Create: Day 23
March 23, 2011 
3 Comments
Day 23
Creativity comes from a mind that’s free.
Statue of Freedom. Photo, U.S. Government.
You can’t very well invent the next internet if your brain’s all fuddled up with worries like…hmmm, when was the last time I had my teeth cleaned, anyhow?
So, just as you’ll read in our Nest posting today (take a look), we’re going to add Free-Your-Mind Fridays to your schedule. From now on, every Friday, dump some gray matter onto paper. Then review your brain-drain from the previous week.
1. Preferably continually, but certainly once a week, empty everything from your brain onto paper: to do’s, worries, new routines, ideas for art work.
2. Once a week, do a “weekly review” in which you sort all those emptied ideas into tasks, to-dos, whatevers, and decide whether to schedule, file, or toss. We will go into greater detail in Days 32-90 of habithacking.
If you don’t believe me that this can improve your creativity (and why should you, really?), read an expert on the subject here. Written by Scott Belsky,author of Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming The Obstacles Between Vision & Reality the article outlines specific steps to give your creativity a boost.
A few useful thoughts from the article:
“Every project in life can ultimately be reduced to just three primary elements:
Action Steps are succinct tasks that start with verbs. They should be kept separate from your notes and sketches.
Backburner Items are ideas that come up during a brainstorm or on the run that are not actionable but may someday be. Backburner Items should be collected in a central location and should be revisit periodically through some sort of ritual…
References – the articles, notes, and other stuff that collects around you. “
Create Month 1
What to do so far:
In case you missed a day, the reminders below are clickable.
Have fun.
Be violent and original in your creative life.
Make collages (dream boards, vision boards).
Leave perfectionism behind.
Take risks by throwing out tons of ideas.
Set aside time every Sunday to work on art.
Moodle (going on an “artist date”) once a month on Saturdays (to start).
Make more time for creativity by ditching something else.
Schedule moodling (artist date) for next month.
Try setting a timer for 11 minutes for a fast, creative break.
Decide what you’d need in order to finish one of your shelved projects.
Join with other artists.
Practice for expertise, play for yourself.
On the Ides, I’d rather be ______.
Be green and glean.
Live your passions in your work.
Protect your artist space.
Customize creative habithacking.
Good enough is plenty good.
Abandon your projects or commit to them.
Use your environment to best advantage.
Free your mind on Fridays.
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[...] is plenty good. Abandon your projects or commit to them. Use your environment to best advantage. Free your mind on Fridays. In the war of art…half the battle is getting a start. Share Create: Days 1-31 [...]
[...] Free your mind Fridays. Empty brain into BOP. Laundry: Do the dirty. Friday frillies and woolies [...]
[...] file, or toss them. We will go into greater detail in Days 32-90 of habithacking. If you wish, read today’s Create post for a great article [...]