Creative Woman Cafe Blog

Are you struggling getting into your flow? Watch my video to learn the three things that will help you with your flow.



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Creativity involves the observer, the process, and the product—as well as the creator. Watch my newest video today and comment below.



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People often think of creativity as a luxury or frivolous activity, and although they may be interested in exploring it they put it off until the kids are older or even until they are retired. However, I’m going to show you how the benefits of developing your creativity filter into all aspects of your life and you really can’t afford to keep putting it off:



Work: The global economy is challenging for both businesses and individuals and those with developed creativity skills shine because they are able to think outside the box and figure out new ways to meet challenges as they arise.

Home life: The ability to look at things sideways and upside down is great for fixing things, problem solving, creating an interesting and nurturing space.

Personal life: Expressing your creativity has the power to change a boring life into one filled with excitement. It connects you to your authentic self where you find meaning and fulfillment. When Ellen Langer, a Harvard psychologist took up painting she experienced a personal renaissance. Her research has shown many benefits–feeling more satisfied with your work, and increased competence, health, longevity, happiness, creativity, and charisma.

Relationships: I have found that as I allow my creativity to flow, my relationships are more playful, vibrant, satisfying and less stereotypical.

Lifestyle: When you allow yourself to think creatively, you question everyday assumptions and make choices that suit who you really are, rather than just doing what everybody around you does.

Now that you’ve seen how important creativity is, join us in the Creative Woman Café, where we explore the Holy Grail of Creativity and learn to direct our creative flow more productively.

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Hello and welcome to the Creative Woman Café, a place where your creativity flows.



This painting inspired me to revisit the state of consciousness called Flow because I was disappointed that I did not feel the same enjoyment and great energy that I experienced while painting the first orchid painting.

Why? What makes the difference in how we feel? This question led me back to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book, Flow, the psychology of optimal experience. Mihaly popularized the concept of “flow” in 1990 when his book became a national bestseller.

What Mihaly found is that it’s not what you do, but how you do it. The quality of flow is an “almost automatic, effortless, yet highly focused state of consciousness.” This state is characterized by “deep enjoyment, creativity and a total involvement with life.” People who are wholeheartedly performing an activity for intrinsic purposes are most likely to enter the flow state. Painting and other artistic mediums are perfect flow activities. So the question is how do you get into flow when you are not?

I found that I could not will myself to get into flow. So what if anything can you do to facilitate it? I found three conditions that are required to enter the flow state that I hadn’t met the last time I painted:

1. Clear set of goalsthat contribute direction and structure.
Although I had the goal to paint the flower transparent, I didn’t break it down beyond just using transparent colors. So I have set more specific goals for myself that will encourage flow.

2. Balance between the perceived challenges and your own perceived skills.
I was intimidated by having to use just transparent paints¬–felt like watercolor where any “mistakes’ can’t be covered up. I felt pressure not to make mistakes, so I lost the spontaneity that I had with the last painting.

3. Becoming immersed in the activity.
Perhaps because I lacked the above two conditions, I was not able to shut out the distractions in the room or focus on my painting with enough engagement to get into the flow state and therefore the experience was disappointing. This time I will pull my energy in and focus it on the painting.

Try incorporating these 3 conditions into your activities and see if you can choose to enter flow and greatly improve the enjoyment of your experiences.

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Watch this video and get inspired! Join us in the Creative Woman Cafe where you can release your creative flow.



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Watch my video for tips on how to find your creative flow. Get inspired today!

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Stop the flow of your words,open the window of your heart and let the spirit speak. –Rumi

The heart has been a living symbol throughout history. When we say, “I love you with all my heart,” we mean both the organ–our beating heart and also the emotions that reside there. The two are so intertwined; that the heart varies it’s beat to reflect the degree of love, tenderness, and delight that we feel as well as pounding out our anger and fears. Symbolically, the heart, as the seat of our emotions, is where the unique essence of an individual dwells, and also where we encounter the divine. (The heart has neurons, so literally the heart does have a mind of its own!)

Nurture Your Creativity

Search for hearts in your environment (or other symbols of love.Photograph, sketch, or paint them. Good places to look for hearts are rocks, tree trunks, bark and leaves(if you are somewhere that still has leaves this time of year. Once you start looking, you will find them all over!

Check out my horses’ message of love for me in the Creative Woman Café album!)

Feel free to add your findings to the album.

Go as deep as you like: Just collect the images or take it deeper by reflecting on the symbols’ meaning in your life and see where that takes you. Journal, write poetry…

How This Nurtures Your Creativity

When you are actively looking, you really see things rather than passing by with your mind busy working away.It encourages you to be present, mindful and playful–states where creativity flourishes. You may see a heart in the negative space between branches or leaves, and just looking at things differently is a big part of creativity.

Also it may get you out in nature where many people find that their creativity is ignited.

Have fun and Happy Valentines Day!

I highly recommend that you take a vacation and recharge. Allowed yourself to have FUN. When you get home you will be full of energy and bursting with creativity. Watch this video to learn more about Recharging Your Creativity.



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Watch my video and learn how to become more productive in your workplace and at home.



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What is mindlessness? It's a huge block to your creativity. Let's talk about it! Watch this video and get CREATIVE.



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Meditation is an excellent way to relax. Watch my video as I share information about "Frog Meditation."



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Have you ever thought about what factors affect your style? Let's discuss this topic.

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Most of us use lists, but I have recently figured out a way to supercharge my list and become way more productive!

1. Use a list
I have always used lists and enjoy crossing things off. I even add things I have already done so I can cross them off! However, I found myself working on so many projects (ten) that I became overwhelmed. It took me several days after I combined the 3 paper lists that I was working from to add the things that were rattling around in my mind. Even getting tasks out of your mind onto paper brings a sense of relief.

2. Organize it by project and break into small doable tasks For example, Roofing: “Pick roof color.” was overwhelming because I didn’t know how to make that decision, so I broke the task into more palatable tasks that didn’t overwhelm me. The list grew to reflect what I had learned and became more about suitability of product than simply color.

Pick Roof Color
look at roof colors on houses (what do I like and not like?)
ask friend who built house how they picked their color
Google energy and longevity of shingles (dark vs light)
see how diff colors look with house colors I like
Pick a manufacturer
Google Cambridge vs Harmony
Go to Roofmart to see samples of IKO
Read warranty Information
Talk to roofers about suitability of product
Compare color samples from 2 manufactures
Talk to designer and roofer about Beachwood/driftwood

3. Supercharge list with Color
My list was so long and complex that I was unable to figure out what had to be done first, second etc. Many right-brained people have trouble prioritizing. I found that using color to mark the different levels of priority worked very well. I made the tasks that needed to be done asap red text. Then when they were done, I changed them to green text, so I could see that all projects were moving forward. A few weeks into the list, I started using orange text to show the second level of priority behind red. Blue was added for tasks that didn’t materialize (and wouldn’t) and Yellow highlights on the red text are for tasks that have to be done today. Black text hasn’t been prioritized yet. I leave this list on my computer so it is easy to change. I have never actually printed it. For example here is one of my projects:

Rented house:
Remove and take faucet to plumbing store and buy o-rings Replace seals and remove cattle water pump Declutter Garage: (Finish before Oct 1 so can collect extra rent) Book 4 days
1. With Kathy (move heavy things?)
2. Finish de-cluttering Take trailer with road crush /garbage and recycling
3. Fill mouse holes with spray foam
4.Garage door seal (get help with feeding rubber in, loading canoe, moving heavy things)
– Check email to see what date Kathy has and reply
– Take garbage bags, feed bags and boxes
– Flip breaker to see what flips it off/check toilet/ try Kyle’s ideas
Drainage
Book gravel, call with measurements (110 meters x 10 sandals) take blade
Contact re cattle underpass
Call Frank/change to Mike/ Monday Steve will call me


Working with a list this way is very dynamic and visual. The list evolves easily. I enjoy seeing how much I have accomplished on each project, so I like the green text for completed tasks, rather than deleting them. This all-encompassing list wiped away overwhelm and gave me a place to break down complicated tasks into more palatable ones.

My housemate, a student, devised a way to do something similar on paper. She highlights what she doesn’t understand in yellow and once she understands it she highlights in blue, changing the color to green.

To see other ways to get organized in ways that work for Right brained people, join us in the Creative Woman Café, where we explore the Holy Grail of Creativity and learn to direct our creative flow more productively.

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What is Mindlessness? When you are not thinking about what you are doing. Instead you rely on preprogrammed scripts that may not be appropriate. Mindlessness is a huge block to creativity.

I was going to talk about mindfulness, but it is more fun to look at mindlessness.

I have a favorite story from my life that illustrates mindlessness: When I was going to university in Texas, I had a Volkswagen bug named Walter. It is the only car I have ever had that had a name. I don’t remember who named him, but even my friends would ask to borrow “Walter” rather than “my car.” I was cleaning my horse’s stall, when 2 good-looking guys asked if I could boost their car. “Sure,” I said. I wanted to look good and I was a bit nervous, which is often when we mindlessly follow rules. And that is what I did. What I had learned about cars was that the engine and therefore the battery are under the hood. I pulled up hood-to-hood and jumped out to open it. To my surprise and embarrassment there was no engine. I laughed, “that’s right it’s in the back!” Next I jostled the car around until the trunk was in line with their battery. I hopped out, opened the trunk and there was the engine, but no battery. Baffled, I remember that there is something a beetle doesn’t have–perhaps it’s a battery. The guys assured me it had to have a battery, so after a long pause to ponder where it could be, I remembered that the man I bought the car from told me it was under the back seat!

One could write off my unfamiliarity with my car as a gender thing, but I regularly had to reattach some electrical wires to the engine, so I was actually very familiar with the location of the engine.

If I had been present in this situation, I would have easily found the battery. Instead, I shut down my knowledge and experience of my car, because I was trying to look good!

I mindlessly followed my fixed beliefs about where things are in a car, despite my experience with this car.

Mindlessly following preprogrammed beliefs like this blocks our creativity. Creativity is all about drawing novel distinctions and in order to do that, we have to be present in the moment. A few years ago, someone told me, “Be where your hands are.” In my experience, this is one of the best ways to allow your creativity to flow.

I invite you to join the Creative Woman Cafe by Clicking Here where we explore the Holy Grail of Creativity and learn to direct our creative flow more productively.

Create the life of your dreams by tapping into your creative abundance. Let's discuss what inspires your creativity.



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Lets discuss how you know when a project is finished. Watch my video and please add your comments below.



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