In the past five years, my daily rituals, practices and overall mindfulness have supercharged my creativity. Through alignment between my actions from moment to moment with bigger aspirations is like a never-ending supply of creative plutonium. Today’s episode is a response to an online question: How did your focus/perspective on mindfulness change over your career and how did that impact your creativity?
I encourage you to reflect on how these five elements of mindfulness play a role in your creative mojo:
- Your physical environment- some may argue that a messy desk is a sign of genius but for most folks, optimizing the physical work space enhances creativity.
- Morning routine: search “Chase Jarvis morning routine” on YouTube if you’re interested. Why do the first 60-90 minutes in the morning matter so much to creativity?
- Awareness- this one is harder to quantify, but your awareness guides everything when it comes to creativity. Awareness and presence play a big role in dealing with uncertainty and spawn creativity. Where do you get your best ideas? Let me guess, it’s probably during a time when you are at ease, relaxed and clear-headed, not in a reactive, stressed out mental state.
- Communication- call it emotional intelligence, social skills, whatever… listening to other people can be a powerful tool, photographers and filmmakers use these skills to connect with their collaborators. Entrepreneurs use awareness to navigate difficult conversations, tailor their messaging.
- Productivity: Prioritizing mindfulness can seem counterintuitive to your productivity, but in the long haul (your career is a marathon not a sprint) neglecting the activities and rituals that bring you joy hinders productivity AND your creativity. How often do you hear about an artist or entrepreneur burning out after going full-throttle for too long? Think about professional athletes- for them, recovery is part of the job. Practicing and playing in games is only part of the job. The point is, if you want to produce at an optimal level in the long-run, taking time for yourself will be instrumental.
There are an unlimited number of ways mindfulness impacts creativity. These are just a few that come to mind but I encourage you to think deeply about how your own daily habits, awareness and mindfulness practice influence your creativity. Is there something you can cut out that’s not serving you? Is there a tool you can try like breathing exercises, meditation, a gratitude journal…? Whatever you do, I want to hear about it. Shoot me a text at: 206-309-5177
Enjoy!
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