Weekend Notes on Wellness and Creativity

Last week, I got sick.  After a full and fun weekend, my ears plugged up, my throat hurt, my body ached.  I needed a break from the research and plan mode I’d been in.  My body and my right brain needed a pick me-up.  I needed a creative injection.

Here are some things that got me through sick week, and resparked my wellness and creativity.

1.  Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar + Tea + Rest. I haven’t been to the doctor in a long while.  Echinacea tea with lemon, fresh ginger and local honey and a swig of Bragg’s twice a day is my go-to.  A cycle of tea and restorative foods combined with rest nurtures me every time.

2.  Make Art:  Brush Lettering Art Class.  Midweek I was on the upswing and needed to get out of the house.  I signed up for a brush lettering class.  On a recent trip, I’d admired the hand drawn journals of friends.  I wanted to add some fun to my own writing and journaling.    

It is hard for me at times to take a pause from mom duties and projects.  To give myself permission for simple, non-goal oriented fun.  But so glad I did.  It made me feel better, physically and mentally.

This passage “Decide to Be Creative” from The Power of Decision came to mind:

“Pleasure and fun are creative mental atmospheres.   Too many people have too little pleasure in their usual week.  It is a tonic that keeps the mind functioning in the ways of health.”

Check out CRAFT in Austin, Texas for a rotating schedule of creative fun.

3.  Take time for Gratitude and Fill your Jar of Awesome.  Tim Ferris mentioned this gratitude practice on his podcast.  He talks about an old girlfriend teaching him gratitude and appreciation.  She made him a mason jar labeled the “Jar of Awesome.” He writes on small strips of paper moments that he adds every time something good happens in his life.  It’s a visual reminder and keepsake of the grateful milestones.  I loved this as a homeschool idea or workplace idea.  What a fun way to take measure of the moments and the wins that really matter.

I also wanted to add my 2 cents on this idea and create “The Jar of Oops” or “The Jar of Epic Fails.”   Celebrating and honoring those character building mess-ups is almost as important as the successes.    An easy craft project in our future.

4.  Read More.  Tony LaPorta, veteran trader at Simpler Trading, shared this link with me on a common habit of some of the world’s most creative and successful people: READING.

My own book picks this week:

Turning Pro, Steven Pressfield.  Turning Pro is the book I re-read every time I get stuck.  It’s short. It’s an ass kicker in the right direction.  It gets me out of “woe-is-me” thinking.

My friend Terra reminded me of Big Magic.  It’s by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love.  A great book for sparking the inner creative muse and creative confidence.

5.  Sleep Well.  Insomnia can spark that manic creativity.  But for me, solid sleep is what sustains my creativity and health over time.  This Marpac Sound Machine for Sleep is the best thing ever.  Thanks to my husband for stocking up on these for our bedroom, our kid rooms and our guest space.

Sleep also activates our dream state.  A mentor and friend Cindy Cashman has an extraordinary process for cataloging her dreams.  She gave me a great suggestion to fall asleep:  Ask a question or set an intention.  When you wake, catalog anything you remember.

This process has given me clarity, a next step and sometimes full fledged solutions to my questions.  The more I practice, the stronger “downloading” of these “dream messages” seems to happen.  Sleep journals become mines of creative sparks and solutions as you start to see the connective threads emerge.

So this week, here’s a cheers to good health, good sleep and a nice dose of creativity.