Enjoy the Joy of a Creative Process
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Welcome to the BDI Create Today podcast. This is a podcast where we'll uncover and discover the who, what, where, when, why, and how you can be creative or have more creativity. And together we'll explore the extraordinary impact creativity can have in your life. In heart, mind, body, and soul. And if we haven't met yet, I'm Beth Buffington, a licensed artist, digital illustration instructor, and creative coach living just outside of the Windy City, Chicago, Illinois.
But mostly I'm someone who is curious about how creativity can weave its way into nearly everything in our lives. Each week, we are going to look at one or more of the sparkly facets that make up the ever changing kaleidoscope that is [00:01:00] creativity.
Hello my creative friend, welcome back to another episode of Create Today. Today? Let's poke around a bit at our creativity and look at how we get it out and use it every day. Or in other words, let's examine what and how we create. Today, have you heard the old saying, how do you get to Carnegie Hall? And if you know the saying, you'll know the answer to this question has always been practice, practice, practice.
Now this cliche points out that if you want to be creative and talented enough to perform at Carnegie Hall, you must practice. And there's another old saying that you might know, and that is practice makes perfect. While this can be true, during this [00:02:00] podcast, we will be rethinking how we think. And we'll make some new decisions about the goals we should consider setting for our creative practice.
While it, of course, would be amazing as a creative to say, because of my daily practice, I found my way to Carnegie Hall, today you and I will determine a possibly more important truth that applies to all creatives. And remember, everyone on this planet is a creative. Just some of you might not realize it yet, but if we're seeking to have our creativity benefit us in heart, mind, body, and soul, and I mean really and truly benefit us, the all important result is is not practice makes perfect.
No, instead, we should think this. Practice [00:03:00] makes positivity. You see, the pinnacle achievement with your daily creative practice is not how to get to Carnegie Hall. Consider changing your pinnacle achievement focus towards practice should be the building of new and positive neural pathways in your brain.
Yay. The result will not, well,
now the result will probably not be a performance at the great Carnegie hall. Nope. Instead, this is actually a better result. A repetitive daily creative practice will help you feel more contentment, more happiness, and maybe! Just maybe find your way to greater creative heights.
Now here's a few examples I can share with you just from my family about how different these creative practices could be.
First, let's talk about me.[00:04:00]
Creatively, I have a morning routine that includes some journaling, and I have an evening routine of sketching on my iPad.
The journaling in the morning is all about just waking up my brain and free forming ideas and thoughts and just letting my brain wander. And the evening sketches help me play with creative ideas that might be useful.
somewhere in the work that I like to produce for teaching or for art licensing. Now, so much of this creative practice, writing and sketching is just play. Not suitable for professional use at all. Trust me on this, but that's not the point.
The point is to let my creative self just ramble and explore. And my friend, occasionally I do tumble into some pretty cool stuff, but that again is not the point. I'm just letting my brain enjoy the [00:05:00] joy of enjoying the process. Does that make sense? Now here's an example with my husband, Tom. He would be the first to say, I'm no artist, but he's actually one of the most creative people I know.
His quiet mind is always busy considering best ways to do whatever needs to be done. Now, when we were first married, we lived in an apartment that did not have a yard, a basement, or a garage. And these are all the spaces and places where Tom today does a majority of his creativity. I remember him. He was actually walking around the apartment in the winter saying, I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored.
His brain had no place to practice. And so there was no way for him to enjoy the joy of enjoying. So now fast forward to the house we have today. Now he has a yard, and a garage, and a garage attic, and a work room in [00:06:00] the basement. And his creative practice includes gardening, building bikes, fixing anything and everything, remodeling rooms in the house.
So many things. In the basement, he listens to his album collection and he loses himself in whatever the latest work room project is. And this is his creative practice and his neural pathways are positive. And also he's never bored.
MY daughter, Kori, when she was in her teens, she used to bake to relieve the stress of high school. She would come home from school and just make pie. There were weeks where she made pie almost every day. Even now, as a young mom with three active children, one being a sweet baby of seven months, she's still baking and cooking the most unusual things.
It's her creative practice where she is [00:07:00] enjoying the joy of enjoying the process. So my friend. What is your practice and when do you do it? Let's explore. Now we've all heard a mountain of chit chat lately about creating daily routines and what you should eat and drink and how, and when you should sleep and exercise, and I'm here to tell you, I've listened and.
I've taken in a lot of information and I've rearranged several things in my daily rituals, but something that most folks do not chit chat about is the quiet but genuine magic that can happen when you include in your daily routine a consistent creative. practice. And as we've already mentioned, the creative practice we will explore today, it's not about chasing perfection.
It's about setting up a habit, a ritual, a routine, whatever you want to call it, of casually creating. So your specific end [00:08:00] results should not be creating that great masterpiece or a performance at a large music hall, but specifically your goal, and here comes the sciency stuff, is building those positive neural pathways.
And my friend, the enjoyment from a creative practice makes positive pathways. And this brain positivity So let's take a peek into why daily practice can be a game changer in your heart, mind, body, and soul.
First, let's talk about the remarkable ability of daily and remember joyful creative practice to fade the stress from the day. the creative blocks or the overwhelm you might have during your day. When your practice is set up for pure enjoyment, you create the space for these playful sessions where there is no stress to produce something [00:09:00] spectacular and there's no deadline that must be met.
Now, do you have a job that's maybe not fulfilling? Or possibly really stressful or maybe a commute that just really drags you down each day
or are you dealing with overwhelm or sadly, Grief in your life. Oh my friend There's a mountain of human emotions that can drag us down into those ruts of negativity.
Now whether it's doodling while note taking, mindless sketching, or free form journaling, you allow yourself to let your thoughts wander. And these seemingly idle moments can become fertile ground for positivity to start to take hold. So from tiny doodles to mindless meanderings, you're going to be astonished at [00:10:00] how creativity flows when you give yourself the freedom to play.
Your daily creative practice will become a muse that will constantly surprise you with inspiration and new creative direction to explore. Now, this of course is not going to wipe away negative emotions, events, or even negative people from your life. Creativity will not build that land of unicorns and candy, but it can give you a place to To ground yourself and make you stronger when you need to face the stormy winds of hard things that life can rain down on us.
Sound interesting? Yeah? If you're intrigued, what are the next steps to make daily practice a reality? In order to have a daily practice, you of course, must have some thing that you will practice [00:11:00] creatively. So doing something creative every day. Well, that seems simple, right? But it's only simple if you know what you want to create.
So, my friend, if you're thinking, I don't know what to create, Beth. Well, let's back up just a second. Remember way back in episode one, we talked about creative passion, and we looked at how to determine if you're not certain what your creative passion or passions might be. So after listening to this episode, maybe take a moment to go back to episode one and listen to it again, or maybe for the first time, and it will Help you feel more confident about figuring out what you might want to practice daily.
And remember the examples I gave you from my family? Some of the things we do as a family in our creativity, some of them are artsy, but many, like baking or building bikes, are not considered artsy, right?
So back [00:12:00] from episode one, if you followed that, go find your list of creative passions that you made. Remember those? And then also remember that you can have, and , practice more than one passion. During my week, I'm practicing my art, but I'm also writing for the podcast I'm teaching, and that's a creative passion and a practice.
And I'm also singing. So, I have two rehearsals each week that require some daily practice. Also remember that we talked. about giving yourself permission to do this thing you love. And as adults, we often feel guilty about doing something just for pure enjoyment. So give yourself permission to do this regularly.
And to make it actually become a habit, get whatever you plan to practice in your schedule, even put it into your calendar, set an alert, whatever you [00:13:00] need to get yourself creating daily. And then you only have to be prepared to enjoy and find joy in your enjoyment in the process of practicing. Now here's a list of things to be mindful of when you're setting up and then enjoying the process of your creative practice.
First, think practice makes positivity. Instead of thinking, practice makes perfect. Remember we discussed quantity over quality. Do a lot of your practice. The more you practice, the more you enjoy the process of doing creativity.
And then every now and again, while you create quantity, you'll create something amazing. But during your daily practice, this should not ever, ever, ever be your goal. Your goal is just making time for your practice. Your goal is enjoyment. Your goal is [00:14:00] joy in your process. So instead of mountains of time to create what you hope will be one masterpiece, and this can often cause stress and overwhelm, spend mountains of time making mountains of whatever it is you're creating, and then be delighted and amazed when you discover a masterpiece in amongst your joyful stacks and stacks.
of happy practice.
Number two, embrace imperfection. Remember the goal is not perfection. It's doing the process and having fun doing it. Daily practice allows us to let go of the pressure to be flawless. It's about enjoying the journey and relishing the imperfections that make our creations uniquely ours. And when we let go of the overwhelm of what is perceived by others to be perfect, it might be the way for you to [00:15:00] discover your unique art.
It might be the way for you to discover your style of unique art. It will help you discover how to define your authentic message that your creative voice wants to share. Now, number three. Joy in the process. Remember the process is the prize. Find joy in the act of creating, whether it's sketching or writing a paragraph or humming a melody,
the act of the joy is a beacon guiding you through the maze of your creative exploration. So don't be worried about direction during your daily practice. No, be like a dandelion seed and just float wherever the creative wind drifts your thoughts and then be amazed at what your wandering creative mind might discover.
Go ahead. [00:16:00] I dare you.
Now, let's pause a moment for a word from our sponsor. And hey, that would still be me. Are you looking for something new to learn? Something to experiment your creativity with? Let me tell you about all the fun the Create Today team is planning during January.
First, you're invited to come to my famous free Procreate workshops. Now, my workshops will introduce you to drawing and painting with Procreate on your iPad. This year, we're going to be creating some delicious donuts. It's a great way to enjoy a snack without any calories. There's a workshop date and time perfect for you.
So come and create with me. It's fun. It's easy and it's free. And then my friend, are you ready to deepen your skills as an artist? Join me personally for an in depth exploration of digital art [00:17:00] with my winter class of my online course, learn the art of procreate. Now, this course will teach you everything you need to know to create your unique art on your iPad, and you can do this.
You're going to learn at your own pace, and I will be there to cheer you on. You'll also discover how to get your art onto products, to decorate your house, to give us gifts, or to make some money. Ready to discover more about your creativity? Go to www.bdicreate.today and get on my email list.
Just go to www dot bdi create dot TDAY.
Welcome back. Now let's talk about setting up a creative daily practice. As we've discussed, success is not what you [00:18:00] create. No, success is the creation of a process that becomes a habit, a ritual, part of a routine, success will not be a masterpiece.
Success will be you creating this habit that becomes, as we discussed in our last episode. A positive rot that is your brain mapping out a new neural pathway that helps you feel more content and positive and happier each day. Now here's a list that can help you figure out how and when you should pursue a daily practice.
Morning rituals. Kickstart your day with a burst of creativity, whether it's a quick sketch or jotting down ideas in a journal or a few lines of poetry, make it a ritual and maybe couple it with something you already enjoy doing, like having your first cup of tea or coffee. [00:19:00] Maybe your morning routine right now includes time for scrolling on your phone or checking email or social media.
Exchange these doom scrolling tasks that do not help your positivity, exchange these things with a burst of creativity, and you'll be amazed how quickly your brain will adapt and look forward to this playful morning time.
And here is a second option, bite sized sessions. Consider breaking down your creative practice into manageable chunks, 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. But consistency, my friend, is key. Remember we talked about micro moments. This is great for the creative who does not have days with a predictable schedule.
Prepare yourself and look for moments when you can micro create. Again, instead of reaching for your phone, Reach for your [00:20:00] sketchpad or maybe your iPad and Apple pencil in Procreate, right? Or maybe it's your journal or maybe you're going to practice singing or whatever your passion might be. You just need to plan ahead and be prepared for these micro moments and really focus when the moment strikes.
These can be terrifically inspiring and enjoyable moments. Number three, Consider a dedicated space. Create, well, a sacred space for your practice. Remember, this was a saving grace for Tom's creativity. A garage, a workroom, a garden. Yours could be similar to Tom, or it could be a cozy corner, a desk, or even a mobile setup for those on the go.
Again, it's all about being prepared. When it's time to create, don't waste your moments looking for a space or finding your supplies. Be ready with your space. your supplies.
If you need to be mobile, have a tote [00:21:00] or a backpack at the ready so you can just grab and go to wherever your day is calling, knowing that you are all ready for those micro moments when they pop up.
And number four, accountability. Share your creative goals with a friend or a family member. Having someone to cheer you on makes the journey more enjoyable and it makes you accountable.
This is a great way to assure that you'll find time to create. I would love to see what you're creating. Feel free to share with me, tag me on Instagram or hashtag BDI create today and Share some of your creations with me. Remember, I do not care how perfect they are. Just capture a moment of your practice and share with a friend, your family, or me, and just let the folks you share with know that you are not practicing for Carnegie hall.
You are building positive [00:22:00] neural pathways in your brain. These people that you share with are going to be amazed. at what your focus is, and they will probably join you. Number five, I want you to realize and feel and revel in the creativity and do this on purpose. What the heck am I talking about here, right?
So we've talked about enjoyment as being part of this daily practice. And so, you'll help your brain boost your mood if you stop and enjoy the fact that you're enjoying a moment. It's all about that awareness. Does that make sense? Well, if not, here's an experiment I want you to try so you can be aware of what I want you to be aware of.
The next time something makes you happy. Like someone compliments you on what you're wearing, [00:23:00] someone gives you a gift you weren't expecting, or your partner or spouse does a chore for you like empty the dishwasher or empty trash or something like that. Anything that makes you happy. I want you to stop for a quick moment.
And just think about how that happiness actually makes you feel. Where are you feeling joy? Really focus on how your senses are reacting to this moment of joy. Is it a fullness in your chest? Do you feel lighter, brighter? Where and how do you register happiness? It's different for everyone. This is what you want to start thinking about when you're enjoying your creative process.
Now, I want you to realize that you are not going to be completely blissed out and at the peak of joy every day when you create, but take a reading on your contentment and think about how stress from your day might be lessened or gone and [00:24:00] let yourself smile over whatever you've just created. Let yourself be happy and then enjoy the fact that you are happy.
Now my friend, can you see that it is important to take time? For a daily creative practice that it's important for you to find the time, make the time, know what you're going to practice, have the space and your supplies at the ready, and then make it a habit, a routine, a ritual.
in your daily life. Yes, it's important for your heart, mind, body, and soul. Thank you so much for being with me today. I hope you find your unique creative practice, and I hope you practice, practice, practice. [00:25:00] Remember, it's not about a perfect performance. Or a flawless masterpiece. It's about the interpretation of the dance, the exploration of inspiration and the joy you find along the way.
Each time you give yourself time to create today.
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So go to www. bdi create. [00:26:00] today forward slash kickstart to get my free Procreate kickstart video.
