 by Jenny Leigh Hodgins This is the second part of my blog, What Are Ways For Nurturing Creativity And Inspiration? Read Part 1 here. KEY WAYS FOR NURTURING CREATIVITY:
When I shine my authentic self, I open the way for others to be empowered. My victory at expressing my true self allows others to see their own possibilities. My win is your win. Happy people create a peaceful world. This is a solid reason to believe in myself as a creator.
Your conscious mind needs breaks. Your subconscious is always absorbing for you, so you won’t miss out. Take a much-needed break, knowing that ‘time on the shelf’ (a phrase coined by pyrography artist, Amanda Packard, featured on YourCreativeChord Podcast) is exactly what’s necessary to rejuvenate inspiration. When you come back to your creative process after a rest, you’ll find your energy has exponentially grown.
How do you handle negative self-talk or doubt within the creative process?
I pray about negative self-talk or doubt. Prayer in Buddhism is not wishing or asking external help. It’s making a determination to win over weakness, enjoy, appreciate, and use struggles and victories as personal mission to encourage others and repay gratitude.
Recommended Content: What Are Ways For Nurturing Creativity And Inspiration? Part 1 How To Feel Spring Emerging From Your Heart Creativity Brings Comfort, Courage, and Hope Special Episode For British Radio Station, ResonanceFM & International Women's Day YourCreativeChord Podcast How To Live A Life of Joyful Creativity Part 2 | YourCreativeChord Podcast How To Live A Life of Joyful Creativity: An Interview with Ryan Hargrove On Creative Process Part 1 | YourCreativeChord Podcast What Self-Care Has To Do With Creativity Set Your Positive Intent & Inspire Yourself Thank you for showing your love of my content with a LIKE or by sharing this blog with others. If this resonates with you, please leave your comment or ask a question below! I'd love to hear from you!
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 "Creative Exploration Formula" by Jenny Leigh Hodgins by Jenny Leigh Hodgins
I have more blogs and podcasts that cover this topic from different perspectives under my Creativity, and Inspiration sections, so check those out! I also learn about the creative process from the creators and positivity experts I interview for YourCreativeChord Podcast. I sometimes use my ‘Creative Exploration Formula’ (see above image) for jumpstarting a creative project. This is a way for creators to get in the creative zone, minus the negative inner critic, to start a new project or continue one. It’s a step by step process, but as creators, we know that rules are for breaking. So change it, break it, throw any part of it out the window if the muse has landed with you. GET INSIDE YOUR BOX! Start by setting limitations or parameters for yourself, or by placing yourself within a structure. This gives you a clear box where you’ll set yourself to work on creating something new. The idea of limits may already be set for you if it’s a professional task you must complete. Remember that limits are a good way for sparking fresh ideas that wouldn’t normally flow if everything were wide open or willy-nilly, anything goes. Limits force you to think. Thinking within limitations pushes you to find a new way to do something. Being in a particular box is good in this sense. If you get blocked creatively, find a way to break open that box. LET GO OF YOUR HEAD! Before you begin creating something, you must mindfully let go of your head, whatever mood you’re in, any expectations, and check your ego at the door. None of these are welcome in the creative process. They are the uninvited. Let them go. The point is to not care about your results. Yet. MAKE IT STUPID. During some creative sessions, I’ve set myself the goal of writing the worst possible song I’ve ever composed. I purposely strike the attitude that I do not care about the result. I strive to make it stupid. Ignore all the rules or protocol. I do that to forcefully eject any expectations or inner critic from my inner space. Ninety percent of the time that I use this strategy, my creative results blow me away with positive ideas I would never expect to emerge. Getting rid of that inner critic is a super powerful way to get creative juices pumping! TUNE IN TO YOUR INNER COMPASS. I silence myself to tune into what I believe in or care about. I hone in on my powerful feelings or beliefs. I let everything be guided by that inner compass. It is authentic and mystic. It’s both my higher power and my deepest desires, dreams, wants (or sometimes, pain), or passion. I allow that place to fill my silence with truth, no matter what it feels or looks or sounds like. I let the creative voice flow. If I hear negativity creep in, I start again from the top:
I tap into my heart with an open, pure curiosity to learn and be led. I allow my curiosity to explore, brainstorm, try anything and anything. I allow myself to be okay with whatever happens. I go deep into this process, ignoring all rules or outer ‘voices.’ I pretend that everything is an experiment. Because it is. ENVISION WITH GREAT ATTENTION Sometimes, I spend time visualizing. I envision the mood, color, sound, story, setting that I intend to express. I practice deeply feeling these, through each nuance, change, or detail, and through each of my senses. WELCOME FAILURE I allow for failure. I invite failure. In the words of L.A. Composer, Kristen Baum, who I recently featured on YourCreativeChord podcast, "Failure tells you as much as success." I use failure, mistakes or messing up to ignite my curiosity for inquiry. I ask myself why it’s not working. Once I find something not working, I ask myself what I could instead substitute. I make shifts, changes, and "redesigns" based on the answers from my questions about the 'failure.' My ‘Creative Exploration Formula’ leads me through the creative process like a trusted friend. But if I feel creative block and am unable to dislodge myself from it, I review my list of ways for nurturing creativity. Watch for next week's blog featuring ways for nurturing creativity... YourCreativeChord offers quality content, a positive community, and support for those interested in nurturing creativity and inspiration. IGNITE YOURCREATIVECHORD! I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to join the conversation below to let me know if you find this blog helpful or if you have questions or suggestions! Recommended Content: In my blog, Learning To Be Creative, I walk through my creative process in a simplified way. What Are Ways For Nurturing Creativity And Inspiration? Part 2 Why Should You Dream Too Big & Harness Your Powerful Imagination? Defeat Fear & Doubt with Your Courage & Capability How To Deflect Negativity To Become Happier Believing In The Positive My Top Tips For Winning Over Your Insomnia How To Live A Life of Joyful Creativity 5 Ways To Use Music & Nature For Self-Care
Photos and Designs by Jenny Leigh Hodgins at YourCreativeChord.com All Rights Reserved © 2019
by Jenny Leigh Hodgins YourCreativeChord is all about nurturing creativity and inspiration. My content features strategies for overcoming problems, reaching goals, exploring and sparking creativity, and living an inspired life. I also feature interviews with creators of all kinds, from artists, composers, writers, to choreographers and beyond. This month features a creative woman who scores music for films, writes poetry, and is now co-writing her first fantasy fiction novel! Beyond collaborative conversations with other creators, I also share my personal creative process. I write about my experience, my failures, and what inspires me to encourage you that fresh ideas can happen:
I'm personally inspired by the awe of nature's beautiful and systemic perfection. Getting outdoors, or simply looking at images of nature has been scientifically proven to boost wellness and creative inspiration. ANNOUNCING MY NEW LINE OF NATURE-BASED PRODUCTS WITH SELF-CARE AFFIRMATIONS TO NURTURE YOUR CREATIVITY So, today I'm especially excited to announce my motivational nature-inspired products for nurturing creativity and inspiration! The photos on this page are a sample of available products and designs I've created! My new designs hosted on Zazzle feature my photos from nature immersion with my positive self-care affirmations. These are intended to:
Most of my designs highlight positive self-care affirmations:
My designs are in sync with my personal practice of taking nature photos as a way to foster creativity. Each featured design is a way for you to set your positive intent and inspire yourself--and everyone who sees it! It's my sincere hope that you may be refreshed and joyfully inspired by my designs to authentically express your creativity. Click here to see all my products. Photos and Designs by Jenny Leigh Hodgins at YourCreativeChord.com All Rights Reserved © 2019
by Jenny Leigh Hodgins
Sometimes we even doubt our ability to be creative at all. In those moments, if you have my inspiring 2020 Nature Calendar, you’ll get a friendly, warm, gentle reminder that you’ve got this. Creativity is in your life just as it’s in mine. My calendar designs are based on my personal creative process of finding time for self-care, especially through experiencing nature. There's scientific research proving that experiencing awe improves your optimism and lowers stress. Nature is a constant source of awe. Research shows wellness improves even if you’re looking at pictures of nature instead of being outdoors physically! Release Your Stress To The Air I want you to see how incredible you are. How easy it can be to release your stress to the air and relish the vibrance and wonder that nature brings to your senses. Exploring the profundity of nature’s compassionate force can put you back in rhythm with your own inherent creative flow. That’s why I made my 2020 calendars. And yeah, they aren’t mass distributed. These are limited editions (and almost sold out!) that I personally designed as a resource for nurturing your creativity and inspiration. I used decent quality materials so you could write your personal events and notes on them easily. I left plenty of white space so you can set and track your personal goals in the same place where you’ll see a joyful or peaceful moment in nature. The same place where a positive affirmation will be to encourage you about your infinite creative potential. You can feel how I incorporate authenticity, an open heart and sincere determined effort in the creative process from these calendars. You can see why this visual and written format is important to me. If I can make something out of the simplicity of an ordinary moment within my day, so can you. These calendars were made to empower you and me toward manifesting our beautiful relationship with the unceasing compassionate power of the universe. That’s why I made these calendars. The cart has closed on YourCreativeChord's 2020 Inspiring Calendar. Stay tuned for 2021 Calendars in October 2020!  Photo of Yuko-En Garden, Georgetown, KY © 2019 Jenny Leigh Hodgins. Featured in GARDEN 2020 Calendar by Jenny Leigh Hodgins
If you’ve read any of my blogs on inspiration or creativity, or listened to any of my new podcasts this year, you’ll know exactly what my personal values are about. My brand name, YourCreativeChord, is symbolic of the importance I place on empowering myself and you with the tools to nurture creative energy and inspired daily life. If you’ve been reading my photo essays under the Creativity menu on my website, you’ll see more closely, behind the scenes, under the hood, of my personal creative process. That’s partly why I created my 2020 Nature Calendars, too. My calendars feature my own photos, taken on my iPhone with a simple one-button push. My photos are a reminder of how I find ways in the midst of my daily life, to notice, discover, and explore nature’s incredible beauty within an ordinary moment. I created these calendars as a representation of my brand. Immersion in nature is a huge part of healthy self-care. I added written monthly themes to remind you to be mindful of each moment. My calendar's monthly themes help you remember how your mindset matters toward reaching goals each day, month, and for the year. I value finding ways for nurturing creativity and inspiration. If you’re reading this, obviously, so do you. My calendars are a tangible example of how I approach the creative process. Each time you look at a monthly photo in my calendar, or read my written positive affirmation, you’re receiving my message about the importance of being true to yourself—and of how expressing that authenticity is to tapping inspiration. When you allow yourself to be real, genuine, vulnerable, open—the creative muse will come to you naturally. I made these calendars for you as a reminder to seize your day, create an experience of gratitude and joyful awareness through nature’s beauty and healing force. Every time you look at my calendar on your wall, you’re reminded to refresh your creative energy. We All Go Through Creative Blocks Sometimes we even doubt our ability to be creative at all. In those moments, if you have my calendar, you’ll get a friendly, warm, gentle reminder that you’ve got this. Creativity is in your life just as it’s in mine. And if I’m not a professional photographer who uses fancy camera gear, or knows all the advanced technical stuff, so what? I stand in my truth. I look at the world from where I stand, with whatever tools are in my hand, and I shoot. Er, push the button. The point is that my calendars are based on my creative process of finding time for self-care, especially through experiencing nature. There's scientific research proving that experiencing awe improves your optimism and lowers stress. Nature is a constantly changing source of awe that is constantly there. See How You Are Incredible I want you to see how incredible you are. How easy it can be to release your stress to the air and relish the vibrance and wonder that nature brings to your senses. Exploring the profundity of nature’s compassionate force can put you back in rhythm with your own inherent creative flow. That’s why I made my 2020 calendars. And yeah, they aren’t mass distributed. I used decent quality materials so you could write your personal goals, events and notes on them easily. I left plenty of white space so you can set and track your personal goals in the same place where you’ll see a joyful or peaceful moment in nature. The same place where a positive affirmation will be to encourage you about your infinite creative potential. You can feel how I incorporate authenticity, an open heart and sincere determined effort in the creative process from these calendars. You can see why this visual and written format is important to me. If I can make something out of the simplicity of a moment within my day, so can you. These calendars were made to empower you and me toward manifesting our beautiful relationship with the unceasing compassionate power of the universe. That’s why I made these calendars. The cart has closed on YourCreativeChord's 2020 Inspiring Calendar. Stay tuned for 2021 Calendars in October 2020!  Creative exploration of Van Gogh's Starry Night, painting by Jenny Leigh Hodgins by Jenny Leigh Hodgins Listen to the Podcast version here. Plenty of adult music students have told me that they were not creative. I’ve always responded, ‘Nonsense!' Everyone is creative. Some of us have learned to tap it more naturally than others. Anyone who knows me uses the word creative to describe me. I blog, podcast, write, compose, play piano, improvise, sing, garden, take photos, make videos, design my website layout, present, facilitate. As a former music and piano educator, I've been known to tweak a lesson in mid-stream to make learning accommodations for my students, lead drum circles on the beach, and more. The point is that I know how to be creative. Ideas, thoughts, patterns, melodies, rhythm, words, drama, and humor burst forth from me as an unstoppable fountain. Creative expression is more natural to me than breathing. Immersed in creative projects, I sometimes forget to breathe! Incidentally, I’ve never met a child who was not able to be creative. Young people are fully tapped into the creative dimension. They need no map to get there. Adults, however, are a different story. We sometimes lose our way to creative freedom, due to stress and pressure from our daily responsibilities. We grow out of touch with ourselves, and forget how to listen to our intuitive voice. We pay too much attention to the harsh judgments from society, and shrink our creative energy in response. We foolishly compare ourselves and our creativity to others, with standards that aren't fair or realistic. There will always be art that's better or worse than ours. There will always be someone whose creative skills are more honed than ours. There will always be people whose creative output surpasses our own. None of this matters. What matters is that we allow our authentic creative expression to flow sincerely and honestly. If you’ve lost your way or simply need some help getting connected to your creative side, here are some things I’ve learned about how to be imaginative:
Setting aside time to explore creative adventure is not only healthy and enriching for you, it will lead to your creative development. The more you give your creative life, the greater energy it will ignite. Enjoy your process and Viva La Vie Boheme! Let me know if these suggestions are helpful or if you have more tips for tapping creativity by leaving a comment below! Thank you for showing your love of my content with a LIKE or by sharing this blog with others. 
Sunset Photo at Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota by Jenny Leigh Hodgins
Photo Essay Series By Jenny Leigh Hodgins This is the first of my photo essay series featuring images from my newly designed 2020 nature photo calendars. The calendars include monthly self-care themes highlighting strategies for nurturing your creativity and inspiration. I enjoy taking nature photos because each captured image represents my excitement, joy and appreciation for the wondrous beauty available within an ordinary moment. My pictures are symbolic of my personal dreams and inner prayers for experiencing life to its maximum potential. It helps that I live in beautiful Lexington, Kentucky, surrounded by agricultural and horse farms, near enough to the Kentucky Horse Park that I can ride my bike there. I also lived in sunny Florida for half my life, enjoying the gorgeous beaches of Venice, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Clearwater and Dunedin. I snapped the photo above at Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota, during a sunset walk with a friend, determined to capture the serenity of the sun’s gentle departure beyond the horizon. This memory reminds me of my sincere friend, who graciously spent the weekend with me there to literally force me to enjoy some relaxation in between my whirlwind of events surrounding that time period. The kindness of my friend’s compassionate gesture, the therapeutic nature of the deep, pulsing waves of the water, the setting of the sun as it sprayed its pastel wash of colors across the sky, and my deep love for Sarasota, as the place my Buddhist practice began (the starting point of hope in my life), exist within this momentary pause. Just as an entire lifetime of memories, personality, knowledge and emotion are represented within a person’s name, a single photo is full of kaleidoscopic meaning. My photos are about slowing down enough to take one, solitary second out of a busy life to celebrate myself, my progress, this chapter, and the hope of the next one. It’s about letting my creative heart lead in my daily life, not my head. I don’t compare my nature photography to other great photographers. Though I admire and deeply respect the works of others who’ve dedicated their lives to mastering technique and skill, that is not what inspires me. I began taking photos because I was deeply moved by Daisaku Ikeda’s photography and underlying philosophy. He doesn’t claim to be a professional photographer. He began taking photos to commemorate experiences with others and leave something behind to encourage them. I bring my photos to YourCreativeChord with a similar hope and intent; to inspire us to continually expand our lives by letting our true authenticity be the ultimate authority of our creative process. My photos are about seeing the world through the lens of my Greater Self (not my lesser self, ego). I share my nature photography as a way of recognizing and celebrating our universal yet vulnerable point of human connection, and to experience the rejuvenating power of nature’s beauty within my images. My photography is meant as an example of courageous creative exploration, as that is a prime point for me as a creator. I blog and podcast about the importance of allowing creative adventures, setting aside the theoretical mind, to allow one’s heart to express itself, unhindered by any limitation. I’m a writer, poet and composer, but I venture into photography without my thinking hat. Instead, I bring childlike wonder and profound appreciation for nature’s astonishing allure. I want to share this with you as a way of encouraging you to see your world as the artist within you knows it to be. When you see my photos, my hope is that it sparks your belief in your own creative vision. Enjoy the view. If you loved this blog don't forget to show your awesome support by Liking the link, Subscribing for more updates and adding your comment below!  Yuko-En Garden, Georgetown, KY. Photo by Jenny Leigh Hodgins by Jenny Leigh Hodgins Prioritize Your One Thing For Greatest Impact Gary Keller’s #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller, The One Thing The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results offers powerfully effective advice on working toward goals. Keller suggests the power in prioritizing boils down to choosing only ONE thing to focus on at a time. But Keller’s real gem of wisdom is his strategy behind how to select that one thing. Keller’s guidance is to choose the one task that has the most powerfully direct effect on reaching your specific goal. Plan your day, week, month, quarterly actions around this one prioritized goal. Goodbye multi-tasking. Close out all other programs, postpone meetings, let your people know not to disturb you, shut the door, and do that one thing without interruption. That one thing has to be something that will make the greatest impact or momentum toward reaching your desired goal. Do Things That Matter Most To You And Let The Flies Go Once you choose one thing to focus on, know that you will have to let other things slide to complete that one thing. That’s the art of prioritizing; you don’t do every little thing, or take every call, or answer every email, like swatting flies as they appear at a picnic lunch. Really. How much good does all your arm-waving do, anyway? Flies will always be there. Or they’ll come back. They know where to find you. It takes adjustment to let go of tasks you’ve habitually maintained, despite how little impact they make on what’s important to you. We’re so used to being busy. But not necessarily productive on the things that matter. Get in the habit of concentrating solely on that one thing that moves you closer to your ultimate goal. Keep your attention on that one job each hour/day/week until you complete it. Then move to the next most effective thing. Sacrifice The Lesser Things On Your To-Do List I love this strategy. I must confess I fall off the one-thing-wagon at times. But when I make the effort toward my most important daily task in this way, and stay the course on that one thing in front of me, I accomplish what is necessary for my success. And it makes me feel great. I struggle with letting go of juggling an endless supply of other tasks to attend to my mission of prime concern. But I find those other things are far less meaningful or enjoyable, and definitely don’t have as much impact on my big goal as my top assignment. Failure And Your Problems Are A Powerful Catalyst To Your Success I recently spoke with University of Kentucky Associate Professor Ryan Hargrove, of the Department of Design and Agriculture on the creative process. Hargrove teaches metacognition and creative thinking through his class, ‘Living On The Right Side of the Brain.’ [Listen to the podcast of my interview with Hargrove on the creative process.] Hargrove shared that creative thinking leads to successful outcomes, whether it’s a problem to solve or an inspiration for a new creative project. Through his work with students, and collaborations with creative professionals, Hargrove has found that a key aspect to creative flow is allowing for and valuing failure as part of the process. Getting Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable When failure is used to reflect on your way of thinking, to consider what went wrong, it often functions as the catalyst for a new approach. Hargrove says it’s important to be willing to endure the discomfort of a problem state, or a failure, as that area of awkward ambiguity or angst is where a creative solution or inspiration springs forth. Instead of being a reason to quit, failure can lead to extraordinary success. This is due to the significant mental effort of reflection on your previous approach to the problem. Analyzing a failure results in learned lessons and knowledge, allowing fresh perspectives to emerge. How To Use Failure As A Springboard To Success Sticking with this process takes you past your comfort zone, to think differently than you have until this moment. Working through a problem or failure is a critical and powerful means to creativity and solutions. So don’t worry about failures or new obstacles that arise on the way toward your goals. These allow you to expand your creative vista and reach beyond your current condition. This is the kind of energetic momentum necessary to reach your bigger goal. It Ain’t Over Until You Decide It’s Over Don’t get too comfortable with your success, either. Each time you reach a goal, you’ll have to start the process again from the top. For every victory gained, you’ll have the next level’s box of new, perceived restrictions to surpass. But continuing to extend and multiply your goals will open your path to a new sense of accomplishment. Each new measure of success provides yet another shot for you to further expand yourself. You’ll only feel a plateau until you reset your goals outside that box. The sky is the limit. Oh, wait! Not anymore! Share your thoughts in the comments below about this approach to reaching your goals! Share this with a friend on social media or email! Recommended articles: How To Live A Life of Joyful Creativity Why Should You Dream Too Big & Harness Your Powerful Imagination? Defeat Fear & Doubt with Your Courage & Capability How To Deflect Negativity To Become Happier Believing In The Positive My Top Tips For Winning Over Your Insomnia Your Troubles Are Your Progress Barometer & Catalyst For Your Full Potential  University of Kentucky Associate Professor Ryan Hargrove By Jenny Leigh Hodgins CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PART 1 of my 2-part podcast, featuring my interview with University of Kentucky educator Ryan Hargrove, on tapping the creative process. See below for details. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PART 2 of my 2-part podcast, featuring my interview with University of Kentucky educator Ryan Hargrove, on nurturing creativity. See below blog for more details. I had an insightful conversation about the creative process with Associate Professor Ryan Hargrove, of the University of Kentucky’s Department of Landscape Architecture. Hargrove teaches metacognition and creative thinking through a variety of projects, trips, interviews with creative professionals, and a class called “Living on the Right Side of the Brain.” Hargrove’s future goals are to provide more active learning opportunities through creative reflection and association deep dives for all University of Kentucky students, including electives, co-curricular activities, trips, and long-term masters projects. Viewing People & Creative Ideas Holistically Hargrove’s teaching methods and views on creative thinking both educated and inspired me. His strength as a teacher of creative thinking is his prime focus on understanding the individual person. He looks at how each person learns best, digging into discovering how they think. This undertaking guides his teaching and mentoring strategies. His inclination toward empathetic listening is refreshingly disarming. When teaching students, he takes into consideration that each person has arrived from a different path, with a unique learning speed, baggage, and skills. Hargrove instructs with less of the theoretical, knowledge-pouring traditional manner, and more of a holistic process aimed at bringing all aspects of each individual’s strengths and weaknesses to navigate problems. This resonates with the creative process itself, as it functions in connection with all aspects of the whole being, too. His responses to my questions delving into best practices for tapping creativity were encouraging to me as an entrepreneur, writer, poet, composer, pianist, vocalist, and hobbyist photographer. His viewpoint is valuable to any creative professional or anyone interested in tapping or improving creative flow. Here are some of the points from my dialogue with Hargrove that stood out as most useful to those interested in nurturing creativity. Is Your Creativity Divinely Struck Or Consistently Disciplined? Although inspiration can and does strike sometimes from seemingly divine intervention, the reality is that most brilliantly creative people consistently work hard at their craft. By continuously doing this disciplined work, the creative person is more able to capture ideas readily and link diverse pieces of information together in a new way. Commit To A Way Of Seeing Life Hargrove made the point that creativity is not an “on or off switch,” but rather a commitment to a way of seeing the world. Creative professionals typically are always open to receiving ideas for inspiration. They constantly seek out new ways of looking at life, new or different perspectives, techniques, styles and experiences. Learn To Think Creatively Versus Knowledge Is Power Gaining knowledge is important but is not the end all. Especially as we have access to knowledge at our fingertips with electronic gadgets, learning to think creatively is a more valuable asset. This skill leads to transformative ways to solve problems and open new creative ideas. Adjust Yourself To The Moving Target Successful creatives don’t have the creative process figured out. They know creativity is fluid, always changing, and that their creative flow is also morphing over time. They accept this and adjust themselves to the moving target of inspiration. Mindset Is Your Best Skill Successful creative people know themselves well. They know that listening to yourself, and being in alignment with your creative process is instrumental toward creative production. Divergence Is Enlightening Immerse yourself in new perspectives to grow. From exploring podcasts, blogs, books, doing new things like painting, dancing, cooking, new music, trying a new sport, traveling to new places, to meeting new people. Engaging in conversations, working on problems with others, or trying new experiences or things are valuable in two ways:
Be Open To Inspiration Be open to the idea that a eureka! moment can come from anywhere. Creatives know that being open to inspiration means it can come from unlikely or unexpected places. A four-year old child. An elderly man at the park. While shampooing in the shower or during a bike ride. While taking the trash out. Or from a completely unrelated conversation with a friend. Anywhere and anyone is acceptable and welcome as inspiration! Reflection Is Where Creative Force Ignites Taking time to reflect on the problem or time away from a creative project or daily responsibilities is a crucial form of nourishment for the creative mind. There are two kinds of downtime that are helpful to sparking inspiration:
These are moments when you are not actively pursuing creative tasks or solutions to a problem.
Reflection is evaluating what’s going well and what you could change to improve. Skill of Association The skill of association is a critical aspect of creative flow. This is the ability to absorb disparate pieces of information in an organized manner within your mind. And later, combine that information to create something new or to address a problem with a fresh approach using the incorporated new information. Having a way to organize new ideas or perspectives is key to the skill of association. This happens when you take time to sort through your experiences and become aware of interconnections with the new information before storing it in your brain. Asking how to organize the new idea in your head, why it’s interesting, or how it could connect to other things leads to an organizing system within your mind. This assimilation supports your ability to feel inspired by these new and interconnected things. Craft, Skill, Experience Creativity requires you develop your craft or technical skills, and develop a repertoire of both life and creative experiences. The more proficient you become at your craft, the more readily you can incorporate new ideas. The more you live your life, the more ideas and experiences you’ll have to draw forth creatively. Self-Care Habits There is power in practicing healthy choices. But the creative life can also lead to imbalance or unhealthy habits because it can be all-consuming. When an idea strikes, other aspects of your life may easily be neglected (eating, exercise, relationships, sleep). However, when you place top priority on consistent self-care, other aspects of your life will generally flow better. If you feel good physically, you can usually do better work. Surround Yourself With People Who Are Better Than You Connect with people whose skills and character you admire and who bring out your best by challenging you to grow and improve yourself. Ask people who will be brutally honest to assess your creative work. Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable Seek out new challenges. Push yourself beyond your comfort zone and learn to live with ambiguity versus certainty. The discomfort of ambiguity leads to generating solutions and creative inspiration because it forces you to change your thinking. Putting yourself in a situation where you must endure a problem state forces you to grow beyond your norm which leads you to new levels of inspiration. Embrace Failure Mistakes and failures are part of the creative life and are good if used to reflect on and adjust how you’re thinking about the problem or creative project. Use failure as a learning tool to improve your creative process. Failures provide incredible growth opportunity when used to assess your approach and try new angles of thought. The creative journey joins all aspects of your whole being, from the physical, emotional, mental to the spiritual. All your experiences are interconnected and have the potential to influence inspiration. LISTEN TO MY Podcast Featuring Educator Ryan Hargrove! The podcast posts in two parts: CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PART 1! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PART 2! I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to let me know your thoughts below! Recommended articles: How To Live A Life of Joyful Creativity Why Should You Dream Too Big & Harness Your Powerful Imagination? Defeat Fear & Doubt with Your Courage & Capability How To Deflect Negativity To Become Happier Believing In The Positive My Top Tips For Winning Over Your Insomnia Your Troubles Are Your Progress Barometer & Catalyst For Your Full Potential Connect with YourCreativeChord on: Tumblr Share this with a friend on social media or email!  Photo at Lexington Arboretum by Jenny Leigh Hodgins by Jenny Leigh Hodgins I’m focused on becoming my best self. I’ve started working with a life coach as a way toward manifesting my potential and maintaining balance as an artist, entrepreneur, volunteer, and caregiver. My life coach, FayAnne, has me immediately paying attention to my values. Top on my values list is creativity. Some people have difficulty owning their sense of creativity. I am alive with it. I love it. I live it. It is my religion (or at least an expression and reflection of my Buddhist practice*). I have no problem stating unequivocally that I’m a creative person. I exhale creativity. It’s always been part of my daily life. I write (blogs, poetry, non-fiction), compose music (orchestral, piano-based, musical theatre), use my photos (nature) for my Instagram mini-blogs, annual nature photo calendars, and online content. I’m also a gardener, decent cook, public speaker, and explore painting on canvas for fun. Where I struggle, though, is taking care of my creative self. Or even recognizing that this is a treasured part of who I am as a person. To me, it just IS. FayAnne guides me to see that my creative, energetic, encouraging, strong, compassionate, inspiring self is a gift to others 🤭 because I, like all artists, have the power to connect deeply, uplift and help others tap their empowered self. I’m learning it is important to protect and support that aspect of me; that constantly, creatively expressive artiste. 👩🎨 We must take extraordinary care of this creative force that is within each of us. We must deliberately guard this beautiful treasure from over-stimulation. Sometimes we must allow silence. A moment to feel our breath rise and fall. Space. An area to absorb our surroundings and internal activity. Time. For our experiences to settle in. Solitude. To refresh our energy. As self-care practice, my coach asked me to make a metaphor for this. The metaphor I chose, for my whole being, encompassing my creative flow, physical health, spirituality, emotional and social world is a symphonic (as in composition of many harmonious parts) OCEAN. 🌊 OCEAN has alternating colors of blue, green, and glistening bright white waves that gush, crash, build, surge with fluidity, sooth, calm, or gently flow. My creative process, including writing, composing, taking photos and designing my visual content are part of OCEAN. All my online biz tasks are also part of OCEAN, including technical, technological, administrative, marketing, and planning. Nothing is separate or compartmentalized. This is a new way to think for me. Generally, I, like most artists, separate creative flow from business or administrative tasks. But this OCEAN view makes sense to me as I am ONE person that encompasses ALL these tasks and creative projects. It makes sense to see every task in my daily routine as part of the flow from that essential core at the center of my life. YourCreativeChord is OCEAN. It is a place you can get ideas, strategies, and encouragement about a variety of topics. I pour all of my experiences with piano, music, creativity, caregiver and inspiration into this OCEAN called YourCreativeChord. Though each section is a separate world unto itself, each world also connects to this one whole, harmonious collective force; OCEAN. If we met at a social event, we may discuss a few things that we have in common, like gardening or writing. As we continue learning about each other, we discover that we both have a multitude of interests, talents, jobs or skills. The integration of all those branches is revealed in our unique personalities. Just as we each have various interests that are encompassed by our individual lives, my offering to you through YourCreativeChord is ALL ONE THING. The creative, spiritual, emotional, physical are all interconnected and feeds the whole life; It’s all one thing! As you explore my content, you’ll find connections between all these topics that relate to the one thing that is YourCreativeChord. I’m describing the interconnectedness of life, but also how learning effective piano practice strategies, building caregiver support, spiritual wellness and opening your creativity are two but not two. They are uniquely separate and yet all connected to the same essential core called LIFE. Another way to see this bond is to recognize how expressions of the creative life stem from the same impulse within our lives. My life coach gave an example of seeing something within the visual as audio; A flower as a melodic phrase. A harbor view as a pattern of rhythm or dynamics. A song as a color. These are all expressions of who we are as human beings. I’m an artist, a musician, a composer, a cyclist, a pianist, a writer, a poet, a spiritual facilitator, a daughter, a sister, a friend. Your specifics may vary slightly; a film composer, runner, guitarist, painter, photographer, fiction writer, rapper, spiritual seeker, son, brother, father. These all spring from within the same vital center within each life. That means there is nothing to separate me from you, or either of us from the connection to creativity or wellness. This OCEAN is not just about the arts, either. My social, financial and business goals are part of OCEAN. My success in all these areas comes directly from my OCEAN’s momentum of creative output, spiritual wisdom and physical energy. My personal challenge is learning that I can’t boss OCEAN into doing something! As a creative process, the OCEAN is not concrete or finite. It has expansion. It ebbs and flows. Allow this. Don’t judge. Don’t attempt to push the OCEAN around like a Bossy Boss. Get out of the way and let it flow. Let it morph in its natural, creative, spiritual, emotional and physical way of choice. Part of this process is learning to TRUST that creativity—OCEAN—the one thing—will be able to head in the direction and generate the success and the social, business, financial or artistic victory I desire. I’ve experienced this. Things happen when I clarify that it’s all one thing. When I TRUST my sincere intent to speak from the voice of my OCEAN to the world around me--things resonate, connect, and guide in the best and most positive way. I’ve transformed music classrooms, chorus rehearsals, musical performances, speeches, relationships, and readership based on my ability to trust my inner voice in this way. I’ve had audiences express emotion through tears and standing ovations, readers send messages of deep gratitude and relevance, students rise up to pull out creative brilliance and explosive energy, jobs and/or clients suddenly available, and people open up--all in direct response to my TRUSTING the OCEAN and that everything is ALL ONE THING. This is the power that artists wield. And in my opinion, we are ALL artists. Some of us are just a few steps ahead in the zone of getting accustomed to our connection to this OCEAN. This is what YourCreativeChord is all about. My inner journey to connect to your inner life, to tap into and empower our best potential, greater selves. We get there instantly, leisurely, methodically, and randomly through various ways, niches, branches, and aspects of this one thing we call life. Welcome to YourCreativeChord. IT’S ALL ONE THING. I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to let me know your thoughts below! Connect with YourCreativeChord on: Tumblr Share this with a friend on social media or email! Recommended articles: Why Should You Dream Too Big & Harness Your Powerful Imagination? Your Troubles Are Your Progress Barometer & Catalyst For Your Full Potential How To Use Self-Care To Feel Happy 5 Ways To Use Music & Nature For Self-Care Defeat Fear & Doubt with Your Courage & Capability How To Deflect Negativity To Become Happier Believing In The Positive To Climb Again My Kilimanjaro *Although I'm a proud member of SGI-USA, I'm not an official spokesperson for SGI-USA. Though I base my actions on my personal Buddhist practice as an SGI-USA member, my online business and content associated with YourCreativeChord is not in any way affiliated with SGI-USA.  Let's learn to ride the waves! Photo by Jenny Leigh Hodgins by Jenny Leigh Hodgins Is your creative flow clogged? Or do you just want to tap into your creativity? Do you fight with insomnia, negative self-talk, overthinking, or depression? Do you struggle with how to progress as a pianist? Are you having difficulties keeping up with your caregiver responsibilities? Are you searching for a joyfulness in your daily life? I've struggled with all of these! As an entrepreneur, caregiver, composer, writer and hobbyist nature photographer I share my personal tips that work for tapping creativity, and inspiration! I also interview other professional creators, from artists to writers, to composers and creative experts. And it’s not ALL about struggle! There are moments and even full chapters and books about riding that wave of joyous creative output, refreshed balance and spiritual momentum! I offer TONS of valuable FREE content on empowering strategies for nurturing your creative and inspiration that I have used and still practice. All of these topics, from music to creative flow to handling stress and strengthening spirituality, are branches from the same roots. Everything is interconnected. It all flows from the same core of spiritual, physical and creative energy. When we take care of one area, it reflects in other ways, too. We're complex, deep, light, funny, serious, talented, methodical, rebellious, sensitive, bold beings, and everything in between! The different things I blog, talk about or teach, reflect the holistic interconnectedness of a creative, healthy, spiritually well and whole person. Like YOU! Check the ABOUT page to learn more about why I'm the perfect person to offer empowering strategies for nurturing creativity and inspiration for you! I'll keep the great value rolling out for you in my blogs, podcasts, products and courses! Creativity and inspiration are worlds that EVERY HUMAN has the potential to explore and THRIVE. Join TEAM YCC and let me show you the way to prioritizing your life so the creative juices pour forth from a solid life-state of strength and compassionate wisdom. As a creativepreneur, caregiver, Buddhist, single 50+ woman, I have MY particular journey. The reason I’m launching YourCreativeChord is to SHARE what gives me creative and spiritual energy so that YOU can be empowered, too. We have the ability to use every difficulty we experience to encourage others. This is what the Buddhist concept of 'karma into mission' means to me. We have our unique set of challenges so that we can learn how to manifest our full potential. In the process, we become leaders by example, helping those around us stand up, too! My goal is to use my personal journey, skillsets, talent, experience, and awareness to create as much value for you as possible. SIGN-UP HERE FOR MY MAILING LIST to be the first to hear of new content, products and courses! I’m SO excited to see where we go, to learn from you as well, and to share how we grow in our creative, inspired wellness together. I’d love to hear from you. It means a lot to me that my content is helpful and empowers you. Please take a moment to let me know your thoughts below! Recommended articles: Your Troubles Are Your Progress Barometer & Catalyst For Your Full Potential How To Use Self-Care To Feel Happy 5 Ways To Use Music & Nature For Self-Care Defeat Fear & Doubt with Your Courage & Capability How To Deflect Negativity To Become Happier Believing In The Positive To Climb Again My Kilimanjaro You can also find me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook!  Lexington Ballet Ensemble, October 27, 2018, LexArts  Lexington Ballet Company dancing choreography by Dancer, Alexandra Orenstein, October 27, 2018, LexArts. A REVIEW OF LEXINGTON BALLET COMPANY By Jenny Leigh Hodgins My mother and I attended New Works and Other Voices, a free performance by the Lexington Ballet Company, Saturday, October 27, 2018, at LexArts on 161 N. Mill Street, Lexington. I had no idea what to expect, as I was unfamiliar with the program. From the moment Lexington Ballet Artistic Director, Luis Dominguez spoke, I knew immediately the audience was in for a robust explosion of cultural spirit. As he introduced each choreographer, musical background of each composition, and the meaning behind each dance, his love and respect for art was exuberant. The featured choreographers are also company dancers and instructors at the Lexington Ballet. As each one spoke before the cast’s performance, the heartfelt sincerity and passion for dance was palpable. But the dancers’ performances topped that. Beyond demonstrating a graceful physical flexibility, they overwhelmed the room with youthful passion, and shared their hearts through dance. It is rare to attend a concert that rises above technical mastery to resonate directly with the heart. But Lexington Ballet Company cast did just that, with every performance of the concert. I don’t know anything about dance. But, I gathered from each selection of the concert, that these young people have vigorously worked to overcome their physical limitations. That was obvious from their movements, and their polished achievements are worth the spotlight of attention. The colorful costumes changed throughout the concert, adding oomph to the visual cultural expression onstage. The unity of the dancers was impressive. They created a harmoniously flowing motion with bodies of different shapes, heights and age. They made it look easy. The atmosphere within the room transformed through the purity of the energetic dancers. In today’s world filled with self-inflicted barriers, darkness and disunity, Lexington Ballet’s performances immersed the audience with spiritual and emotional therapy. The power of their artful dances, evidently rooted in the expression of each artist’s heart and soul, led the audience through an array of emotion. I could feel my own heart open, and sometimes be astounded by their phenomenal talent. It is this kind of artistic performance, based on communicating heart to heart, that has the power to bring hope to our society. “Music is an expression of the human spirit; it speaks directly to the heart and proves that we can transcend national and ethnic barriers. It plays a critical role in building peace.”1 This is a strong factor in the argument for arts promotion. Lexington Ballet Company’s program offers solid training in dance to youth. But observing their concert last Saturday, they go far deeper than that. They provide their dancers with holistic development toward becoming true artists. I cannot think of a single thing our society needs more than raising capable, spiritually empowered youth. The development of young artists connects wellness of mind, body, and spirit. Experiencing art as a performer or audience member is rehabilitation for the soul. Art is a great place to start in our complicated world, toward building bridges between humans. Art is healing and energizing for all, as it is a collaboration between humans in the most vulnerable form. Choreographer/Dancer Casey Myrick introduced the first piece, Anxious Desires, by musician Sufjan Stevens, which featured modern dance movements grounded in classical dance styles. Myrick said the work was inspired by a Buddhist concept about anxiety stemming from desire and how anxiety can actually work to fulfill our desires. The performance was a unique, outside-the-box mentality of dance that evoked discomfort lending to intrigue. Dancers bodies and expressions emoted fear, doubt, distress, and finally, resolution and relief. Choreographer/Dancer Alexandra Orenstein introduced UnderTones, her work set to an excerpt from jazz composer, Keith Jarrett's solo piano work, Lausanne Concert. The improvisational music builds on a rhythmic droning, with Jarrett’s infamous knack for outflowing melodic lines. Orenstein’s organic, abstract modern approach to movement for each dancer emerged naturally, in sync with the music’s pulsating crescendo and layered texture.  Dancer/Choreographer Ayako Hasebe Lloyd, of Lexington Ballet Company, Photo by Sherrill Moody. Talented dancer, Ayako Hasebe Lloyd’s stunning entrance in a bold red dress, and her ensuing solo dance to Sand, mesmerized the audience. Luis Dominguez and Lexington Ballet School Director and Ballet Mistress, Nancy Dominguez "developed the collaborative piece as a pas de seul”2 for Lloyd. The first section of the dance, Sand, was set to Luis Ni’s G Minor Bach, and choreographed by Nancy Dominguez as an homage to her mother, who passed away with Alzheimer’s last year. Next, Zoom-Out, set to a song by Drummond Dominguez, was choreographed by Luis Dominguez. Lloyd’s movements were elegant, bursting with passion tempered with artistic maturity that shook the room with her life-force. Lloyd’s commanding performance segued fluidly into Kaylie Conner and Sean Sullivan’s romantic Pas de Deux, performed to Nightflight, by Drummond Dominguez and Ethan Gustavson. The performances, highlighted by vivid red costumes, led flawlessly to the final group piece choreographed by Nancy and Luis Dominguez, to Fernando Delgadillo’s La Inspiration. During intermission, my mother and I engaged in a natural conversation with strangers around us. Was it the dancers’ performances, emanating with openness and intimacy, that made it so easy for strangers to interact? We went well beyond small talk to discover that the couple behind us had a 28-year old son who’d been diagnosed with 4th-stage cancer. This led to our sharing that we had lost my 28- year old brother to a car accident in 2004. We opened up and shared honestly with each other in the short dialog. We took our seats as Lloyd introduced the meaning behind her choreography to Our Blue Hearts by Japanese composer, Joe Hisaishi. “This work is inspired by the blue stained-glass hearts that hang in the Lexington Ballet studio windows as a memorial to a past student.”3 The dance featured the largest cast of the evening, and in particular, the youngest performers. Lloyd talked about how the personal loss of her brother inspired her choreography. She shared warmly how grief affects many, and it was her intent that the piece would help audience members cope with loss and feel supported. Her introduction and the dance performance were mystically in sync with the conversation my mother and I had with the couple behind us.  Lexington Ballet Ensemble performing choreography by Ayako Hasebe Lloyd. Photo by Sherrill Moody. The choreography and dance were deeply touching. Depicting the sorrow of loss as relationships end, the stage evolved from soloists to exponentially growing numbers of dancers exhibiting grief through facial expression and movement. As Hisaishi’s music progressed with a symphonic swell, a solo dancer was hoisted atop a group of dancers, like pallbearers carrying the deceased. The audience was moved by its emotional intensity. The dancers, in delicate blue costumes, swirled onstage from scene to scene, ending with a harmonious, joyful, full cast of camaraderie. It symbolized, to me, the victory over tragedy with the power of friendship, community, and spiritual transformation. My words do not do justice to the eloquence and impact of the Lexington Ballet Company performances. “We can know a country’s rise and fall by whether its tones are happy or sad.”3 The Lexington Ballet Company's display of artistic beauty, poise and soul expressed the gamut of moods, yet landed on the joyous, the united and hopeful. Like, comment and share this blog with others. SIGN-UP HERE to get your FREE download of YCC's Top 10 Things To Help You Reach Your Goals! Plus get more more strategies for creativity, piano, caregiver and spiritual wellness!  Lexington Ballet Ensemble 10/27/2018. Photo by Sherrill Moody. Bring your school, church, or group to a performance!
Sign up for more info about Lexington Ballet Company program and events. Click here to learn more about how you can support Lexington Ballet Company. 1 Daisaku Ikeda, peace advocate, Buddhist philosopher, educator, author, poet and leader of Soka Gakkai International 2 Extracted from LexingtonBallet.org 3. Extracted from LexingtonBallet.org 4 Nichiren, 13th century Buddhist leader  by Jenny Leigh Hodgins
The more I thought I knew about teaching music to elementary students, the less I felt I knew. After every summer, I'd have a panic attack. I felt I had completely lost all ability to teach anything. I felt like a total novice. I drew a complete mental blank about where to start preparing for students. I pushed myself to start things rolling with the most basic ideas to welcome students. I started with the intention to spark a love of music in them. I decided on the clear, simple goal to create a climate where they felt comfortable to be themselves. I crammed to find the time for lesson plans based on the required music standards. I morphed my resources of activities into actual structured lessons for the classroom. My job required me to focus on implementing national teaching standards. This aimed my lesson planning on engaging students to function and progress through each learning goal. My lessons were also geared to help students develop skills to use and comprehend specific music vocabulary. I discovered that the true teaching moments arose from something unexpected and unplanned. I had a few of those moments in various classes. When it happened, it was such a delight. What was that? It was the transformation of the music classroom. The atmosphere changed with inclusive connections between student to student, teacher to student and the lesson content. When the students laughed, their eyes lit up, and their brains became ultra-alert and attentive, I felt like a superhero character. I shed my identity as a panic-stricken wanna-be to emerge as a wise educator. I awakened. My students taught me what is essential in the classroom. Those magical moments when students felt my energetic passion for both the subject matter (music), and my sincere care for their educational progress. When it happened it was a period of sheer enjoyment, trust and camaraderie. Both teacher and students arrived together at the pinnacle of the most treasured part of our daily lives in the classroom; learning. And I unwittingly discovered my own forte (heh heh) as a music teacher in that process. My sense of humor and dedication to the almighty subject of music, when combined with my sincere prayer for my students to enjoy themselves, became a collective, awe-inspiring energy. It was a force that propelled my students with me toward the greatest aspiration of education; Happiness. I am transfixed by the simplicity of this lesson; that learning should be fun. That’s what being a kid is all about. In a reality that is deeper than what is visible to the eye, the true lesson is that my students taught me. Like, comment and share this blog with others! Thank you! SIGN-UP HERE to get your FREE download of YCC's Top 10 Things To Help You Reach Your Goals! Plus get more more strategies for creativity & inspiration! Recommended articles: Your Troubles Are Your Progress Barometer & Catalyst For Your Full Potential How To Use Self-Care To Feel Happy 5 Ways To Use Music & Nature For Self-Care Defeat Fear & Doubt with Your Courage & Capability How To Deflect Negativity To Become Happier Believing In The Positive To Climb Again My Kilimanjaro Check out my Self Care Resources page. |
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CREATIVITYIn my CREATIVITY blogs, you’ll find tips for exploring creative flow, and inspiring content related to the inherent challenges and tremendous joy within the creative process. Archives
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