March 19, 2019 By Marisa Moks-Unger

Mermaid Inspired Self-Care Routine Creates Flow

Balance leads to flow. — Move into flow as a mermaid through balance

Mermaid Swims Towards Flow

To increase creative flow, make like a mermaid. Remember Ariel, the beloved Disney princess? Her father, King Neptune ruled the under water world in the animated feature, The Little Mermaid. Creatives can take several cues from Ariel and her sister mermaids to swim towards flow. First, they can sing for pleasure. Any song that feels good fills the bill. Second, these creatures of sea folklore provide random acts to protect and guide sailors. Finally, they rest in the sun on rocks to restore themselves. We, too, could employ these tools to feel more creative.

Sing a Song for Pleasure

I honestly think my mother is part mermaid, because she loves to sing Patti Page’s Mockingbird Hill. As long as she’s surveying her kingdom from her windowsill – whether folding clothes or making dinner – things are swell. Everyone knows that as long as she is singing that all is well in her world. Not familiar with the 1951 classic? Check out the video with lyrics here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7zrMzVNYwo

Provide Secret Kind Acts

Ariel saved Prince Eric from drowning after his shipwreck. We, too, can offer to assist others who may need some guidance to get their business sea legs. Help entrepreneurs engage more clients through referrals. Make donations to scholarships for college students. There are always ways for even the busiest creatives to lend a hand.

Find a Rock and Rest

Sunning yourself at a sunny office corner or on a patio is restorative. Find ways even in traffic to be grateful for the pleasantness that nature brings.

Your Turn

Take a trip to the children’s library. Look through stacks to find The Little Mermaid. Check out the book or video and spend time enjoying the images it stirs.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

About Marisa Moks-Unger

"Grow Your Flow" is a creativity blog by Marisa Moks-Unger, who has over 20 years of professional writing experience. If you enjoyed this post, please share on your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram accounts.

Scrabble Words for Flow

Create a Word Bank from Scrabble

Word Lists from Scrabble — First play the game, then get writing from your curated word list.

Sunday afternoons find my husband, mother-in-law, and I playing Scrabble. This ritual helps us to pass the time during the pandemic. The games usually run one to two hours. We have taken these games to a new level by anticipating them each week, then carefully crafting our word choices. It helps that all three of us are avid readers and come up with a variety of interesting diction.

Also, the game gets my mother-in-law’s mind off of the local paper’s with its teeming death notices of Covid-19 victims – most from local residential living facilities. And, she is now interested in the fact that I am using these word lists to write from professionally.

Next, free write for a few. Make a list of the words developed during the game. Then use the list as a springboard to write a creative piece using as many of the words as possible. Play with long and short lines. Add some rhymes. Look for alliteration. Give yourself about 10 minutes. See what images appear.

Then, select a genre or two to carry through. As a theme arises from the free write of the word list, follow the lead. Perhaps a poem rises up. Or, a one-act play. Or, both! Choose one genre knowing that you can come back and create more works from any single topic.

Now, it’s your turn! If you have a Scrabble game somewhere hidden in a hall closet, it is time to get it out and try your hand at this writing tactic. It employs procrastination by allowing you to blow off writing at first by playing a game. Then, you are rewarded for the time you invested in the game by writing a piece from the words you and others generated.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

TGIFF – Thank God It’s Friday Flow

Cliché Finds Flow on Friday

Congratulations, you’ve made it to Friday. And, at the workweek’s end, there is time to find flow. But, where do you go to find flow? First, realize that flow can happen anywhere at anytime. Need proof? Look at this past post on finding flow in a card and party goods store. Simply click right here: https://wewriteitright.com/visit-flow-in-a-party-goods-shop/

How Gratitude Leads the Way

Use grateful eyes to take in the world around you. Then, instead of planning to hit the bars and clubs when the clock strikes 5:00 PM, other options present themselves during these times of pandemic. Why not take a virtual tour a museum? Or, take a walk or bike ride through a park? Or, spend an hour working on a poem, and essay, or a blog post. When you are grateful for the options you have – even if you are working from home amid shutdowns – then that is enough.

Your Turn

Playtime creates greater flow. — Spirographs, Etch-a-Sketch, and Slinkys are just a few ways to re-enter flow through playtime. What was your favorite activity as a child? When was the last time you tried it as an adult?

Think back to grade school, junior high, or middle school. Think about the electives that you took that helped round out your schedule. Did you take dance or music classes? Weight training? Or, perhaps, like me, you did candle making. Whatever it might be, try to reunite your lost teen with your adult self. Take time to write, dance, sing, paint, or play with your Spirograph! You’ll be glad you did!

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

Mermaid Swims Towards Flow

Sing a Song for Pleasure

Provide Secret Kind Acts

Find a Rock and Rest

Your Turn

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About Marisa Moks-Unger