Developing the “Journey Mindset”
One of the daily affirmations I posted this week was:
I understand clearly my idea of success, and work diligently to achieve it.
What does success as a writer mean to you? Is it being published? In what way (traditional, self-pubbed)? Winning awards? Sticking to your own vision and writing what your heart tells you to, no matter if anyone else reads it? If you don’t have a clear vision of your success and what it means to you, then your motivation will flag as you encounter challenges on the way. How can you get there, if you don’t know where “there” is?
Eight Unconventional Books on Writing and Creativity
In addition to craft books, I regularly read books that are more geared toward mindset.
Having the right mindset is important for creatives. We face isolation, rejection, disinterest, market forces, negative reviews, and so many things we have no control over. Every day on social media, I read a post from a writer who is ready to throw in the towel.
Dreamwalking Your Writing
Do you remember your dreams? Do you use them as jumping-off points for your writing?
When I ask this question, I get a variety of responses:
How to Think (and Write) Like Leonardo da Vinci, Part VI: Corporalità
Corporalità means, of course, “corporeality.” But what does that have to do with writing? We are, for better or worse, corporeal beings. That is a given.
In writing, it has two meanings:
Taking care of yourself
Embodying character
How to Think (and Write) Like Leonardo da Vinci, Part V: Arte/Scienza
Writing is a delicate balance of “Art and Science.” Or rather, imagination and analytical thinking. The trick is to find the right balance, and to know when to apply the art, and when to apply the science. It requires using our whole brain - in the right way, at the right time.
How to Think (and Write) Like Leonardo da Vinci, Part IV: Sfumato
What the heck is sfumato, you may ask? It can be variously translated as “smoked,” or “going up in smoke,” or “fading away.”
So what does it have to do with writing?
How to Think (and Write) Like Leonardo da Vinci, Part III: Sensazione
Try this:
Where are you right now?
What do you see around you?
What can you hear?
What can you smell?
Is there any sense of taste in your mouth?
What do you feel in your body? (the seat below you, the floor, the air wafting by…)
How to Think (and Write) Like Leonardo da Vinci, Part II: Dimostrazione
“Dimostrazione: A commitment to test knowledge through experience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.”
This is the definition of Dimostrazione, the next da Vinci principle. It can be translated as “demonstration,” “proof,” or “evidence.”
At first glance, you may wonder how this applies to writers. To which I would say:
How to Think (and Write) Like Leonardo da Vinci, Part I: Curiosità
Like many people, I’ve long been fascinated by Leonardo da Vinci. His insatiable curiosity, passion, creativity, experimentation, and the incredible art he’s left us all speak to his genius in a wide array of endeavors. If you haven’t read Walter Isaacson’s brilliant biography, Leonardo da Vinci, I highly recommend it.
Michael J. Gelb’s How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, is a mini-biography and workbook, outlining seven steps he sees as the key to da Vinci’s creativity:
Creating in Difficult Times
The U.S. election is over, and now we have to process all the attendant feelings. I almost didn’t post today, because of an election-season hangover, and feeling like I’m just whispering into the wind. But I committed to at least a monthly post, and I found I did have something to say.
Burned Out? The 4 Burners Theory of Energy
Sometimes I think my favorite hobby is juggling. Not balls or whatever, but Things To Do. I’m always trying to figure out a balance between all the things I need to do, want to do, and should do.
I think it’s fair to say many people these days are doing the same juggling act. How to have enough time and energy to do it all? We’re like hamsters on a wheel, desperately increasing our speed but never seeming to get “there” - to that place where we can, in fact, balance it all gracefully.
25 Artist Date Ideas for the End of Summer
I’ve recently decided to try to do one Artist Date a week for a year. I tend to do Artist Dates in an ad hoc manner, whenever I think of them – which means weeks might pass between them. Or even months. But whenever I’m feeling creatively depleted, I remember that Artist Dates are a terrific way to get back in touch with my creativity and fill my creative well.
Stay on the Bus: Patience in the Creative Process
I’ve been reading (and loving) Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. A lot of what he talks about could be applied to the creative life, beginning with the fact that we do, in fact, have about 4,000 weeks total to live our lives. When you put it that way, it doesn’t seem like very many, does it? So the crucial thing is to do what’s most meaningtful to you now. Don’t wait for some mythical time in the future when you will “have enough time” or have your life completely sorted, or know exactly what you want to do.
Artist Date Ideas for Summer: Exercises and Adventures
Summer is a great time to get in some Artist Dates and do something different. If your Artist Dates, like mine, have veered more toward watching a movie on Netflix than anything really interesting, now’s the time to grab some new ideas.