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Why is a Dangerous Word
By: Jon Kuhn
Tags: Marketing, Why, Creative Process, Writers Block

What is even the point? Why am I doing this? Why are we here? Why…?

Finding your bliss, living your dream, living your best life, hashtag blessed… The internet is full of this malarkey. I spend a lot of time scrolling through social media. I think most people are aware that they are only seeing highlight reels of others lives. If you are anything like me, being aware of this does not necessarily prevent the impending doom that one faces when you spend too much time in a comparison loop.

This is where I am at. I have started making money as a freelancer. I have worked very hard to get to this point. It is the most amazing thing ever while simultaneously being terrifying. I currently do not know where I will be making money next. This is not uncommon territory. I have had many times throughout this year where I started thinking, “I may never get another client again.” By contrast this is better than a few years ago when I though, “I will never get a single client.” When I am in these periods I have found it important to construct a plan for myself. I must schedule my life and prioritize my time the same way a manager or boss would do for me at a normal job.

Continued education is something that gets put onto the schedule often. I spend time trying to improve my camera skills, writing, editing, etc… I also spend a great deal of time studying marketing. I am fascinated by it. I also hate it.

There is a lot of talk about, “the why”, in the marketing world. I see a lot of marketing companies that take on new clients and they help the client define their why. I am going to be frank. I think this is bullshit. Your why is such a personal thing that you do not need a team of people to help you define it.

Yes, story telling is important. Inspiring your potential clients and retaining your existing clients is important. You can certainly do this by having a compelling story of why you started your business. However, “your why”, is personal and if you keep asking why you can get really far out into metaphysical land. Asking myself why does not help me get out of a rut.

What does help me is asking, who, what, when, and where.

Who can I serve, what can I do for them, when can I do it, and where do I do it? If I can not come up with an idea for a YouTube video or a morning ramble. I do not ask myself why am I doing it. I ask myself, who can I write this for? What can I say for them? When do I do it? Where can I go to do it?

Why are we doing anything? Life is super weird and abstract. It does not make a lot of sense if you think about it too hard. We are evolved naked apes, playing human, on a ball made of rock, rotating around a spherical ball of flame. If you are on your way to the office and you keep asking yourself why, you may just end up quitting and joining a monastery. For good reason too. Stop asking why. That is selfish. Start asking yourself who you can help and life will start getting a little brighter.
Want to Be More Creative (and Successful)? Science Says Embrace the Paradox Mindset.
Tags: Failure, Creative Process, Articles, Success, Creativity

The Paradox Mindset in Action

Sounds great in theory, right?

But also in practice. I know plenty of successful startup founders who early on had huge ambitions and no money; today they’re glad they didn’t have the money to throw at problems or challenges.

Even after they could have. Like MailChimp, a company that began as a side hustle on the way to earning over $500 million in revenue and becoming Inc.’s 2017 Company of the Year — without taking a dime of outside investor funds.

Or take companies that relentlessly pursue continuous improvement. While they embrace rigorous processes and best practices — why seek to improve if you don’t plan to codify those improvements — they also constantly change those same processes and practices.

Walk through a Toyota automobile plant and it’s instantly obvious you can say, “This is the best way to do it” while still seeking an even better “best.”

Or take Apple, a company long praised for innovation, but also praised for “intense operational efficiency.”

Yep: For people with a paradox mindset, contradictory terms like “extremely efficient” and “highly innovative” not only make sense — the combination is motivating and even a little exciting.

One more example: Kind Snacks. Making chewy and crunchy granola bars seemed like a contradictory goal, one the company solved by using better (and more expensive) packaging to seal in the desired texture. As founder Daniel Lubetzky likes to say, why settle for “or”? Instead of compromising, challenge yourself — and your team — to find a way to come up “and” solutions.

Luxurious and affordable. Rigorous and flexible. Business objectives and social objectives.

Embrace a paradox mindset — embrace opposing demands, opposing perspectives, and seeming contradictions — could result in looking at old problems in entirely new ways.

And finding solutions you never would have considered.

By Jeff Haden via inc. magazine

Jeff Haden is a keynote speaker, ghostwriter, LinkedIn Influencer, contributing editor to Inc., and the author of The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win.

@jeff_haden
YOU ARE A CREATIVE GENIUS (EVEN IF YOU DON’T KNOW IT YET)
By: Wendy Russell
Tags: Inspiration, Creative Process, Mental Health, Creativity, Fun

Let me share a bold statement with you: we’re all born geniuses…..and more specifically, creative geniuses. But unfortunately, so many people misunderstand the word creativity. I can’t tell you how many people say to me “Oh I’m not creative” or “I don’t have a single creative bone in my body.” But they’re comparing themselves to that elusive ‘creative genius’ archetype. Understanding that creativity helps us in every area of our lives will only improve our mental health, it makes us happier and more successful.

Here’s the thing — I’m not suggesting that everyone run out and buy a paint brush and a canvas. I don’t see everyone on the planet trying to become the next Picasso. What I do want the world to know is that there will always and forever be an eight year old in there somewhere that’s itching to get out and have some fun every now and then.

The question is: what activity (or activities) makes you ridiculously happy when you do it?

SOME #CREATIVEGENIUS EXAMPLES TO INSPIRE YOU

cook something you’ve never tried before or share your fave kitchen hack

build a robot

share your baking skills

make something ie: an idea for an app, an original piece of art, a sketch

learn a new dance move

compose a piece of music

write lyrics to a song

share a trick you’re awesome at ie: on a bike, skateboard, juggling, magic, sports-related

try a new instrument or show off your skills with an instrument you already know how to play

teach a gaming technique

sing a song

share a makeup technique or try a new makeup technique based on an #influencer YouTube video and see if you can duplicate it

frame your fave piece of art in a unique way

Obviously, this list goes on and on and on…use your creative genius to discover yours!

Wishing you stellar mental health + great creative inspiration, Wendy xo
The steep walk of creativity
By: James Felip Ruiz
Tags: Creativity, Creative Process, Makeup

I have always loved the touch of color people place in the normal and cycle heavy life. Adding a bit of spice like watching your favorite movie or hanging out with your friends. These are some of the spices someone can add to a bland recipe. Why am I saying this? You see this is also creativity

Creativity isn’t a linear walk in the park. It is also not a bland cycle. It is a colorful and labor-intensive activity someone can undergo. It takes up your brain juices, your physical work, and your mental will to continue with the project.

Let me share how I create my makeup looks and my photos.

When it comes to my makeup and clothing looks. I tend to not plan them. I love the excitement I get when I notice that the look I did was absolutely the bomb. I like to mimic how I would usually go my day. Just pick out an outfit I have in my closet and just pick at random. For makeup, I would just go for my usual. This is a singular eyeshadow on my eyes and some lip tint to look fresh.
Yes, yes and yes. Thanks for this reminder!
By: Sofia Rurua
Tags: Commitment, Productivity, Creative Process, Confrontation, Ideas

Yes, yes and yes. Thanks for this reminder!

I’ve follow the opposite advice many times: "Tell people about your goals in order to enhance your commitment." What did I get? Doubts.

Frequently I’ve found (1) a discouraging answer or (2) a manipulation of my ideas.

About the first result... yes, I’m working on not being so dependant on others thoughts. About the second, if I tell people about my goals without having them well traced and worked, it is easy for me to get lost in a path that seemed clear.

So, it’s not bad advice to work on your ideas in a private space until you can speak about them having the main pieces connected and a coherent vision.
part-time versus on-call. Part time is about portions.
By: William Liao
Tags: Creativity, Creative Process, Growth, Business

Part-time is exactly how it sounds: it means working on a problem with some of your time (and energy). But it never has the full balance of your attention.

Part-time is a synonym for “it matters, but not enough to get to right away right away.”

On-call is about putting yourself on the hook for doing the work when it’s needed.

On-call is a commitment without condition or fine print. An on-call surgeon doesn’t maybe show up to do the important work of saving a life, they already decided that saving a life is worth showing up for every time.

When a faucet squeaks or a refrigerator bulb becomes dim, it probably doesn’t make sense to drop everything to solve them. You can be part-time for them because it can wait.

The kind of thing worthy of now (not later) and on-call (not part-time) are the chances to help people through valuable (additive) and impactful work.

The power to build a remarkable high-speed connection between the occasion and the rising rely on people like you who choose to be on-call when you see these chances to be uniquely of service (because not everyone sees them).
The Fortuna Gold Sunset: Trending in the Age of Covid
Tags: Marketing, Advertising, Creative Process, Strategy, Trends

One acknowledges, as any parent can attest, lockdown has been challenging. But disruption does not equal difficult. In my work, disruption equals hope. We are in a recalibration period, and with that comes a period of experimentation, trying something new; be it a smaller Christmas, which may be hard, or a TikTok dance with the children, which may be fun. We are in a period of testing what works for us.

When trends are forecasted, it is based on the insights of what culture calls for, technology is growing towards, and what simple ideas will evolve it. Trends provide understanding, excitement, anticipation.

When we look to 2021, on my trends forecast I see navigation. Some trends I’m calling out for in 2021 include sobriety, sex bubbles, and cults-all tools people can use to navigate continued uncertainty. We are in a time when the list of what we are promised has dwindled, but what is ahead rests infinite in possibilities.

Space tourism is a long standing trend buoying from science to culture. It recently edged closer to reality, as SpaceX launched Dragon to orbit for the Crew-1 Mission. Four astronauts docked into the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month stay. It’s familiar to some of our grandparents that while the world can feel so volatile, isolating and confined, we watch people fly past the stars. It’s a reminder that dreams are still to be made.

During the stay-at-home orders, and now regularly, I’ve been watching YouTube live streams of the ISS orbiting Earth. Occasionally an astronaut spacewalks by to change a battery or fix a light. There is a peace in watching a planet that can feel in chaos simply shine from the sun and hide in the shadow of the moon. Tomorrow we’ll rotate the sun again; we’ll wake, make tea, and watch the sky turn “Set Sail Champagne” trending towards 2021. Forecast: Fortuna Gold.
Are you a scrubber or a soaker?
By: B. Morey Stockwell
Tags: Creativity, Kick Start Thursdays, Creative Process

Kick Start Thursdays, December 10, 2020

Are you a soaker or a scrubber?

You know what I mean, right?

That nasty pot that stayed on the burner too long. The heat too high. The stew was all right. Just a tiny tinge or burnt essence. Call it ‘blackened’ and people will pay extra for it.

But your family won’t. They ate it though. They’re pretty forgiving.

The family prefers simple, plain food.

And NOW you’ve got to clean that pot OR throw it out. But it’s part of a set. And there’s really nothing wrong with.. except a quarter inch of stubborn, brown crust fused to the bottom and up the sides.

You set the pot in the sink and you take out the blue sponge with the scrubber attached to it. You pour out some liquid dish-washing soap (may I recommend Dawn? It’s good for ducks, too.) and you scrub.

Photo by Taylor Wilcox on Unsplash

The mess is tough.

It resists.

The brown crust sticks and holds almost miraculously to the smooth metal bottom.

What kind of chemical bond did you create with tonight’s meal?

You grab a spoon. Then a knife. You whack and hack.

Nothing. The burnt mass mocks you.

But you persist.

Gotta get the dinner dishes washed and put away before you sit down to watch the evening shows. (Does anyone do that anymore? We are no longer dictated by the networks. We can program our own evening — whenever we want. But that’s a topic for another day.)

Pour out the sullied water and start again.

More soap.

More water.

More elbow grease.

That’s all it takes, right?

Wrong.

Sometimes, you need to wait.

Sometimes, you need to let things soak.

Fill the pot with hot water and maybe some soap and put it aside. Let the water do the work for you.

Patience.

The same is true for many creative endeavors.

Yes, we need to work and work hard.

But sometimes, we also need to take a step back and let the ideas soak. Simmer. And then, the caked on crust of tonight’s overcooked stew will lift gently away revealing the smooth, strong surface underneath.

Photo by Melissa Walker Horn on Unsplash

While the thing soaks, go do something else. Take a bubble bath. Read a chapter in that book you got for your birthday last year from your best friend. Make a cup of tea.

Breathe. In. Out. Slow down.

Relax.

When scrubbing fails, be a soaker.
Creative Writing — Prompt: Closed Doors: What’s behind the door? Why is it closed?
By: Rebecca N Warren
Tags: Creative Process, Freelancing, Creative Writing, Writing Prompts

A​bruptly turning the corner, I come to a screeching halt. There is a green wooden plank door, and it’s surrounded on both sides by shiny ivy.



Curiosity grips me. What is behind this door? Why is it here? I’ve walked this route every other day for five months… how have I just noticed this knotted wooden surface today? Slowly, I approach the left side of the frame, searching for a hinge. Somehow, I half expect to see a gold-plated hinge, one resembling those in my childhood home. When I do not see one at first glance, I allow my fingers to roam. Is there a bracket beneath this green natural covering?



When I fail to locate anything of the sort, I opt to explore the righthand portion of this suddenly-present door. Strangely, there is nothing. Nothing discernible, at least. Tugging slowly at first, I attempt to find a way to open this door. Now, I am not only intrigued, I’m also more perplexed. What on Earth is this? What’s behind this creaky, stubborn wooden barrier?



Am I somehow asleep? Did I not actually go for a jog this morning? Raking my hands across my slightly sweaty face, I acknowledge that I am now thouroughly freaked out. I whip my head around in both directions, hoping to see passers-by when I do so. Instead, I don’t see a single figure, or the adjacent sidewalk; neither do I see any vehicles — not one SUV, truck, or even a bicycle. Very strange.



What is going on here? How is it that a weathered knot-mottled door has seemingly just appeared out of thin air? The ivy looks to have been forming around this space for months, is not years… but how?



Why is this door here? How did it get here? What is it covering? Why can’t it be pried open? And, on top of all of those unknowns, how did I land here? Am I hallucinating? Dreaming? Am I in the midst of a nightmare? I may never know…
Practical applications of principles 1–29 of Creativity in The Workplace.
By: Macy Haahr
Tags: Creativity At Work, Projects, Creative Process, Creativity, Business

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
You’re a map maker. When you start mapping, you have a…
By: William Liao
Tags: Creative Writing, Creativity, Creative Process, Growth

In cartography (making maps), you start with a blank slate. This space is sacred, it’s a rare and open invitation that begs the question “where can I go? (What’s possible?)”.

The map isn’t just for us, it can also show the way for other people. If we’re brave, we’ll share the work with others.

Eventually some form of validation or feedback will come in. This can be helpful and harmful. You learn about who is being served through the work. The response can also discourage let’s-try-this-way and instead instruct us: “tell me more about what’s here”. Our focus begins to constrict around input instead of possible outputs.

Here’s how to get unstuck: recognize that the work/response up to this point has helped you chart exactly 1 way of creating things, of being of service.

That’s great, but if you stop there then this is the only way you (and the rest) will ever know.

The rest of the map is uncharted territory. It represents a near-infinite # of other ways that can only be known and shared if you have the courage to explore and know them.

The confident mobility and aptitude for discovery required for creation begins with having the courage to see other ways and declare “let’s try this, it might help”.
I’ve been feeling stuck at the precipice
By: Fuzzy Doug
Tags: Artist Opinion, Art, Creative Process, Creativity, Process

I’ve been feeling stuck at the precipice

Or in the precipice

You know when you can feel you’re in between two things, but you can’t really stay there and you have to make the decision to jump or back away because there’s always a pursuing bear and bears desire you and desire to overtake you.

Must I always be creating? Is that it? Though even in my creation now it never feels like enough, feels complete, or in full comfort. I feel better, I feel like I’ve partially moved a foot and it feels better than total stagnation but it still hurts.

Is it because I’m in “the process”? Is it because I began? Beginnings are hard because once you begin you can only end in success or failure. You can’t un-begin. That’s failing.

My projects aren’t done, and I think the process has become painful for me. I want that end so badly it hurts every time I don’t have it. Why do I crave the end? Is it proving I am worthy? Worthy of completion? Worthy of hard work? An obsession with worth, that’s what we are taught. I am not of worth if I don’t finish.

And I am everything I’m taught. It’s scary when you can’t tell the difference between yourself and the outside. I am everything external. Sometimes I don’t know what really separates me other than the idea I’m separate. Losing our identity is one of scariest things of all, but why? Is consciousness, experience, being, life, death all just too much, too chaotic, too non sensical to deal with on its own? Is that how we evolved? Because we categorized? Identified?

I have began and now I can only end. But I need to reframe why I want that ending. I should want that ending for me right? If I’m being honest, I’m not always sure I do. Expression can be a confusing beast. It pulls me but I don’t know what or who for. All I know is that it pulls me and barks at me and it won’t let me watch TV.
Cómo lograr un pensamiento creativo en 8 pasos
By: Gustavo Martin
Tags: Español, Creative, Creatividad, Creative Process, Motivation

Si el artículo te gustó, por favor, regálame un 👏 y compártelo en tus redes sociales ¡Muchas gracias!

Gustavo Martin

Hey, I’m Guss. Public speaker about creative thinking. Creative Consultant. Workshops, courses and conferences. Fan of branding & innovation.

Director of Plums: boutique brand design agency. The priority is to sow; innovation is a consequence. Our motto is: to sow the seed and it will grow.

You can visit my website www.gussmartin.com
Open Up The Room Where It Happens
By: Do Better
Tags: Systemic Change, Culture, Creative Process, Advertising, Growth

Who are we putting in the room where it happens? Is it the Group Creative Director who’s not particularly close to the campaign but whose title holds sway? Is it the Senior Vice President who had drinks with the client last Saturday night or who (more likely given the times) has a private text thread with the brand’s CEO?
What do highly Creative People DO Differently
Tags: Creative, Habit Building, Creative Process, Habits, Creativity

And these are some of the habits highly creative people have in common:

They keep an idea book: they say that the average human being gets millions of ideas on a daily basis, they jump from one person to another humming will you make me yours or should I just be on my way, creative people know that it won’t ever return to them they capture it, embrace it, whether it was the silliest idea they ever got or the most brilliant one, they simply jot it down.

and Twyla Tharp the writer of the creative habit calls this notebook the box, this box is your safe you know where to find it if you ever need it, As long as you have your ideas captured on paper, your creativity would never waver.

Study creativity and know what stimulates it: they know what sparks and stimulates that mind of theirs they know their muse and when it comes to them, so figure out what stimulates you it may be some particular tv-shows or the simple act of laying down, if you are not sure about it, study it, read books about creativity, watch ted talks, read blogs and know as much as you can.

Push yourself out of your comfort zone: seek out new experiences, go to places you have never been before, discover, ask, and know what makes the little differences in this world, be curious enough to find a way that never existed before, keep exploring keep discovering and never stop and remember

“Creativity often comes when you take an idea from its original context and you move it somewhere else” — Tim harford

Have a silent day or as Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist’s Way calls it The artist’s date, schedule time from your calendar where you are completely alone, this solitude is the key to having a creative output, it gives you time for thinking and space to create you could go cloud watching or write a poem, sit somewhere without doing anything, Go for a walk, just find out what works for you and do it.

“Without great solitude no serious work is possible.” — Pablo Picasso

P.s if this article made you think differently give it a clap and if you want to see more check out my blog.
It does what I says on the box
By: Tim Bunting
Tags: YouTube, Narita, Creative Process, Creativity, Japan

I’ve made two videos recently which were time lapses, one an eight hour drive, and one I released today of about 15 minutes of a flight landing in Narita airport.

In a way I feel like I have cheated, as these were relatively easy to create. I just put the camera there, and then added some music that I felt fit the scene.

But I look at other similar videos on YouTube, and there is certainly a market for this kind of video. I’m going to keep filming scenes like this, also because I’ve found they also make good b-roll (you’ll see it in my next video).

On Tuesday, I’m going to try something even simpler in some respects. I’m going to go to a place I know looks amazing in any weather, and film it from various standpoints.

Because it’s not about me the creator. It’s about what I’m filming. And I think if it does what it says on the box, ie if the title and thumbnail match the content, then people know what they’re getting into when they click on the link. And if the topic is an interesting one, then I’m on to a winner.

Tim Bunting ( @kiwiyamabushi) is a self-professed Dewa Sanzan nerd from New Zealand who became an official Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi in 2017.

He is currently helping develop the Dewa Sanzan into a global retreat centre among other jobs. Check out yamabushido.jp or dewasanzan.com for more on this wonderful area of Japan, or email him using the form below.
Matching the emotional intent of a film-
By: Christopher Boardman
Tags: Film Music, Screenwriting, Filmmaking, Film, Creative Process

Part 2: Smoke and mirrors

Film is a collaborative medium which means the director is the team captain marshaling the forces of a small army of people he needs to tell his story. Music is but one tool in his arsenal. Even though music conveys feelings without visuals or dialogue, it is every bit as powerful. This can make directors apprehensive because they know an inappropriate score can send a film careening wildly out of control.

Making matters worse, directors traditionally have a limited knowledge of musical terminology which makes them insecure about communicating with a composer. Music and the final mix are a director’s last opportunity to affect the outcome of the film. Understanding this will help you, the aspiring composer, to prepare yourself to enter a highly charged emotional environment fraught with high stakes drama and turmoil.

So what does that have to do with smoke and mirrors?

via GIPHY

Illusionists are expert at misdirecting an audience’s attention. It is possible for music to create an emotional response that may not be readily visible to on screen. Thus, film composers are magicians who use music to focus the attention of the audience as well as emphasize what is seen on camera.

Music becomes an indispensable part of the “suspension of disbelief”.

Why music?

In any story there is an underlying theme that is not identified directly but is clearly perceived by the viewer. This is the “subtext” of the story. And, because it is an unseen element, music can highlight what is not seen on screen. An often overlooked consideration when presenting music to your director is how they feel about the movie, the scene, the music, and how their relationship with you will impact their creative choices.

In a perfect world composers would be judged based on the actual music they write. All too often that isn’t the case. You will be judged by the emotional response your music creates in the viewer (and your director).

So where do you focus your attention to navigate through these landmines?

Digging a little deeper than an overview of the story, the next step is to understand the characters in the story and what role they play in the story. The benefit of understanding each character is you will develop a language you can use to communicate with the director. Understanding characterization will give you great insight into what music will be appropriate and what will not.

We will get into more of that in future blogs.

Stay tuned.

Join us at “Crib Notes”
Acting On Your Desires
By: Charlotte Allison
Tags: Personal Growth, Writing Tips, Creative Process, Creativity, Writing

Thinking and doing are two different things.

Photo by Vincentiu Solomon on Unsplash

I finally make the commitment to write and publish articles.

Starting on November 1, 2020. I committed to writing and publishing one article a day. Before that I only published sporadically on Medium. Just here and there; whenever I got the inspiration to do so. Which wasn’t that often.

I finally realized I had to commit to writing and publishing if I was ever going to accomplish anything.

I chose to write and publish one post a day.

I figured it would be a good discipline for me. If you are committed to writing and publishing an article a day, you get better at coming up with ideas. When you know you need to publish because of the commitment you made to yourself, your idea machine gets stronger.

I still struggle with coming up with ideas for posts. But making a commitment to myself to write and publish everyday helps me to generate ideas a lot faster than when I was just writing sporadically.

Desire and Action.

I have come to realize that there is one misperception that stops writers and other artists from succeeding. This misperception is that they confuse desire and action. They might have the desire to be a writer or any other kind of artist. But that doesn’t mean they are doing it.

Desire is just that. Desire. Which is necessary to begin with. Because if you don’t have the desire for something, you won’t want to do it. However, the misperception occurs by thinking that desire alone is all it takes.

But desire will not do you any good unless it is paired with action.

This is what I realized about myself. I was mostly just in my head desiring to be successful on Medium, while only writing every now and then. I realized I was confusing desire and action. I need to take action to make my desire a reality.

Desire and action go hand and hand. Nothing will happen without taking action. Desire without action will just keep you stuck in your head, desiring what you want. Desire must be paired with action if you want to see results.
The desire to speak
By: Tim Bunting
Tags: The Creative Process, Speaking, Creative Process, Blogging, Creativity

Don’t you just feel it sometimes? The desire to have your say? The desire to get what you’ve got in your mind and put it out into the world? Well, I think we should do it more than we are. I’ve heard of people saying they want to do more writing or photography or videos, and to them I say, so do it!

I’m about to release another video, it’s uploading to YouTube right now about my experience quarantining in NZ and Japan. This was only an idea a few weeks back, and I procrastinated and procrastinated until yesterday I got the desire to just really get it out into the world. One day later, it’s on its way to the world of the internet.

You just have to find a way to get the work out. I kept telling myself ‘I need the proper lighting, I have to do it at this time of day’ or ‘I will never be as good as so-and-so, so why even try?’ That’s the sort of thinking that leads to inaction and procrastination.

Best to act on a desire to create as soon as you have it, but make sure you commit then and there to put it out into the world in some way or another. Someone will always be better than you in something, but you can always be better than the yesterday you, and if you keep up the effort, it’s almost guaranteed.

So, once you get the desire to speak, use it! Get your ideas out into the world. They just might help somebody!

Tim Bunting ( @kiwiyamabushi) is a self-professed Dewa Sanzan nerd from New Zealand who became an official Dewa Sanzan Yamabushi in 2017.

He is currently helping develop the Dewa Sanzan into a global retreat centre among other jobs. Check out yamabushido.jp or dewasanzan.com for more on this wonderful area of Japan, or email him using the form below.
Jen Sincero’s ‘Badass’ Origin Story Is a Lesson in Creative Intuition
By: Kelli María Korducki
Tags: Personal Developement, Authors, Inspiration, Creative Process, Ideas

Photo: Heather Gilderoy

In 2013, the author Jen Sincero scored a #1 New York Times bestseller with her irreverent advice manual, You Are a Badass. Since then, the phrase has quite literally become Sincero’s trademark. So, when Forge recently chatted with Sincero about her latest book, Badass Habits, there was one question we absolutely had to ask: What’s with the ‘badass’?

What we got was a lesson in following your creative intuition.

As Sincero put it:

It’s funny. I never, ever used the word ‘badass.’ I’d never be like, ‘Oh, you’re such a badass.’ That was so not in my vernacular at all. But I had a friend who had a website called ‘Hey, Little Badass.’ I thought it was so cute. It was so funny, ‘little badass.’ So, that’s sort of how it got in my mind. When I decided to write these books, many years later, I knew that the feel I wanted them to have was sort of rock and roll and edgy — to say: ‘you are’ something. I wanted to address the reader on a personal level. And by that time, my friend was no longer using ‘little badass.’ So, I started using [‘you are a badass’]. I used to be an advertising copywriter, and I love writing titles. Quippy short things. It’s something I’m pretty good at. But the title for You Are a Badass was such a beast. It as a breech birth all the way, a real wrestling match. Probably because ‘badass’ wasn’t really my word yet. I never really used it. So, I was like, ‘is that authentic?’ But it wouldn’t go away. So, I kept it. And thank God.

In short: If you run into an idea that you can’t seem to shake, let yourself see where it takes you. It just might change your life.
“There, I’ve got their attention. Now you go and win their hearts.”
By: Ed Macko
Tags: Journey, Partnerships, Creative Process, Marketing Strategies, Branding Strategy

Some years back, as I was working at home one evening on a new business pitch to a nationally known university, my then eight-year-old son came to me and asked to watch a movie with me. The DVD he was holding was a movie we had watched probably 50 times prior (not exaggerating). It would’ve been very easy for me to say, “No, I have work to do. Maybe tomorrow, OK, bud?” Or, I could have just put it on for him and got back to work.

But I did neither. Spending time with this little guy was something I never had to think twice about.

The movie was “A Knight’s Tale,” starring the late Heath Ledger. If you’ve never seen it, make some time to watch it. It’s awesome. And if you have a son, watch it with him. Just be prepared for multiple viewings. (Just be aware of a couple soft sexual situations, though.)

Even though I had watched the movie many times and thought I knew it by heart, this particular time I picked up on something I hadn’t heard before in all the times we’d watched it — and it just might be the greatest marketing “aha moment” for me ever. And really, it wasn’t even that original of a thought. The most impactful concepts are the ones that have been hiding right in front of our faces for who knows how long.
Productivity vs. Creativity (and the Unbalance)
By: Karen Ling
Tags: Wellbeing, Humanity, Motivational, Creative Process, Creativity

Productivity is how much you’re producing. It is measurable, and indeed it seems like the main metric that you’re measured by in any business relationship. Productivity has no value if it’s not measurable. Therefore it is inherently reliant on external tools or people that measure you (via numbers or testimonials).

Creativity is the act of creating. (No surprises there.)

According to Seth Godin, it is supposed to be generous, something that’s meant to contribute and improve something. I would go further to say that beautiful, generous creativity is inherently related to an innate drive. It comes from somewhere within.

According to Elizabeth Gilbert, it’s something related to the genius (this idea-spirit) that traverses from human to human. You get the beautiful moment where this genius talks to you, but then you must get to work every morning and devote time to work it out. Otherwise, the spirit will leave and find someone else to do the world (which is only fair). The act of creation is the payment and joy.

The outcome is not the reason we create. On this, both of these creative giants agree.

—

For most of my adult life, I’ve been living under the rule of productivity, and to be honest, I’ve always felt I fell short. Despite having been in a few roles which required me to ‘create’ or ‘make’ things, they were always judged by an external measuring stick.

This seems very reasonable.

(Fuck reasonable).

Since I’ve been laid off, my brain has slowed down — or should I say, I’ve slowed down. I’ve been re-examining my life and my mindset and my values. Things which sound so essential, but I think our productivity culture have really primed us to think is a luxury in reality. (What a ‘reality’ it is. I refuse it.)

One of the things I’ve come to realized is that the lack of creation, i.e. the practice of creativity is killing me faster than anything. It has thrown me out of whack. I have, as a human being, become unbalanced, cut off from the human need to create. (Trust me, ask the cave painters from 35,000 BCE)

Creativity is an innate human need. Look at this magnificent bison. It’ll outlive you and me.

So I’m writing this because it doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be written.

If you’re reading this, good luck to you. Make something.
Kickstart Thursdays
By: B. Morey Stockwell
Tags: Inspiration, Creative Process, Creativity, Creativity Tips, Motivation

My quick sketch for my Kickstart Thursday. (See below.)

Here’s a little motivation for your Thursday.

You’ve made it past hump day, and it’s not quite TGIF, so make the most of Kick Start Thursdays.

What do you want to accomplish this weekend?

What would help you to progress on your art?

Try this:

See your end goal. What are you working toward? What does the thing look like? How does it sound? Taste? Smell?

Creativity takes many forms, but without a clear picture of the end product, you won’t know when you’re approaching the end.

Sketch out that thing, that end goal. Yes, I’m talking about a real sketch. No one’s judging you. No one’s going to see this but you. Put down a couple lines that represent what you’re working toward.

Tape that sketch to your mirror, or your dashboard, or your laptop. Keep it handy and in sight.

Now, write a list of ten steps that will get you closer to that goal.

For me, it’s publishing my book ‘Do Your Art.’

[Insert sketch here!] Okay, so I used it as my lead photo.

My ten steps are:

1. Keep writing

2. Three more chapters

3. Edit- large revisions

4. Buy ISBN for four versions- eBook, paperback, hardcover, and audio book

5. Design cover

6. Format interior

7. Edit- proofread

8. Publish

9. Promote

10. Celebrate

What can I do this weekend?

Write chapter eight.

I write pretty fast. My goal is for each chapter to be about 5,000 words. Ten chapters total.

What is your goal?

Use today, Kickstart Thursday, to give yourself a plan before the weekend catches you off guard.

Be accountable.

Let’s check in again NEXT Thursday, okay?

I’m here for you.

Be well,

Bernadette
Blender sculpting journey #1
By: Dominique Hopman
Tags: Creative Process, Sculpting, Blender

Welcome to my first blog post about sculpting in Blender!

In this blog, you will read about: my Blender experience, my journey with sculpting, the questions I have, and the problems I come across.

Let me explain a bit about my background with Blender.

I have been working with blender for 4,5 years now. The first few years I didn’t have a big learning curve, I even stopped using Blender several times during this time period. When I think about why I stopped several times, it seemed that I always reached a ceiling. But in the end, I learned a lot about 3d modeling, topology, PBR (textures), rendering, lighting, and AR-VR asset.

So that was in short about my Blender experience

Sculpting

Day one was all about, me starting with sculpting and have some fun. Just to get an idea of what is possible and what settings I can play with. But as excited as I was, I started with no reference and with no idea what to sculpt. This is what I came up with…

Blender Character Sculpting

But let’s put this in perspective before we judge this as crap. My goal wasn’t to make anything pretty but it was to have some fun with sculpting and I succeed in that part! Along the way I solved some difficulties as: how to make a basic cube like the shape as the image above. parts of the mesh that are intersecting with each other. how to setup dyntopo (this setting will alow you do subdivide your mesh at the spot where you are sculpting). I have been playing with different brushes. Until now my favorite brush is the clay brush.

NOTE: I use a Wacom tablet Intuos pro medium

So to get better with sculpting i want to use a few days to just play around and get familiar with the settings, brushes and possibilities. I will look up some tutorials to see how people use them and what there sculting workflow is!

so in the end the sculpt is still like shit. But for now it is the process I focus on.

I will change my process in the next few and show the results of course! don’t forget to come back!
I Survived My First Improv Class
By: Ji Brust
Tags: Creative, Comfort Zone, Improvisation, Improv, Creative Process

Finally, it was time for the final project.

We wanted to do an improvised cooking performance. Our goal was to show the beauty of taking an improvisational approach to cooking rather than precisely measuring everything out. We would utilize the visual (aesthetic) aspect of cooking, such as chopping food on a cutting board, sautéing in a pan, lighting a gas stove, etc., and then use digitally enhanced audio aspects as well. We immediately agreed that we wanted a mix of pre-recorded footage and live footage to try to keep things interesting.

The biggest problem that we faced was setting up the infrastructure. We weren’t quite sure how to put this idea up on a Zoom screen, have quality video AND audio. It was a struggle to mix between live audio and visuals and pre-recorded audio and visuals.

Luckily, we came up with some very creative solutions:

AUDIO: We would have audio from 2 live performers, but we would also have someone in charge of the pre-recorded audio. The pre-recorded audio was on a SPOTIFY playlist so that they could easily switch between various sounds! VISUALS: As for the footage, there was a new Zoom update that had a feature called “Spotlight” that allowed us to select and switch between different screens on Zoom in Speaker View (and have multiple screens streaming at once!). Likewise, the pre-recorded videos could be played/changed using the green screen on someone’s background video. Everyone contributed audio and visual footage to a shared drive, no matter their role. Live performers did not practice beforehand, otherwise that would defeat the purpose of improv.

This ended up working super well! And while it wasn’t truly a “free improvisation” performance (we had a lot of set up and we also had clearly assigned roles as well), we still produced amazing improvisational work.

Here is the video of our final performance:

I am very proud of this collaborative piece.

We were able to explore the lines of comedy and absurdity. This was done live (trying to pick up pork chops with chopsticks and cutting up a croissant with a butcher knife), and digitally (rewinding the pre-recorded videos, speeding them up). We were also able to try out different extremes and explore the ridiculous and chaotic (with rapid change and repetition), but still be technically sound in our performance.
Why Do People Say “Why Did You Bring Me Back from the Dead?”
By: David Bourne
Tags: Death And Dying, Meaning, Life, Creative Process, Life Lessons

Why Do People Say “Why Did You Bring Me Back from the Dead?”

Photo by John Baker on Unsplash

A few months ago I heard something amazing. Dr. Zach Bush was talking to Rich Roll about his experience of being there when people came back from the dead.

“Why did you bring me back?” is often the first thing they said.

Dr. Bush then explained that people who die often experience a feeling of being fully accepted for the first time in their lives. You can listen to this moment for yourself here in, “Zach Bush Wants You to Let Go of Your Story”.

Wow. I did not see that coming.

I’m so intrigued by this idea because I want to know why this idea is the one idea so many people brought back from the dead.

Why Does Acceptance Matter So Much to Us?

Is it just our biology?

I know that we humans are a social species, and therefore we want to belong to our human groups. We evolved to need each other. Being in a group meant we survived.

But this “biology idea” seems too basic. It’s too biological and too mechanical to make sense in this life after death scenario.

Or Is it our spiritual nature?

I think so.

When Dr. Bush’s patients came back from death they did not speak on this biological, mechanical level. They did not say “I felt like I belonged to the human social species”.

When people revived from death they felt accepted into a greater more mysterious whole.

I Don’t Have to Know Why it Matters In the End

I’m not going to answer this question today. But I do know this…

To live most fully, we need to focus on why acceptance matters the most.

This idea of belonging and acceptance fascinates me. Today, that’s enough.

I know I want to belong. To humanity, but also to something bigger.

Being aware of this need to belong will help me feel this belonging, somehow.

I also know that I’m not alone in this. Our modern culture is not doing a good job dealing with the belonging/acceptance issue.

We can do better.

I will do better.

Today I’m stating publicly that I am ALL IN on this challenge of finding a greater sense of belonging. So that when I die I might be able to say I found some belonging along the way.

I hope you will join me on this journey.

Are you in?

I hope so, because I know I can’t go it alone.
The Daily Practice
By: Zane Dickens
Tags: Writing Life, Writing Tips, Creative Process, Writing, Practice In Public

Following a process to make progress every day, one tiny step at a time.