Learn to Dance with your Muse

There are those creative people, you know who I mean, the ones that have endless ideas, the ones that have a muse that seems to never  sleep, the ones that are always producing more good work. What do they have that you don’t. I’d be willing to bet they have an understanding of their creative process and you don’t.

You either have no clue what a creative process is, let alone your creative process, or you’re making a poor attempt at copying the process of one of “those” overly productive creative types. Let’s talk about how I learned to rock to my own creative rhythm and how you can find your own tune.

While teaching, my creativity was often fueled by questions from my students, and seemed to be willing to squeeze into whatever sliver of time it could get. In fact it appeared to thrive on those slivers.

Than summer appeared. And with summer comes a new rhythm, one that my muse doesn’t seem to know how to groove to. There are no longer slivers, but large chunks.

Sometimes the creative process seems to get lost in the wide open space. I’m betting that you can relate.

Several years ago while working on my masters in Creativity Studies, I journaled and took close notes on when, where, and how the creative ideas made their way from the muse to me. ( If you’ve never done this, I highly recommend that you take a month and carefully note when the ideas are dancing a jig, and when they can’t find the beat)

I decided to once again pay attention to what makes my muse get out her dancing shoes in these chunks of space and time.

I like to get up early, but wake up slowly. (meaning, I like about an hour to eat breakfast and drink coffee). Then I make my way to the studio and create for several hours. However, as the temp rises (we don’t have AC in our house) my muse goes to sleep. Instead of fighting it, I have two options: 1. give into it and take a siesta or 2. leave the house/seek a place with air conditioning and work on other elements of my biz.

Both seem to be working much better than the previous plan of pushing through the sleepy muse.

As it cools down I head back into the studio.

It’s important to understand your creative process, don’t fight it, fall into it, dance with it. Don’t attempt to adopt the process of others, that’s their rhythm, you will settle gracefully into your own, but find yourself constantly getting your toes stepped on following someone else’s.

Find your creative process:

1. Be aware, when do you find that you naturally create? Go with that.

2. Find ways to be productive in other areas during the times that your muse likes to take a break.

3. Reminder that those that seem to be rockin are, because they’ve learned their rhythm

4. Be aware that your rhythm may change as your life changes, pay attention and adjust

5. Show up, even if you have no ideas, go sit in your space every day, during that time that you normally rock out with your muse.