*Jozzua Notes from a Business and Marketing Strategist/Tactician

Unleash Your Creative Side by Not Reading (or Not Web Surfing?)

Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity [10th Anniversary Edition], provides advice for people who want to unleash their creative side - don't read. For web info addicts like you and me, does this mean, don't surf?

First, let's talk about the book. The only place I found this a copy of this (aside from Amazon) is at A Different Bookstore in Eastwood, Libis. The book teaches how ordinary people (like me) how to release our inner creative child by through some simple principles:

1. We are all innately creative.
2. Our creativity is often blocked by many things.
3. There are tools and ways to get pass the creative blocks.

How do we become creative? Julia offers two basic tools:

1. Make morning pages. These are daily 3-page written thoughts and rants that you MUST do every day, then not read again for at least 3 weeks. This eventually becomes your creative source. It's your venue to regularly practice your creative side without the boundaries of censors and critics. Important when you do this, don't edit it. Just write continuously and freely - then just leave it be.

2. Have an Artist's date. Essentially this is your alone time. You must promise to go out alone (or with your inner artist self) to do something to refill your creative jar. It can be anything that's totally out of your usual routine. Things that came to my mind include going to museums, art cafes and odd shops for trinket shopping. This depends entirely on you.

Not Reading For A Week?!

If you're in a creative slump, Julia suggests this shock treatment: NO READING for a week.

I definitely, with my working lifestyle, can't do this for one week. However, I realized I could probably do this for one whole day. I remember one time I didn't go online for around 2 days, it felt rather refreshing. It was like going on a personal retreat, shut off from the world. When I got back online (and blogged) it felt like I could write forever.

I'll give her suggestion a try for the next few months. I'll go on those morning pages, weekly artist dates and at least one day (in my case, this is all I can do) without READING or SURFING.

Since I'm an INFO addict, the INFO deprivation might just work.

On to unleash my inner artist!