What Inspires Creativity? - A Short List

Yesterday, while driving around, I started to get ideas for things "someone" should do when "they" retire or have more time on "their" hands. Today, I saw a post on Edutopia, "Creativity on the Run:18 Apps to Inspire Creativity." The apps, truth be told, were not inspiring. So it made me wonder, just what was going on yesterday that got me inspired. 

I started the day by going to the post office.  I had ordered a new book from Amazon by creativity guru, Austin Kleon, titled Show Your Work, about being a working artist or writer. I hadn't read it yet when I started having these ideas. Maybe it was the vibe of the book that was emanating to my brain. I had ordered this book for obvious reasons, but also as a way to support art and creative writing in others. So, while I do have some money (not being retired yet),  I spend it on books. I have no more shelf space, but that's okay, I'll figure it out. I'm putting my money where my mouth, and heart is. 

The second thing I did was go to the public library. Since I rediscovered this amazing community resource, I have been motivated to choose my reading well, and read a whole novel in the three weeks I have with it. The trip to the library becomes a trip to your "self", your identity, an affirmation and recognition of who you are and what is important to you. After making my selections to check out, I sat with a magazine called Flux, a lifestyle magazine based in Hawaii. This one had a War and Peace theme, which was very interesting. 

Then I went to the Keauhou Farmers Market, where I got an avocado and some honey. Why is this creative? It connects you to people doing creative, life-affirming things with their lives. Entrepreneurship is creative, I believe. 

Decided to have lunch at Habeneros, and wanted to tweet: Why do I love Mexican food? I may start tweeting, as I have these tweetable thoughts (and Austin Kleon says to). On my way out, I saw a woman looking out to the ocean with a camera. I looked to see what she was looking at, and I saw a big splash which we know as whale action. I parked my car to whale-watch, and though I saw some spouting, I did not see more breaching. Was this inspiring me? The life force from these magnificent creatures, which I only saw glimpses of? 

This is not my meal, found it on Trip Advisor, but I had 2 soft tacos, fish and carne asada. 

Finally, I went to the beach.  It was one of those shore-crashing Kona days. There's something exhilarating about those days. I read my new book, which was like sitting with a good friend telling you to "Just Do It!" Perhaps, at some point, my creative ideas will come to fruition, as they were sure flowing. Now is not the time. 

This is not the beach I went to, because I didn't take my camera/phone with me. But this was one of those shore-crashing days as well. 

But I will share this. Based on my day, here are 4 things you can do to inspire creativity.

1) Support writers whose work includes inspiring creativity. 

2) Support your local library, spend time there reconnecting to your self.

3) Support  local businesses, especially farmers and restaurants.

4) Go to the beach. Look for whales or dolphins. I don't think this works on its own, because most times, beach days are for chilling, and not doing much of anything, which is still a good thing. I think the important thing was breaking out of my routine and getting out to get fresh air and be one on one with nature. I'm sure it was the combination of these elements in the context of other things going on in my life now that got the juices flowing. 

Why I Write: A Story about Ukus

        My friend blessed me with this story about a story I had written about ukus.

When I lived in Honolulu, I used to write scripts for the Honolulu Theatre for Youth's annual Christmas Talk Story. The artistic director at the time invited writers to submit a script for a monologue from a child's point of view about some aspect of the holidays in Hawaii. I loved this aspect of my writing life, just small enough to be doable, and to consider myself a writer. I think I had 4 different stories in, and then there were 2 "Best of ..." shows, which were bonuses. (There were also 2 rejections along the way.)  Two of my scripts were published in a book that included a CD of actors performing the stories.  One of the stories is about sibling rivalry over a favorite cousin and the other is about ukus and mother-daughter bonding. 

My friend shares the book with her class before winter break and always reminds me about it every year. This year, during the break, her sister and niece were visiting. California lice (since they were from California, they were not Hawaiian ukus) stowed away on her young niece, so they had to deal with it when they arrived. It was not a pleasant experience, and then my friend remembered my story, so as her sister was combing the lice from her little girl's hair, my friend, the Aunty, read the story to them. She told me that both her sister and her niece were touched by my story, relaxing as the lice were combed out and away. 

I used to say that if I can touch even one person by something that I wrote, I would be happy. I still think that's true. I am not very ambitious, except to have enough of these validating moments. 

Thank you, friend. 

Note: I wrote this in January and was going to post the uku story with it. But I had written it on a different computer and can't access those files, so they need to be retyped again. One day I will do that. 

Food Love: Red Salad and Flourless Chocolate Cake with Grapefruit

        Yes, cooking is creative, even if you are following a recipe.

I had saved some recipes that were recently seen either on sites I subscribe to or on Facebook that seemed to have a Valentines Day focus. Yesterday, I went to the farmers market by the Sheraton, and got beets, cilantro, and red cabbage, all locally and organically grown. The recipe I was going to use was Fergus Henderson's Red Salad found on website Food 52. All I needed was the red onion. I also thought black sesame seeds would put a little twist to the taste. I decided that cilantro would have to substitute for chervil, which I had to look up to find that it was in the parsley family. The dressing in the recipe was a balsamic vinegar and olive oil one. I used an espresso balsamic vinegar that I had brought home from Seattle. I also added pomegranates, which I had splurged on from Costco. So, yes, cooking is creative. My "creation" was delicious and healthy-feeling.

The other thing I made today was a version of Grapefruit Raspberry Flourless Chocolate cake seen on the Anthology magazine website. I had brought chocolate home from my trip to Oaxaca and the grapefruit in our yard is plentiful. No raspberries, but there were strawberries in the refrigerator.  So, it was a perfect recipe for me to try. I didn't follow it exactly, but I do think it came out so nicely. I always wondered  how to make flourless chocolate cake. Oh my Grapefruit! This is so good. I am feeling high from all these serotonin inducing foods. 

Juice from Oranges and Tangerines in our Yard

There's something about squeezing citrus from trees in your own yard that is so - I can't even find the right word. Yes, it's cool, but it feeds me creatively. That act somehow belongs on this blog. I took from things in my environment and I made something of it. It's delicious too. So, the word is --- juicy! 

Hanging Laundry

Sometimes

It'll come

Hanging laundry in the closet.

You don't know 

If it will be a paragraph, 

Or a poem,

But you want to do something

With that thought

So you stop 

Hanging laundry

And write down that thought.

Sometimes 

That thought

Connects onto other thoughts

Like weaving

Sometimes it just hangs

Like a piece of thread,

Going nowhere.

But I have learned  

To honor that impulse

To see it a as a gift.

It has no agenda

It is not part of a five year plan

Or achieving a goal.

The impulse 

Is like a nudge 

From your higher self

Or something like that

If your intent is to be

Who you truly are

Let these impulses guide you. 

Philanthropy: Kind of

Philanthropy, kind of

(Reflection after Buying Books on Amazon)

If I had all the money in the world,

Then no one but me would have money,

So I better not say that. 

But if I had lots of money,

I would be a philanthropist

And I would give money to 

Budding and struggling

Artists,

Poets,

Writers,

Inventors,

Filmmakers,

Musicians, 

Storytellers of all kinds

For creative work

Contributing to a beautiful world,

Nurturing the planet

Like comfort food,

And gardens.

I do that now

I look at it as contributing to the economy

Or supporting the arts

When I spend my money 

On what would seem to be 

Non-essential 

By some. 

But it is essential

Not in the food, clothing, shelter

Scheme of things

But in the quality of life

Scheme of things

In the co-creation of a world

Worth living in

A world in which creativity

And doing good 

Is valued as much as 

Or more than

Money making

And simple pleasure-seeking

When I go to a book store,

Physical or online, 

Or iTunes,

Or participate 

In crowd-funding campaigns,

Or go to a farmer's market

Or craft fair, 

I spend my money based on

What or who I want to support 

In a world I want to co-create. 

It's a small way of making a mark 

In the world

On a teacher's salary.

So I would like to have more money

To be more of philanthropist

To support those 

Who are dedicated to their 

Creative impulses, 

And yes, 

Making the world a better place,

Whose creative 

And do-good impulses,

Whose seeds and sprouts,

I want to see blossom,

Bloom,

Grow,

Live.

On Borrowing a Book on Hand Lettering at my Neighborhood Library

The purpose of libraries

besides the borrowing of books 

Free

and thus the spreading of knowledge

is to define identity

Who you are

Who I am

I wander

through the stacks

with no agenda

no author or subject in mind

nothing specific to find

I look

I read spines

Hearing titles

Listening

for a book to call to me

Several do.

Grant-writing

Working your way around the world

How to train your brain

And then

The Art and Craft of Hand Lettering

I reach,

I touch,

I pull it off the shelf,

I am mesmerized.

I sit with it

awhile

on the floor

and then put it back

but then it calls again

it tells me

I know you may not have time to read me

or do the projects entailed in here

But you can take me home

to take up  a small bit of space 

in your life

I will inspire you

even if you never open me up again

you will know that

I am a part of you

because you heard me,

You listened to me,

You chose me.