SciFi Daily Prompt 3 This month, I’m participating in Camp NaNoWriMo. My goal? I have never written science fiction, but would like to because anything can happen! I think it’s really fun and the type I will be writing is silly and non-sensical…likely with made up science and technology because I’ve never understood that stuff very well. I am aiming to write 500 first thought words each day in the morning to put my own writing projects first and get all the creative juices flowing. I’ll be using my Science Fiction Prompts resource I created for my clients and students. I’ll practice free writing so I will not be editing afterward or during. The only things I might change are if there are obvious spelling errors as I’m going along. Otherwise, this is purely straight from my wild mind and onto the page…eek! Feel free to join me or follow along. Day 2 Prompt: This gave a whole new meaning to garbage disposal. Photo by Tom Swinnen from PexelsDaily Goal: 500Word Count: 584This gave a whole new meaning to garbage disposal. The birds circled the area with increased lazy pursuit. They feigned a lack of interest when they were hungry for new garbage. Their own flesh and their own blood was no longer satisfying these cannibal black feathered monsters. They were bigger than the ravens on earth. Their eyes were beadier than those glassy, balck-eyed creatures. And their eyes were redder than the earthlings. These giant raven aliens’ feathers were broader and wider than those on earth. Their necks sagged with the gagaciousness gagging throat skin, hanging with that wretchedness of those of turkey vultures, but these seemed more demonic than the rubbish collectors on earth. Their eyes flitted and darted about the rows of houses, looking for a twitch, for a waft of a stench. There were few areas cleaner and tidier than Locklandaga, the major city on Noro’s largest moon, of the habitable moons, Newtein. Locklandaga held a special meaning to those who lived, or survived there. It was all about perspective. They were able to start fresh. These birds were part of that fresh start. The garbage was never collected in a refuse area or dumpsite, instead these giant birds would circle and prey on and clean up what was left over and these aviary magicians would make the clutter and disgusting ick disappear. For the Chorrupsi family, Locklandaga was a sign of promise, the black birds were signs of hope, signs to erase everything that was wrong about their previous lives before they came Newtein and trekked to find Locklandaga. So many things had passed in their minds as they meandered and miraged, held hands in fear of what mind come from behind a dune and rear their maggoty heads at them. The Chorrupsi family consisted of the mother and father, Lina and Tim and their five children, Corai, Newla, Nita, Seb and Trulobe, each named for gods on their home planet of Nextine. They had struggled once the new emperor, Nonthroganoshticoy had taken power. He had overthrown the, at the time, current infrastructure and enslaved some of the workers immediately. He hoped that they would submit to him right away and then convince the rest of the peoples of how beneficial it was to follow him. But, Nonthroganoshticoy was mistaken. There was a brutal battle waged by the initial group of enslavement. Lina and Tim took their whole Chorrupsis right away via escape vessels run by rebels to surrounding moons of nearby planets. Noro orbited Newtein in a chaotic and wobbly manner, often making the scientific groups question the trajectory of the moon, but they’d studied it for years and it always got back on a suitable course, so far at least. The Chorrupsis didn’t feel they had a choice. They simply had to get out. They felt tremendous gratitude for the pilots of the escape vessels. They were good people, the Chorrupsis and they felt like they deserved a fair chance to raise their girls in a place free from fear and whilst they felt afraid, they wanted to allow their girls an opportunity. Newtein was a place out of necessity that really did dispose of all of the garbage in the Chorrupsis lives. They wondered if it would always feel like a time of gratitude. They wondered if these birds would present a new sense of fear, but could it be that these large black birds could be like those on earth, symbolizing the embodiments of change and transformation?
SciFi Daily Prompt 2 This month, I’m participating in Camp NaNoWriMo. My goal? I have never written science fiction, but would like to because anything can happen! I think it’s really fun and the type I will be writing is silly and non-sensical…likely with made up science and technology because I’ve never understood that stuff very well. I am aiming to write 500 first thought words each day in the morning to put my own writing projects first and get all the creative juices flowing. I’ll be using my Science Fiction Prompts resource I created for my clients and students. I’ll practice free writing so I will not be editing afterward or during. The only things I might change are if there are obvious spelling errors as I’m going along. Otherwise, this is purely straight from my wild mind and onto the page…eek! Feel free to join me or follow along. Day 2 Prompt: The orbs floated overhead, pausing above each guest. They were smelling them and… Photo by Josh Sorenson from Pexels Daily Goal: 500Word Count: 431The orbs floated overhead, pausing above each guest. They were smelling them and…with each sniff, it seems, they were sending signals back to the mother ship. The mother ship, if that is what you could really call it was a giant orb, blue in color so that it hid well in the sky of Pacific California. The sunshine glinted off of the orb, but in such a way that it created the classic sparkle of a California dreamin’ day, not in an eerie or unusual way. That in itself was rather eerie and unusual. However, these orbs were a new development that came in the span of time of the change of seasons. It was the season of spring and as the flowers bloomed, it was as though the pollen brought upon with it orbs. Just a few at first, like spring blossoms de-petaling and the pink petals flowing freely and then being able to let go of their own expectations, but instead it was the need to settle. These orbs took up the fragrance of others and encapsulated it. That must be what they were doing. To the residents of Jordan Heights, up in the cliff hills, they were oblivious at first, only the birdwatchers began to notice, but it was clear that nobody believed them for their odd tendencies to observe unidentifiable flying objects except with their high powered binoculars, but they did bring it upon themselves to write down all of the details of when they began seeing these orbs. They also were the ones who noticed the mothership blue orb first, too. Ornithologists are the people who might seem the least likely to adopt the ideals of alien life forms, but they can on occasion argue for the existence of dinosaurs in the modern era, which they assert are their two legged winged friends. So, they were willing to detect the change. Their birds’ migration habits are a little different from last year as they are returning from a winter down south where it was warmer for them. A few trickled in earlier than usual. And then there weren’t as many birds returning in mass. It seemed like the birds were coming in a flighty and trickly pattern, which is unusual. Everything was unusual. Everything was unusual except for Herpert. Herpert was in his element. And it was Herpert who was doing the collecting of smells from the orbs when they thought that it was on its way to the mother ship. Herpert had been able to redirect the scents in his scent collector which was…
SciFi Daily Prompt 1 This month, I’m participating in Camp NaNoWriMo. My goal? I have never written science fiction, but would like to because anything can happen! I think it’s really fun and the type I will be writing is silly and non-sensical…likely with made up science and technology because I’ve never understood that stuff very well. I am aiming to write 500 first thought words each day in the morning to put my own writing projects first and get all the creative juices flowing. I’ll be using my Science Fiction Prompts resource I created for my clients and students. I’ll practice free writing so I will not be editing afterward or during. The only things I might change are if there are obvious spelling errors as I’m going along. Otherwise, this is purely straight from my wild mind and onto the page…eek! Feel free to join me or follow along. Day 1 Prompt: When the otter’s tail clicked into place with fine-tuned mechanical precision, I knew there was an issue. Photo by David Selbert from PexelsDaily Goal: 500Word Count: 940When the otter’s tail clicked into place with fine-tuned mechanical precision, I knew there was an issue. I had seen an inappropriately large amount of otters since I had moved into the area, but I thought it was simply because of the widely wooded area with swampy rivers. They need trees to build their dams and they need water to dam, right? That’s what I thought, at least. I had been minding my own business on a Monday morning, whistling my way to work, you know how it is. And I got to seeing that these otters then seemed on their way to work, too, which I thought was cute at first. I hadn’t had my coffee, you know? And then, I watched as they started to simultaneously thump their tails in time with each other. I saw that each thump of their tails seemed to call more and more woodland creatures and wildlife to the river, but now I don’t think that these were the creatures they appeared to be. I think that they are, well, I think that they are robots. I don’t know who to talk to and I am afraid that they are recording my cell phone, so I don’t feel like it’s safe to call anyone or text anyone about this. It feels like they are watching me all the time now. It’s been five days so far and it’s really creepy. So, that’s why I am keeping this journal. I’m glad I kept my dad’s NASA pen, I never knew where he got it from, but it helps to be able to write wherever and on whatever I can. The idea is that if something happens to me that at least there will be a record. Although I don’t know if it’d ever be found, at least I can write underwater. Come to think of it, I probably could write underwater since these otters can’t really live in water since they appear to be robots. Well, now that I think about it, I see that I’ve gotten rather confused and carried away with my words. These aren’t otters, these are beavers. Well, robot beavers. I know otters will hold hands with each other while they are in a group and that’s really sweet, which is what I thought I saw these otters, I mean beavers, doing. But, I wonder if there is some sort of network where they have to make a physical connection to be able to do something to upload data. So, I watched them from my walk to work at the local gas station. And then I saw how they slapped their tails, their giant leathery paddles of tails, but then one of them started to twitch after slapping some mud. I had discovered they were building dams on the sides of the roads after a couple days. I thought it was odd, but you know, I’ve never been an animal person. I think this might be better if I talk into a battery operated, portable, old-fashioned tape recorder things like I had when I was little, so I’ll switch to that when I get a chance to find it. It’s probably in an old bag in the cedar closet. Well, you see, I saw one of the beaver tails get all twitchy and off to the side, like it got all out of joint location. Then, after it did a buzzing of shivering motions, it’s tail just clicked back into place and then, my own body starting those buzzing, shivering motions, but I’m no robot, I was terrified. I tried to like, avert my eyes as soon as I’d seen it. Because then it turned toward me where I’d been in the gas station window and it fixed its beady little red eyes onto me and I turned away and began rearranging the cigarettes above the registers. Luckily, so I was told, there’d been an issue with shoplifting, so we had mirrors that faced outside as well as inside so no matter where I stand in the little cashier area at the gas station, I can see pretty much anywhere. So, I watched this little guy, after his clunky, thumpy tail clicked into place and he seemed to go back to normal. But, for me, watching him do that with his tail, or her tail, I guess, I can’t tell the difference between a man and lady beaver, but are they even beavers anyway? Robot beavers? It looks so stupid even to write it. But, I know what I saw. Well, I know that I saw something ridiculous, too ridiculous that it had to be true. Too ridiculous. I wanted to tell a couple of my buddies from the club, but now I’m not sure who I can trust. I’m just keeping my eyes peeled and I’m laying low to see what else I notice over the next few days. I’ll try my best to keep a record of what I see and learn. But, if it’s not safe for me to write something down, I won’t. I might try an old-fashioned voice recorder like I said, butttttt……oh no. Oh, no. I can see there are more of them. And what is that? What is that glinting in the sky? All of the beavers have stood up on their hind legs and are walking toward me. They are all walking, waddling in unison. They are moving toward the gas station. I have to act natural. I’ll just be putting my notebook in my inner pocket of my shirt. So, this is not how I thought today would go, I… Join my email list and get access to a free resource, “30 Science Fiction Prompts to Power Up Your Creative Writing Game.“ Happy Writing! Molly x
Why are you doing this?(one way to think about goals) “Why?” I’ve always been curious. This annoyed my family. There’s a joke amongst my siblings and me, since I’m the youngest, that I have the biggest mouth. I was little when they teased me and I would widen my mouth to show them…I didn’t realize right away they meant I talked too much. One time my brother tape recorded me (remember those cassette players? push the red button for record!) without me realizing…and, then he played it back to me. Don’t worry, I’m not scarred for life–hah! But, so much of my talking as a little kid revolved around curiosity. As annoying as it is when a little kiddo drones or squeaks, “Why? Why? Whyyyyy?!” I think that it’s something we can take into our adulthood. Why are you doing what you’re doing? Try this: list out your big five time commitments within a week. (Did you do it? Okay. 😉 ) Then, literally write out the question, “Molly, why are you running for so many hours each week?” “Molly, why are you spending your time reading books?” So on and so forth. After you ask yourself the question, write out your answer. You can have many answers for each. For instance: I run because I am strong. I run because I want to grow in perseverance. I run because it’s something hard that I can actually do. I run because it’s really great to be outside and sweat. I run because it’s a way I connect with God. OR I read because I love collecting knowledge. I read because I feel happy when I do it. I read because it’s one of those things that I liked doing as a kid and I want to be more child-like. I read because I want to learn how to be a better writer. I dare you…let your curiosity get the best of you. 🙂 When you understand your “why” then, your daily choices make more sense to go in that direction to re-inforce your “why” and your purpose. And, sometimes, you might find that you don’t know why you do something. This could be really great insight into something that isn’t how you actually need to be spending your time to become who you’re made to be. If this is the case, then writing your “because” statements can actually help you get back on track to be who you actually are. Are you struggling to answer your “why’s”? Let’s have a chat! Send me an email and we’ll be in touch.
How to Find Time to Write Even When You’re Busy It can be hard to find time to do something you would really like to do, but feel like you don’t have enough time to do. I have been there. I have said just that…admittedly, I still sometimes say that. I don’t have five hours to devote to writing a book. I can’t be in a string quartet because I can’t make it to all of the concerts. I don’t know what my work schedule will be like so I won’t sign up for that class. The truth is that we make time for what is important. When I was in school, I remember that the kids who were involved in band, speech, debate, athletics, choir, honors classes, etc. were usually excelling at most, if not all of these subjects and activities. They knew what was important and they made time for it. They didn’t simply “just try harder” and go about their days, they used their schedules and planned accordingly. I’m a writer, so it really helps me to write tasks in a list, what I plan to do in the day and at certain times. Figure out why you want to write and whether it is really as important to you as you think that it is. Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels Maybe you really do have a lot on your plate that spending a large amount of time at once is not feasible. I totally relate to that. Here are some ideas on how to find time to write even when you’re busy. Write during a break: If your job offers you break for lunch or mid-morning or mid-afternoon, use that time to write. Instead of getting together with the group of colleagues around the water cooler, lock yourself in your office and write. You can even take a walk outside for a few minutes to brainstorm ideas of what to write. I used to work at a coffee shop and we were allowed a ten minute break. Yikes! That always went really quickly no matter what I did. But, when I spent those ten minutes writing, I had a sense of accomplishment that carried into the second half of my shift. I also had the imagination that carried into the rest of my work day.Write (during AND) when you finish your work day: Use writing as a transition activity from work to home. There will be a sense of relief of escaping from your job into a world that you have created (fiction or non-fiction) which takes you far away from the reality of your just-finished work day. I worked in a machine shop on an assembly line with automated machines for awhile. I was fast enough that I caught up to the machine and had a few seconds between parts. My boss allowed me to have a piece of paper and pen at my workstation next to me while I worked. During those few seconds, I jotted down phrases to jog my memory. Then, when I got home from work, I have a page full of writing prompts that I had spent all day anticipating writing more fully.Write while you travel: I used to ride the bus to get to my job. I’ve also had trips that meant I traveled by train and on airplanes. Sometimes I would feel travel sick if I looked down for any length of time, but mostly I felt fine. This means that I’ve actually written quite a few words while I have been traveling. It is easy to catch up on text messages, emails, group chats, shows, etc. while you have a moment sat down, but writing instead could be a good choice.Write instead of time wasting activities: I hesitate to suggest this one. I love watching lots of episodes or my favorite shows on streaming services or tv. I claim often that it is for research for my writing and art. I love to notice the costume and set designs. I notice the stage directions, the placement of the vase on the shelf, the books on the table, the color of their shirts and the moods of the characters. I love trying to discover what those extra details are meant to communicate because I want to be able to communicate these things in my own writing. Yet, I know I can get into a bingeing spiral of entertainment that turns into numbing and then shame and then numbing again when I reach the one too many episodes. So, if you’re like me and you spend lots of time in front of a screen consuming, I wonder if you might watch “just one less” instead of “just one more” and then use that episode length of time to create instead of consume.Write in small gaps wherever you get them: *Keep a notebook by your bed to record your dreams or before bed or first thing in the morning thoughts.*Keep one in the bathroom–it’s not like you have anywhere else to be.*Write standing next to the microwave while your TV dinner heats up (or cup of coffee for the third time). *Set a timer for five minutes and jot down everything that comes to mind when you take a break from daily activities.*Get a gratitude journal for the living room coffee table, or a one-line diary.*Have a notebook, or simply use a note on your phone, in your bag so while you wait in line at the grocery store or to pick up your children from school, you can jot down a few notes to elaborate on later. Photo by Miesha Maiden from Pexels If you need a little inspiration for what to write (without feeling overwhelmed!), sign up for this sweet freebie I made with you in mind. And, if you want a little more, I’ve got an amazing free Facebook group, “Creative Writing: Making it a Habit.“It’s a group for creative writers and my goal is to create a supportive community where we can all grow into the creative writers we’ve dreamed of becoming. I’ll be sharing tips for making creative writing a habit and overcoming barriers toward writing and creative expression. I think you might find it very valuable. I’d love to have you join here, if you’re interested. Still not sure what to do? Why not try a couple ideas–schedule them in your calendar–and see what works well. Then, do more of that. Whatever doesn’t seem to work for you, then drop it.Better yet? Book a Discovery Call today! 🙂 We can talk about your creative writing goals. Maybe working together with me as your creative writing coach could be your next great decision! What works for you to write when you’re busy? Tell me in the comments.
Is Your Inner Critic Affecting Your Creativity in Your Writing? I am going to take a not-so-wild guess and say that your answer is “Yes!” The Inner Critic can be a loud jerk shouting mean words at us or it could be low frequency whisper that raise doubt and suspicion about our ability to write or, in extreme cases, our right to take up space. The Inner Critic is a shame-mongering champion cage fighter. I know this firsthand and deal with it as I write this blog post. I’ve read other writers’ accounts of their Inner Critic battles. I also have heard from writing students over the years how they struggle with it. One student asked me for help, “I get criticism from family for prioritizing writing over household chores. It has gotten to the point that I often hear my Inner Editor saying that I should be doing chores instead of writing.” I was so glad that this student reached out for help to get their writing going. These are really important issues that they have raised. Our Inner Critic can often become an imagined monster of a real human who has been in our lives who said something to us that hurt. I can list several negative voices that have fueled my Inner Critic:1. My kindergarten teacher told me I chose wrong during free choice time and that it was not my turn to paint, after all.2. My dad told me to pursue any career that would make lots of money and he told me out of the blue one day that I would be a starving artist.3. A mentor told me that I must be doing it all wrong because there’s no way that I’m selling as many paintings as I said that I am. Photo by Daisy Anderson from Pexels This all begs me to answer the questions, “Who is in your life?” and “What are you listening to?” Check out the post I wrote about asking yourself five questions to unlock creativity in your life. Read it here. Some suggestions that I can give to encourage your writing habits:1. Keep writing affirmations about your identity as a writer. You are at a fragile stage now when you need to continually remind yourself that writing is a great use of time and that it is a gift. Writing can also be a form of therapy for some people and crucial to one’s well-being. It can be as important for some as eating, going for a walk to exercise with fresh air, or meeting with a friend to chat so you remember that you’re loved and that you belong. Writing can be crucial in maintaining a healthy form of escapism as you create a world to live in for a break in your imagination. It can also be a way that you can journal and find out your beliefs–or that you discover how you feel about something based on how one of your characters reacts! 2. Do it afraid. Your Inner Critic and Editor is there all the time. I think it takes more than just ignoring it. I think it’s actually important to acknowledge that it’s there, but let it know that you’re choosing to write anyway and choosing to believe that you’re a writer. Perhaps redefining certain times and types of writing, too, could help. Maybe you designate morning times of writing for your playful freewriter to come out and have fun, and then in the afternoon or evening it’s the editor’s turn to comb through what you wrote that morning or last week. 3. Do your writing in secret, if you have to, for a season. Often when we make changes to our own lives it upsets the homeostasis of our environment and others around us can feel threatened by our change because change is hard for people. They may fear losing you, they may fear losing control over you as you gain freedom and identity and self-confidence in your writing, they may fear that they will be forced to change when they don’t want to. Your safety is important. Please make sure that you are safe in your home or that you seek help if you need it. But, if it means that you loudly and visibly do your chores and then later you quietly retreat with your door closed (to a local coffee shop or bookstore) and ‘clean your room’ or ‘do some errands’ or ‘have quiet, alone time,’ then do that. Get up early, ‘go to bed’ early, write during meals (or instead of eating and then eat while you do something else). 4. Join a writing group. When we are in isolation the negative voices can be louder than ever because we don’t have other options to listen to or to drown it out. On healthy and strong days this might not be a problem, but on weak and tired and lonely days (I’ve had lots of those over the years), negativity can be a spitting tyrant refusing to be silenced. This is when the kind words, the community, compassion, connection with a writing group can be really beneficial. Take courage and join a group. There are many writing groups on Facebook or elsewhere online and there are likely groups in your local area, either in-person or meeting virtually. Some might have a membership fee and others might be free. Check your local library, community education catalog, or community center. Whatever the case, being in the company of other writers who “get it” truly is priceless. Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels In the end, our Inner Critic will always be present. Whether or not we give weight to its words is a different story. Sometimes acknowledging the fear that is present in the Inner Critic’s words can be the key to growth and getting words on a page. Other times, you might be able to have a conversation with your family member or friend who has instigated the negative voices and given your Inner Critic the demoralizing script to read from–it won’t necessarily be easy, but it could be helpful to explain what writing means to you and why you want to prioritize it. Even other times it might simply be your best bet to take action and do what needs to get done and not worry about what other people think. I know this is not always the easiest and in fact, it can be quite challenging, but I think that it is worth it to get creative freedom! What are some tricks you use to combat the incessant ramblings of the Inner Critic? Leave me a comment, please! 🙂
Flash Fiction Just For Fun Prompt: “Today is Monday…” This is a flash fiction piece of writing I did from a prompt in a creative writing online group I am part of. The group encourages short, daily writing by posing a prompt in the morning every day. The idea is that you write about 100-300 words (flash, or short) fiction in a few minutes of writing session and post your draft for accountability fun for others to read. The idea is to freewrite and get a mini-story out of your mind and onto paper. It doesn’t have to be perfect, merely out to live its own life. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels This prompt was for the first line: “Today is a Monday and tomorrow will be Wednesday.” Here is what I wrote… “Today is a Monday and tomorrow will be Wednesday.” The loudspeaker crackled. “Which particular Monday is it?” Gabby asked the air. “Because I really enjoyed the Monday when we took over the St. Louis Park Stellar Zone.” The bowl of popcorn nearly fell out of Craig’s laugh–he’d been stuffing his face. His new diet, he wanted to let people know, starts on Tuesday. “Does this mean that I can keep eating?” Gabby shook his head in her hands, trapping some popcorn crumbs between his puckered lips. “No, Craig. It means that we have to go to Master Cristoff to ask for the tagelator razor again.” Craig’s eyes widened. “I don’t like the tagelator razor.” “Neither do I, Craig. Neither do I,” said Gabby. They stood up together, Gabby taking Craig’s dull, scaly hand in her reddened left paw, Wednesday clipboard in her reddened right paw, and they sluffed over to the door labeled, “Tomorrow.” Just another day in the office. Photo by Ivan Bertolazzi from Pexels Would you like writing inspiration sent to your email inbox? Sign up here. Would you like something a bit more substantial? I have one year of daily creative writing prompts for sale here. You can hear from me daily in your inbox encouraging you to spend 10 minutes a day writing. Intrigued? Get your 365 Creative Writing Inspiration here and start your creative writing habit ASAP.
Braving the Wilderness as a 5-year-old Project Perseverance: Journal Entry #2 Written on: Monday 5 February 2018 Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown p.13 “…I just started sobbing. I didn’t break down because I hadn’t made the drill team, I wept for the girl that I couldn’t comfort back then. The girl who didn’t understand what was happening or why…” Photo by Alexander Dummer from Pexels As I read this, I can totally relate. I am processing many moments of pain, regret, disappointment, wounding, misunderstandings, mismatched expectations–many of which have been suppressed for years. I have often been experiencing just what Brene Brown describes here looking back at the devastation to her teenage heart and all the pain and meaning made from not being accepted to the drill team and how all this meaning involved not belonging and the despair of never belonging or fitting in anywhere. I know this feeling well. I cry now for sweet, five-year-old Molly who was beginning to paint a picture during free choice time in kindergarten and the teacher ripped down her painting (just one blue horizontal stroke, so far) and put it on the floor by the window. “It’s not your turn to paint, Molly.” Another child had asked permission to paint at the easel. Because I had not asked (because it was free choice time and we were told we could choose to do anything we wanted), I was humiliated. I never painted again except in art class when we were required to. I remember really wanting to be in art club in high school, but “knew” that I wasn’t good enough and probably wouldn’t be allowed to anyway. And so now, 25 years later, I have learned to say to sweet, five-year-old Molly: “It’s always my turn to paint.” Brown says, “These are the moments that, when left unspoken and unresolved, send us into our adult lives searching desperately for belonging and settling for fitting in.” These five questions have helped me and some of my friends to reflect and notice when something is holding us back or keeping us stuck. They could help you, too. Sign up here. Leave me a comment. What are some of the voices that have echoed in your ears for many years?What do you do when you are “searching desperate for belonging”?What would you like to try today that you lost out on when you were younger? https://mollyovenden.com/what-is-project-perseverance/
How Your Senses Can Unlock Creativity Photo by Vie Studio from Pexels Sign up to receive a mini guide in your email: free inspiration to help you unlock creativity and empower your everyday life. Using our five senses is often something that we can take for granted. It isn’t until we have to go without one of them that we notice how crucial they actually are to us. Maybe you’ve had a sinus infection that caused you to lose your sense of smell or your burned your tongue so you couldn’t taste anything. Perhaps you had surgery that required the doctors to numb part of your body–or, you sat in a funny position that meant you lost feeling in your foot. Have you ever had water stay in your ear after swimming so your hearing became distorted? Or, maybe you or someone close to you has limited vision, is legally blind or color blind. When we lose a sense, the rest of our senses become heightened to compensate for the loss. When we notice that our lives are stuck or un-inspired or we feel bored, engaging with our senses, like, actually noticing them by doing things to be present in ourselves in the present moment, we can often unlock creativity. Photo by Nicholas Githiri from Pexels Smell: Our sense of smell can trigger memories. While we take time to inhale a pleasing aroma or foul odor, something is activated in our brains which make a connection to something that happened and often where it happened. Being present to “stop and smell the roses” can actually increase your overall awareness as well as connect your mind and body to the here and now. You have the opportunity for gratitude (if it is a pleasant smell) or the opportunity to decide whether your thoughts will be positive or negative (if the smell is rotten). This could mean you fill your life with fragrances that prompt your imagination so you think of certain people or places. Photo by Nicholas Githiri from Pexels 2. Taste: Did your grandmother make you special cookies for your birthday? Did you have a favorite meal from growing up? Similar to the sense of smell, taste can draw up feelings of nostalgia. Maybe you have travelled to a country or culture that is different from your own and you discovered a combination of flavors that inspired you. Maybe you need to go on a culinary adventure to change up your eating experience. When we become aware of what we are eating, noticing the sweet, salty, umami, bitter, spicy or sour sensations on our tongue and how the different tastes interact in the food we eat, something creative can unlock in us. You might begin to notice new flavor combinations which you hadn’t before. This could mean you try new recipes and begin a journey of exploration in the kitchen. Photo by Ashutosh Sonwani from Pexels 3. Touch: Often our sense of touch can be a passive one that tends to alert us to danger. When something is too hot, we know from experience to stay away. When something is too cold, we might get goosebumps. If something is too rough or sharp, we might be alerted to take caution, too, because it might cut our skin. I would like to have the sense of touch be more interesting than cautionary and preventative only. Plush blankets can feel cozy in the winter or cold glassware on a hot summer day can be refreshing. Feeling the contrasting textures that surround us might actually alert our senses simply to be aware of our surroundings instead of being passive until danger is at foot. Sign up to receive a mini guide in your email: free inspiration to help you unlock creativity and empower your everyday life. Photo by Ashutosh Sonwani from Pexels 4. Sound: Close your eyes and listen to what is happening all around you. Listening, actually hearing and taking in the frequency of vibrations can be powerful. Some music performed in an opera with a full orchestra can move its audience of listeners to tears because of the power of the sense of hearing. Being quiet, still, in silence, can sometimes be disconcerting. Many of us in this modern era can jam our sense of sound because we are afraid to let our minds wander or come aware around us. But, when we really listen, we can hear the hum of a kitchen appliance, the chirp of a distant bird, our own breathing. “If a tree falls in the forest, but nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” I think it does! Hearing is taking in the frequency of sound waves while listening in engaging our minds with what we hear and stay in the present. This means we can actually notice things that intrigue us that we might have missed in the past. 5. See: The human eye can perceive the color green with the most varieties in shade. This is why military developers of technology made night vision in green. Sight is a sense that nearly everyone engages with and perhaps, takes for granted most days. The sense of sight allows us to notice beauty in color, shape, form, line, texture, value and space: these are the seven elements of art and design. Our eyes also allow us to perceive the time of day based on daylight, finding a way to walk or drive, notice minute facial expressions on the people around us. So much of the sense of sight is for the “doing business” of mundane life to keep us safe, yet I wonder what might happen if we let go of getting things done and instead really looked closely at what is in front of us. We might grow to appreciate subtle details of beauty with our eyes that we have missed in the past. Use all of your senses! Sign up to receive a mini guide in your email: free inspiration to help you unlock creativity and empower your everyday life. How do you enjoy using all of your senses? Leave me a comment.
How Affirmations Can Inspire Your Creativity My Story. “It’s not your turn.” In kindergarten, it was free choice time–we could choose to do anything we wanted, so I went over to the easel and made one big vertical blue streak. Then, my teacher came over with another child, who had an apron on, and told me that it wasn’t my turn to paint. That I hadn’t asked permission to paint, but this other child had asked permission. I was confused–it was free choice time and we could choose to do anything we wanted to do, but…somehow I chose wrong? The teacher ripped my page, with its one blue streak, off the easel and set it on the floor by the window. I had to find something else to do. For so many years, part of me has remained this five year old who was told that I’d made the wrong choice when I chose to paint. I have had to learn to rewrite this memory so it has less of a negative impact as it likes to play on repeat and persuade me to give in to fear. It is always my turn to paint. Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels Application for Us Once I found out that I had been subconsciously holding onto this lie that it wasn’t my turn and that I had chosen wrongly, I was able to make a change. I had no idea why I was resistant to spending time making art or why it felt like forbidden fruit to be created in secret when I had the opportunity to rebel. Now that I know, I can remind and affirm myself that:1. It is always my turn to paint.2. When I paint, I’ve made a great decision.3. It is a good use of my time to paint.4. My art is worthy of hanging on walls to be appreciated.5. I am a grown up and I have given myself indefinite permission to paint.By working with affirmations, I am able to grow and be more creative.Would you like to be notified of a recap of when I blog or to have creative inspiration delivered to your inbox? Click those links and we’ll be in touch. Photo by Jessica Lewis from Pexels I often find it helpful to journal in writing questions and answers as a way to process what I’m thinking or feeling about a situation. Especially, when it’s something like this, from my forgotten past. If writing seems like it’d be helpful for you, I want to invite you to take time over the next week or so to reflect on these questions and how you might answer them. When is a time that you felt like you were doing the wrong thing (when morals were actually not in question)? What was the situation? How old were you? Who was with you? What meaning did you assign to that experience? What have you told yourself since then?Ask God what might have been the result of feeling like you were wrong? What have you been prevented from doing?Imagine the best version of yourself: How would you love to spend your days? What type of person would you love to be?What might life look like if you started to give yourself permission for these things?Who might you be able to talk to about taking these new steps?What is the negative belief, meaning, lie that you’ve been telling yourself? How could you change it around to be a positive affirmation? What have you learned from working with affirmations? What questions do you have around this process of turning a negative thought into a positive one?Leave a comment below.