Creativity Calling
The Newsletter of the Creativity Coaching Association

Dear Friends

Science tells us we utilize a fraction of our brain's capability; less than 10% is the percentage I've heard tossed about. Whether 10, 20 or 30, surely this must also apply to the realm of creativity. Continuing this line of thinking, this means we are tapping into a mere 10% of our potential creativity and thus, selling ourselves short from living abundantly creative lives!

This month our coaches offer some helpful perspectives on how to shift into more positive and productive attitudes. And isn't that what we all want, for others and ourselves? More positive and productive attitudes? Zig Ziglar says, "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude."

Note: In a few days we'll be unveiling all the details regarding the first annual CCA Creativity Conference to be held October 4-5, 2008 in Lake George, New York - including information on Early Bird registration discounts. Be watching your Inbox for the Special Announcement email from CCA. This is a conference you don't want to miss!

As always, we love your suggestions and feedback!

Enjoy,
Bev


Beverly Down, President & CEO, Creativity Coaching Association

The Joy of Shapeshifting

by Mun Ying Lau

Have you had moments in your life when you wanted to shed your old skin and transform into something utterly new?

Perhaps you're a writer with painterly aspirations, or a corporate lawyer itching to don a chef's hat. Secretly, you feel there's more to you than just that one vocation you've dutifully played out your whole life.

In addition, living in a rapid world that keeps pulling us apart with its demands, it's become normal to be called upon to constantly adapt to changes.

Having one personality then is not enough. Having and handling multiple personae is now an essential skill. Since we have become shapeshifters by necessity, why not make an art of it in your life?

How do we handle our shifting multiple selves? With caution, and respect. And with a great deal of fun. Here are some steps to consider:

Respect and honour all your selves. Take your multiple selves seriously, and get to know them. Give them names, and dialogue with them in your journals. This means letting ALL aspects of yourself have their say, at least for the day.

Creating the creator. Where does art exist in this Postmodern age? Consider that the creation of the art work requires that you create the artist as well. This means that we have to be creative about our creativity, and our creative selves. You are a work of Art in progress!

Switching out. By adopting one persona, it means you may have to drop another. If you have always been a writer, and now want to become a visual artist, you would have to give up your writer persona for a time. Over time, if your writer persona keeps returning, then you're pretty sure that aspect of yourself is here to stay.

Mixing and matching. You may consider fusing the multiple parts of yourself, to see what new you comes of it. In my case, I wanted to combine writing and visual arts (okay, I wanted to create a comic). The synergy of parts takes time and patience. Do bear with the initial con-fusion, but when your multiple parts begin to tango in step, it's a wonderful synergy that honours all your selves.

Mun Ying Lau is a closet shapeshifter who teaches Design and Creative Thinking Strategies at a Polytechnic in Singapore. An amateur philosopher and doodler, writer and creativity coach, he is now working on a comic. To reach Mun Ying - coachtheartist@yahoo.com

Being Thankful for the Good Stuff
The Benefits of Gratitude Journaling
by Tina Games-Evans

In this tight economy, with gas prices rising and families being faced with foreclosure, it's easy to get lost in the blues. If you're finding yourself challenged by issues beyond your creative blocks, it's helpful to remember what is going right in your life.

This is where gratitude journaling comes in. Working with the law of attraction, this journaling technique helps switch the focus from the negative to the positive. And after a few days of gratitude journaling, the mindset starts to change - and world views suddenly switch from "glass half empty" to "glass half full." As Wayne Dyer says, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

If you sense that you could benefit from this change of mindset, I'd like to invite you to make a commitment for two weeks.

If you're a list-maker, take your journal and list five things you are grateful for every day for the next two weeks. Morning people will find this easier to do first thing in the morning (writing about the day before) while night people will find this easier in the evening, perhaps before bedtime (about the day that has just ended).

For the story-tellers among us, try writing about the best thing that happens to you each day for the next two weeks. Again - morning people will do this in the morning (about the day before) and night people will do this in the evening (about the day that is ending).

For those of you who don't enjoy writing, I'd like to suggest a drawing of some kind that reflects the good in your day (every day for the next two weeks). Choose a journal or a notebook with unlined pages and create a one-sentence or a one-word description for each drawing that you make. Allow the description to reflect the beauty in the drawing. At the end of this process, you'll have a beautiful collection of "grateful" illustrations. If you'd prefer to collage instead of draw, that's fine, too.

Once the two weeks have passed, ask yourself how this process went. Take a few minutes to record your thoughts in your journal or notebook - and then read it back to yourself once you've finished. Chances are - you may find yourself viewing life from a totally different lens.

Tina Games-Evans is a freelance writer, a workshop facilitator and a life purpose coach for mothers who are dealing with issues related to the loss of personal identity. Her website is www.CoachForMoms.com.

Re-Igniting Your Creativity

by Beth Barany

If you're bored with your creative project, or just don't know what steps to take next, ask yourself these questions to re-ignite your creative flow. You may be surprised at the answers.

1. What is the best possible outcome for this creative project? Allow for any doubt, worry, fear, or boredom to be drained away and see this project as surrounded by a golden shimmer. Now envision your answer in your mind's eye.


2. What is the most exciting thing about your current project? Is it the details, the process, the outcome, or the expected response from the viewer or reader?


3. If you could do this any way you wanted, and the outcome didn't matter, how would you do things differently? You may be surprised to learn that you've been secretly yearning to approach your project differently, but had been reluctant to reveal that to yourself.


4. What is the most exciting step you could take right now on this project? For one client, it was to write her novel in the first person, instead of the third. For another, it was to make his global art project personal. Let yourself DARE to step to the edge of what is possible.


5. What changes can you make in either location, materials, or time of day that you work on your project? Try one for your next creative session and see how that livens up the creative flow.


6. What is the most nonsensical question I could ask myself about this project? Well, what is it? Play! Joke. Goof off! Stop taking yourself so seriously. And enjoy this moment of freedom to say, do, think about the project in the craziest way possible.

Have things changed? Has your creative project taken on a whole new life?

If none of these questions send your project off in new directions, maybe it's time to set the project aside. If you're not in the creative flow, you may need a break. A play break! A rest, a bath, a walk, a stint in the garden. Let that break be as long as it needs to be. We all need to recharge our creative energy. That may be what you need next.

Happy Creating!

Beth Barany, a Certified Creativity Coach, specializes in the book writing process. Her website is www.bethbarany.com c. 2008 All right reserved.

Tap into Our Database of Creativity Coaches

Twenty years from now you will be more dissapointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. " --Mark Twain

Are you:

• just starting out in exploring your creative desires?
• a working artist who is stuck on a creative project?
• looking for something new to juice up your creative work?
• going into midlife and feeling that now is finally the time to do the art you always wanted to do?
• already a known artist but interested in taking your success to the next level?

For any of these situations, why not hire a creativity coach? Check out our database of over 50 coaches who are ready to work with you and propel you forward. CCA-member coaches specialize in nearly 100 different specialties.

Special Book Offer

If you have not yet purchased your own copy of Inspiring Creativity, why not take advantage of this special offer today? An anthology of 22 powerful essays by professional creativity coaches, the book will get your creative juices flowing and make you feel more confident, excited, and ready to tackle your creative work.

Special Offer: $12.75 + $4.00 Shipping = $16.75 (Note: This offer is good only for copies to be mailed within the United States. It does not apply to copies to be mailed to Canada or overseas. If you live outside the United States, please email rickbenzel@msn.com to find out how much your postage costs will be.)

Click here to purchase a copy now.

New CCA Creativity Coaching Classes Beginning in September 2008!

"We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time" --T.S.Eliot

If you've been thinking about becoming a creativity coach, or adding creativity coaching to your existing life coaching, consulting, or therapy practice, we invite you to explore CCA's Certification Program. Our program includes a variety of basic and advanced coaching courses that can be done online or through telecourses in a reasonable period of time. The knowledge and skills you will develop in this program will serve your own work and open up opportunities for you to professionally coach others.

For details, please visit our Certification Program web page for a full explanation of the courses offered and requirements.

Hope You Enjoyed Our Newsletter!

This is the end of the May 2008 issue. Send us an email and let us know your thoughts and suggestions.

Note: If you are a life coach, executive coach, literary agent, therapist or any other profession involved with creative people, and you are interested in joining the Creativity Coaching Association, please drop me a note at join@creativitycoachingassociation.com for information.