It All Starts With Starting…

I know how blatantly oversimplified that statement sounds. It may even sound a little silly, but it’s not. I approach my post today without a lot of inspiration. I was actually not sure what to write, so I threw a quick prayer to the Lord, and just felt like I should start to write. The thoughts flowed instantaneously. So often we take writer’s block, or creative block or (whatever realm we feel called to create in) block as an excuse to not create. That’s counter productive.

How often has a blocked day turned into a blocked week, then to a dry spell, then finally to I used to draw/paint/write, etc.? I’ve seen it over and over again. People… gifted people… who simply lost inspiration one day and gave up. DO NOT DO THAT! You are talented and gifted for a reason there is art to be made, work to be done, and a world to be changed and it takes all of us doing our best at any given moment.

Inspiration is not something to be waited for, most of the time, it’s something to be hunted down and put to work. Most of the time, it all starts with starting, putting pen to paper, brush to canvas, fingers to keyboard… If you don’t know what to do, just start doing something. Don’t flee to a distraction, don’t check your email one more time or start commenting on Facebook, Tweeting, you know the drill. Instead look to the things that inspire you, and start the hunt.

I’m currently reading by Julia Cameron and that book hammers two ideas—morning pages and artist’s dates. Morning pages is a committed discipline to write at least three pages every morning, first thing. It’s free writing, no holds barred, just start and let it flow. I can’t tell you how many times this has spun into one of these posts. It gets my mind thinking and jumpstarts creativity. Artists dates are committing to a time each week when you do something that inspires you. It’s taking a little time out to nurture your creativity. Again I find these to be extremely helpful. It doesn’t have to be much. Any little thing will do as long as it fires your creativity. Sometimes for me it’s as simple as my early morning prayer walk. Sometimes it’s a walk around the flea market looking for something unique or a matinee movie. It doesn’t have to cost a lot (or anything at all), but it gets you started.

As a person whose passion is to help people embrace and enhance their creativity, my hope is that my blogs will help people get going. I try to come up with a lot of ways to do that, including several books designed to just help people get started. Because in the end that’s what it all comes down to.

It all starts with starting. What can you start today?

How can I help you get started?

(By the way there’s 500+ pretty inspirational words, if I do say so myself) that all came because I did two things. Prayed and got started.)