there is.