We all have creative and artistic fields we gravitate toward: some of us are musicians while others are dancers and others are visual artists. Even within a particular field, we have inclinations: trumpet over flute, tap over ballet, oil paints over colored pencil.
This is all well and good (and natural), but it's all too easy to become entrenched in one particular medium, one particular style, one particular vein. There are great creative benefits to be had by getting outside our comfort zone, outside our norm, and dabbling in some other art, even if only very informally or -- gasp! -- just for fun.
Today starts a multi-week look at various creative endeavors that may or may not be outside your usual comfort zone, as well as some simple ways you might try your hand at them. Realize that the point of this is not to create something wonderful and perfect and ready for public consumption, though if that's what happens, that's great. The point is to break some barriers and get out of the ruts we find ourselves in, and in so doing free ourselves up to more fully embrace our chosen creative field.
So let's start off easy, with ...
Journaling
Journaling is remarkably easy, incredibly useful ... and something that not nearly enough of us partake in. In terms of equipment, odds are good you already have on hand whatever you might need. Some hard-core journalers say you must write with pen or pencil on paper. Entire shelves at your local Barnes and Noble are taken up with blank journals of varying degrees of quality and elegance.
But truthfully, all you need is some medium to collect words you create. Pen and paper is fine (a spiral-bound school notebook works well, and can often be had for far less than a buck), though something like a word processor works great, as well (especially if you prefer typing to writing). Microsoft Word (or whatever the Mac equivalent is) works well for this, though if you don't have it, you can download OpenOffice for free, and it has a program that does pretty much everything Word does.
There are also online journals, such as one I use at penzu.com. The advantage here is that you can access it from any computer with internet access.
So, equipment out of the way, the remaining question is ... what do you write about?
The short answer is, "Anything!" I find it useful to write about what's going on in my life, especially any personal, family, or creative problems I may be having. Writing about them lets me work through them, see them in the cold, harsh light of day ... and frequently either come up with solutions, or realize that they're not nearly so large as I had thought them.
I also like to dream about the future -- for me, my family, my career, and my creative life. In your journal, no one is going to read what you write. No one is going to judge you or tell you your dreams are too big, too small, too ridiculous, too outlandish. You can dream whatever you want, and oftentimes, seeing it written down in physical form helps it seem all the more real, and can help move you toward what you want to accomplish.
I write about projects I'm working on, or would like to work on, or am not sure I want to work on but want to explore. I jot down ideas for musical compositions, scenes for novels, bits of dialogue. It's a great way to work on ideas without really "working" on them, because it's a journal -- it's personal, private, and play. If an idea is truly awful, I discover that fact in private in my journal before unleashing it on the world and finding out in the public eye. My ideas also have a chance to grow, to get some strength and substance, and to survive out in the real world.
If you already journal, that's great -- keep it up. If you don't, or if writing in a journal makes you feel too much like you're keeping a diary, force yourself to give it a shot. Frequently, our resistance is a sign that we've found something we need to tackle but are afraid to. Grab a pen and notebook, or sit down at the computer, and just write for ten minutes, fifteen, even a half hour, and let the words flow from your pen, no matter what they are. Don't judge them, don't mock them, don't edit or censor them. Let them take you down dark, unexplored paths that may open new creative vistas for you.
We'll continue next week along the writing thread by looking at one of my favorite forms of poetry, something that's fun and easy and, quite often, just plain goofy. Until then, happy journaling, and happy creating!
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