Ritualizing your making
As we approach back-to-school season, I’m reminded of the seasonal rituals that support our creativity. Whether they call them rituals, everyone uses familiar gestures, tools and rhythms in their creative process.
When I teach Capture the WOW, we focus on rituals around our making. Rituals tell us that it’s time to shift from the everyday into the creative mode.
Some rituals actually hinder our creative satisfaction. People moan about these distraction rituals:
• checking in to Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram before a creating session and losing precious focus
• checking stats to see how many people have read your stuff
• checking email
These ‘checking in’ rituals, as you know, often lead you away from the cherished creative focus you crave so dearly. We want to practice rituals that support our creative focus.
Rituals that work
Transitioning often poses a challenge for us, and having simple, non-pretentious ways to access our creative zone can really help make it easier. It seems to be getting harder and harder to corral our attention. This is agenda for many of my workshops like Capture the WOW and Drawing as Meditation – to train our attention so we can focus on things that are important to us.
My coffee is a ritual that invites me to sit and focus while I am drinking it. Maybe you enjoy a beverage ritual. Here’s a peek at some of the rituals my clients and I enjoy:
• pulling a Writual Blessing card at random before a writing session
• free-writing to drop in, clear mundane concerns and focus on your work
• doodling or putting paint or lines on the page to get into the flow
• a few minutes (only a few!) of tidying up the workspace
• lighting a special candle
• putting on music reserved only for creative time.
These simple actions are included in all my workshops.They’re a crucial part of designing a creative practice. I talk about rituals a lot with my clients, and it’s fun to see how much progress they make when they get in their stride.
Our time and attention are precious assets that help us take action on things that make our days feel rich. Rituals serve as an entry point to our focus.
What rituals help you transition to your creative zone? Share your creative rituals below.
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