thoughts from the creative habit

this morning i woke up and left the house for a little journal time at starbucks. it was heavenly. back when i was single i would go to starbucks often on a weekend morning and read/journal for a while. it felt just like that this morning, and it was nice to have marc back at home to return to.

marc and i have been working so hard on our place, i haven't had much time to play around on things, but i am seeing our place as our own little space to be creative together: choosing paint colors, wall hangings, furniture, and creating an environment together that we both enjoy. it's fun, it's hard work, it takes a long time, and it is really exciting. i will post pictures when we finish. which will hopefully be soon.

and which explains why a trip to the coffee shop was such a treat.

i brought the creative habit with me and wrote down quotes from the book in my journal. (i'll be returning the book to my mom when i am finished, so i figure i should write down the good parts so i don't forget.)

thought that tonight i would share some of the quotes i liked. some are exact, some are paraphrased. when i journal, i sometimes copy verbatim and sometimes in my own words/as concepts.

in order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative.

what does it mean to be creative, and how do you go about it efficiently?

no one is born with that skill.

it is developed through exercise... repetition...

a blend of learning and reflection.

painful.

rewarding.

you need a working environments that are habit-forming.

when you enter into them,

they impel you to get started.

distractions and fears are the habitual demons

that invade the launch of every project.

so much of this book is confirming the thoughts and fears that i have had regarding my own endeavors.

thoughts like,

'where do i begin?'

'i should just try this and see what happens'

'is this something innate in me or do i develop it?'

i love her idea that creativity is actually hard work. i like that her definition of creativity doesn't discriminate based on talent, but instead focuses on the discipline required to shape talent. i am excited to read about her creative exercises and i love the anecdotes about creative 'habits' that people of all careers have developed. because creativity isn't limited to the craft world, it's part of how you approach anything you do.

it's a really good process book instead of the how-to books that i've been finding.