The Creative Habit

I started reading Twyla Tharp's "The Creative Habit" this weekend.  The main idea is that being creative is a matter of hard work.

 After each chapter, Tharp encourages the reader to participate in some activities that will exersize creativity.  The first chapters she talks about rituals.  Turning something into a ritual means we are investing reverence in and finding comfort, confidence, ad sefety as we begin an activity.   These rituals can help us push away the fear and distractions and get to work!

Starting to create is sometimes the hardest part, and fear and distractions really work against us acting on the inspiration to create.  Today's R.S. lesson was on the Holy Ghost.  I think creative inspiration and the Holy Ghost are one in the same.  Truth speaks to the soul, it tells it to act and create.  The medium is different for different people.    Fear keeps me from acting on truth and inspiration.   Here are the big fears that keep me from creating (this is not an attempt to fish for compliments!  I am just making an honest record of how I feel now):

1.  What will other artists/designers think of my work?  Will they think I am kidding myself?  Will they make fun of my work or just hate it?

2.  What if my work is not authentic?  I posted a great quote about originality vs. authentic HERE.  I am not afraid that my work will look like anyone else's ...because inevitably it will.  I fear that my work isn't true to me.  That it isn't honestly from my heart and soul.  Maybe I'm afraid to open up that much, and maybe I don't know how.

3.  I don't have enough training or education.  That I am OK at a lot of stuff, but not great at anything.  This is really silly, I know, because I just need to keep practicing! I also need to continue

4.  I fear that I lack direction and purpose...which is kind of the same as #2.

5.  I fear that I can't bring my ideas to fruition.  I'll be honest, I have some really good ideas.  I am terrified to even begin on them, because I feel that I lack the skill to bring them to life.  Tharp quotes Leon Battista Alberti, "Errors accumulate in the sketches and compound in the model."  She then goes on to say, "But better an imperfect dome in Florence than cathedrals in the clouds".

It is important to know what I fear, so I can vanquish them.

If any of the family and friends who read this care to join me in reading this book- I would LOVE  to discuss it, and do some of the exercises together.  Let me know!

A sample of Twyla Tharp's choreography: