Stephanie Anderson

Of course it’s far more important to make a start on your creative project than spend time thinking about how to start.  But for some people it’s taking the first steps that proves tricky.  If that’s true in your case it might help to think about space and time and place.

To begin with allow your creativity a space … let your painting, designing, dancing or poetry become part of what you are and what you do – perhaps think of it as a creative breath, or heartbeat.   In this way your creativity isn’t an addition to your life but is as intrinsic as eating and sleeping.

My friend Karen has incorporated a creative heartbeat into dog-walking.  She takes Puck to the nearby park and observes the world within the park gates, noticing changes each day in flora and fauna, and human activity.  These observations spin thoughts of their own,  turning into ideas for poems or other writing.  On a practical point it’s worth carrying a notebook (or voice recorder) around with you rather than end up with the inevitable scraps of scribbles collecting in your pockets.

While you may not have a dog you can begin to look for that space and find opportunities within your own day to take a creative breath.