Scenes From a Morning Walk

Have you looked at your neighborhood lately? Really looked?

Below are some snapshots of ‘ordinary’ things I saw during my half hour walk around my ‘boring’ old neighborhood this morning. It’s amazing how much beauty you can find if you look for it.

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Did you hear about what happened at Tim Russert’s memorial service?

Apparently, as the service ended and everyone exited the building, the ukulele version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow was played (from Russert’s own iPod) through the speakers.

When people went outside to the rooftop terrace for the reception, they couldn’t believe their eyes.

A huge double rainbow appeared in the sky.

Here’s a video of the news reports. See for yourself:

Creative coincidence? Miracle? Leave a comment!

Today’s special at Creative Journey Cafe:

A quote from Agnes de Mille:

Living is a form of not being sure…

But we take leap after leap in the dark.

How do you deal with the unknown in your creativity? Does it excite you? Inspire you? Scare you? Leave a comment…

I’m sad about George Carlin’s passing yesterday at age 71. I count him among my biggest creative inspirations and listen to his comedy and interviews often.

Carlin did over a dozen HBO specials and toured relentlessly throughout his career, always working on new material, never coasting on the old stuff. I saw him live once, and had the pleasure of witnessing him flub a joke and then start it over again. He wanted to memorize it and recite it fluidly. It was a neat glimpse into his creative process.

Even though I didn’t care for his recent material (I found it too bitter and unfunny), Carlin was one of those rare talents and geniuses who always knew what he wanted to be. He had a gift.

If you’re interested, you can download a great interview he did, On Comedy, from iTunes. It will give you tremendous insight into the creative process in general.

Here’s a video of George at his controversial best. I particularly like the ending, when he gets almost spiritual. This was taken from his Jammin’ In New York special, one of his best performances ever.

Be warned - there is profanity in this vid - so don’t listen at work!
Thank you George, for all the laughs.

(* Thanks to Copyblogger I found this - the last big interview Carlin gave 10 days before his death. )

“The truth of a thing is the feel of it, not the think of it.”
- Stanley Kubrick

Logic and Intuition went shoe shopping:

Logic: “These shoes are perfect for you! They’re your favorite brand, the style is cool, and they’re even on sale!”

Intuition: “Yeah but they’re too small. They’re size 10 and I’m a size 11. They don’t fit.”

Logic: “Aw come on! That’s not much difference! Cram your feet inside! There are no other shoes like these in this store.”

Intuition: “I know. They’re great. They seem perfect. But, um…it hurts when I wear them.”

Logic: “You’ll get used to that. They’ll stretch. And don’t forget - they’re on sale!”

Intuition: “You could be right. You make perfect sense. Except - I’m uncomfortable wearing them.”

Logic: “You fool! You’re going to pass up the opportunity to buy these amazing shoes?”

Intuition: “Looks like it.”

Logic: “Are you nuts?! You might never get this chance again!”

Intuition: “Again, you could be right. But I just don’t like feeling uncomfortable, and I have a feeling that if I keep looking, I’ll find the right pair in another store.”

Logic: “I’ll never understand you.”

Intuition: “I know. That’s okay. I don’t understand myself sometimes. Ready to go? I have a hunch we’ll find them at Macy’s.”

“There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit into the big jigsaw puzzle.” - Deepak Chopra

Last week I went to the library, and on my way out I passed a table with a huge ‘community’ jigsaw puzzle on it. I didn’t see any sort of box nearby showing a picture of what the puzzle would become. I only saw that someone had assembled the outer ‘border’ of the puzzle, leaving a big hole in the center where the picture should be. Hundreds of pieces lay jumbled around it.

A voice inside me said, Take a photo of this. You might be able to use it for your blog.

So I took the above snapshot. I had no idea how I might use it. I left the library trusting that The Muse would reveal the answers. And she did, today, when I returned to the library and saw…

Wait! Before I continue…

What is it about puzzles that make them so universally loved, especially by children? Like Hide-and-Seek, why do we gravitate toward these games? Clearly they hold the secrets of the universe!

Here are some lessons puzzles teach us about the creative journey:

1. Have a sense of the ‘Big Picture’ before you begin. (Your project, goals, life.)

2. The fun of creating (and of the journey) is in building the puzzle, one piece at a time, until the ‘vision’ is complete.

3. Patience is necessary.

4. One piece (or person) seems insignificant, but when linked with another piece great things happen. If one piece is missing, the ‘Big Picture’ isn’t complete.

5. Have faith. Sometimes we cram two pieces together that don’t quite fit. Puzzles teach us to trust that the perfect fit is somewhere in the jumble. Live the mystery and the answer will come…

Okay…let’s get back to our story…

This morning I returned to the library, and to my surprise saw that the puzzle was not only still there, it was almost complete.

I almost gasped when I saw it. I felt a mysterious validation, like a wink from The Muse, rewarding me for trusting her.

The ‘Big Picture’ on the puzzle wasn’t a landscape, or a picture of horses, or a cartoon of Tweety Bird.

It was, of all things, a painting of…

what looks like…

could it be…?

maybe…

…a cafe?

What do you think? Leave a comment!

“I thought of that while riding my bike.” - Albert Einstein, on the Theory of Relativity

When you’re about to embark on a creative project, do you have faith that your Muse will show up? Or do you wait for inspiration to strike before you begin?

The more I think about it, the more I realize how important faith is to the creative process. You might have an inkling of an idea - just a sketch - but it’s not enough. You need more - more ideas - but they’re not coming to you. This can be scary enough to keep you from proceeding.

I think the solution can be found in bike riding.

To ride a bike, you first have to get on an object that isn’t moving (like your project). You have to climb on, put your feet on the pedals, exert some effort, and get the thing going.

When you first start pedaling there’s resistance. It’s a little slow and difficult. But soon your effort pays off, because the wheels turn faster and faster and the bike gains momentum. You don’t have to pedal so hard now - you’re gliding. It’s a balancing act; you’re in control, you’re steering the bike, but the bike is taking YOU for a ride.

I think that’s how it is when we trust that The Muse will show up. Once we get those creative wheels spinning, something takes over; something magical that carries our imagination to places we’ve never been before.

Then we can relax, enjoy the ride, and break when necessary.

Thoughts? Leave a comment!

So what kind of music are you listening to right now?

What songs are you loving? If you could take 3 albums to a desert island, what would they be?

What music brings back powerful memories for you? What band do you want us to know about?

Turn us on to the music that turns you on! Expand our horizons…

Leave your comments!

(Here’s one my all-time favorite songs (video below) - Feel Us Shaking by Sean Kelly of The Samples, one of my favorite bands. If you like it you can download it from iTunes. It’s from the album Seventeen.)

“You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.”
- Pablo Picasso

So you’ve got a blog, and you’re getting ready to write your next post only - oops - you’re stumped for ideas. Well, you don’t have to stay blocked for long. Here are some things I do that keep the ideas constantly flowing:

1. Notice little everyday moments and ask yourself, How does this apply to my blog’s theme?
You’re waiting in line at the supermarket. Notice what’s happening around you. Notice how the cashier smiled at you, or how long the line is, or how many candy bars there are. What does any of it have to do with your blog? Can you make any associations?

2. Use photos to trigger ideas.
Can you take pictures with your cell phone? If so, start snapping photos of things that interest you as you journey through your day. Or flip through a magazine and look at the pictures. Ask yourself what the photos have to do with your blog. Let’s say you find a photo of an empty park bench. If your blog is about health, the bench might inspire a post about getting proper rest. If your blog is about marketing, the empty bench might inspire a post about getting customers.

3. Use a book of quotes.
Buy yourself a book of quotes - maybe one that pertains to your blog’s theme - and keep it near your computer. When you feel stuck you can flip through it and find a quote that inspires you, then write an article expanding on it.

4. Find inspiration from comments on other blogs.
Last week I perused the comments at Christine Kane’s blog, and a woman mentioned her fear of creating artwork. Her comment inspired me to write my recent series about how to conquer these fears.

5. Eavesdrop.
When you’re in a cafe, or on the subway, what are the people around you discussing? What does it have to do with your blog? Jot it down and write about it later.

6. Get inspired by conversations with friends.
If a friend or associate calls you to vent about a common creative problem, and the conversation fits with your blog’s theme, it could inspire you to write a post filled with solutions to that problem. (Of course, you should never mention your friend’s name or betray their trust in any way.)

7. Blog about nothing.
When I sat down to write this post I had no ideas. My mind was blank. Then I remembered an assignment I once gave in my cartooning classes. Whenever a student was stuck for ideas, I had them draw a comic strip of their character having no ideas. Just draw them walking down the street. Next thing you know, like magic - boom - a clever idea suddenly appears in your head.

8. Ask your readers a question.
It might seem like passing the buck at first, but it’s a neat way to come up with a great post and get your community involved. After all, isn’t blogging about sharing information, wisdom, and resources?

9. Use the news.
What does the presidential race have to do with your blog? What does global warming have to do with your blog? At first you might say ‘nothing’, but keep asking that question - something will come to you.

10. Use the latest, hottest entertainment to trigger a post idea.
What does the new Batman film have to do with your blog? What does American Idol have to do with your blog? It’s a fun way to grab attention and a creative way to bring it all back to your blog’s theme.

Do you have any ideas to share? Any tricks up your sleeve? Leave a comment!

Today at Creative Journey Cafe, I thought we’d hand things over to Alan Watts, the late, great philosopher. I spent the summer of 2000 reading his books and listening to his lectures, and they instantly changed the way I view life and the meaning of it. If you’d like to download his lectures from iTunes, I recommend Do You Do IT or Does IT Do You. I also recommend his books, especially The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, This is It, and The Wisdom of Insecurity.

Here he is talking about work as play. (There is also a part 2 and 3 to this talk on YouTube.) Enjoy. (And feel free to leave your comments.)