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TGIF – Thank God, It’s Friday (and Flow)

Cliché Finds Flow on Friday

Grow flow on Friday with gratitude.

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 week’s 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. Why not tour a museum? Or, take a walk through a park? Or, head home and spend an hour working on a poem, and essay, or a blog post. When you are grateful for the transportation home – even if it happens to be your own two feet – then that is enough.

Your Turn

Think back to grammar 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? Intramurals? 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 Etch-a-Sketch!  You’ll be glad you did!

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

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Visit Flow in a Party Goods Shop

Party On! When Images Lead to Flow

Card party favors promote flow.
Is it a card party favor or a means to creative flow? You make the call!

Sometimes flow hits in an unexpected place, such as a party goods store. I couldn’t help think my friend, Lynne Barrett, author and educator extraordinaire, was at my side while cruising through Amy’s Card, Party & Gifts. It was as if she was setting up a plot clock as she does in her workshops. Interested in learning more about her writing or teaching offerings? Look here: http://www.lynnebarrett.com/

First, there was the setting – a casino. Then, the military star-crossed lovers from Perth and Paris. Next, a complication – a pregnancy – set the plot clock back. Finally, the war ends and the two tie the knot when Edwin, not Edwina, is born.  Too easy? Maybe. But remember that I was simply pushing a cart around and nearly forgot to get birthday cards for my nephews. Indeed, I was floating in flow. If you are in Central Florida, check out Amy’s shop on SR-540 in Winter Haven.

Will your character go Downunder on a trip? Or, perhpas Perth is the setting for the scene?

When the Setting Presents Itself

So meandering around a card and gift store that has seasonal décor is a fast way to flow. I snapped a shot of the casino where my characters met. (This cracked me up, because I hadn’t a clue who they were yet.) I simply saw the casino décor and thought of the off-shore casinos that float off the Atlantic coast. Sounded like a gamble, which is how love occurs. Then, I turned the corner and met the leads….

The Guy, The Girl, and the Complication

Paris inspires characters name.
Ahhh, the City of Light is known for its romance. Will Paris be your female leads name? Its your story. Are you game?

The guy was from Perth, Australia. I think Perth came first, because my cousin once removed, has a Perth bride. But, the male main character is from Down Under. (I don’t ask these things, I just write it down.) Then, on the display directly across from the kangaroo, rests the Eiffel Tower. The lead female’s name is Paris. A la Hilton. Or, Jackson. She is as intuitive as the City of Light for which she is named.

The next aisle brings a pleasant – if not cliché – surprise to the couple: they learn they are expecting a girl. Yet, somehow, the powder pink shower is for naught. Baby boy is born and adds to the father’s delight.

There’s No Place Like Home

Paris and her yet-to-be named Aussie hunk are done with their military careers. The war is over. So, they decide to live exactly half-way between Perth and Paris in Malwan, India. Wonder how to calculate that distance? Use the TravelMath site found here: https://www.travelmath.com/halfway/from/Perth,+Australia/to/Paris,+France

Your Turn

Baby ahed shifts the plot.
And baby makes three. But is there a reversal and the heroine births a boy instead?

Take a stroll through any gift store to see décor for a number of get togethers all in one place. Sure you could cheat and do this on Pintrest, but the trip to the store will do you good. Listen to which displays call out to you. Snap some pictures. Use them to collage a storyline or two.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to go write and find out how this story unfolds.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

 

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Pool Play Splashes into Flow

Find Flow While Swimming in Pool

Pool play adds to flow.
Take time to play in the pool to splash into creative flow.

Playing in a backyard or public swimming pool creates flow. There are many ways that taking a dip can increase creativity. First, water is refreshing. The tank’s temperature stimulates the senses. Secondly, jumping in the water engages the brain in spontaneous play. It clears the brain’s cobwebs when writing all day. Finally, moving the body releases fear, tension, and anxiety that builds during a work day.

The Games People Play

Remember childhood pool games? Two favorites are Marco Polo and Dive for Coins (or weighted rods). Perhaps seeing who could hold their breath the longest found its way into your swim memories, too? Writers need bodily experiences to create literary bodies such as plays, short stories, and poems. Even yelling Cowabunga! during a cannonball is enough to enter flow. Looking for some ideas to get the party going? Check out blogger Laurie Turk’s post on 20 Fun Swimming Pool Games here: https://tipjunkie.com/fun-swimming-pool-games-for-kids/

Play incxreases flow.
Get into flow with a coin toss or round of Marco Polo!

Your Turn

Enjoy an swim. Find a  a public pool such as the YMCA or YWCA. Or, jump in a private pool. Play in whatever way feels authentic to you. When you get done, take out your journal and record the experience. Hopefully, it goes swimmingly!

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

 

 

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Squeeze Juicy Ideas to Create Greater Flow

Creative Compression Creates Juicy Flow

Squueeze joy out of life to create more flow.
Squeeze creative flow out of everyday actions to enjoy more productivity.

Getting juicy ideas for creative projects is easy during citrus season. Yesterday, my husband and I took our visiting relatives to Davidson’s Jelly and Jam Factory in Dundee, Florida. While the workers were on display making and packaging the delectable offerings, there were also a direct ship section. There customers can either send or grab-and-go whatever fruit is currently in season. The honeybells, named for both their sweet taste and their globed shape, were piled in displays for purchase.. We got a quarter-bushel to enjoy. And to send to loved ones up North. Interested in learning more about Davidson’s? Look here: https://www.davidsonofdundee.com/

Where to Find Inspiration’s Fruit

Inspiration is everywhere to compress into art. Look at produce, such as the crate of honeybells in the photo above. What ideas do they bring up? How can ideas be extracted – or inspiration squeezed – to help creativity? Perhaps sketch produce or write a haiku about the citrus bin. Also, I looked at the names of the jams, jellies, and candies. The term delicacies really says so much about the ways common candy can convey richness in life. Think about the way these products are made. The fruit juice and sometimes rind are slowly cooked down until it creates a given product. Creatives, too, write, then edit, and rewrite, until their product has jelled into a poem or flash fiction piece. Anything that tugs an emotional response is ripe for the picking to use for creative flow.

Your Turn

Every region is known for some kind of product or service. Take yourself on an excursion near home – Julia Cameron coined these Artist’s Dates. Notice a bagel bakery or a chocolate factory. Enter and take in the aroma, which may lead to some childhood memories. Jot them down quickly in a journal. Play with the words and phrases that bubble up. Then try to use them in a short form like a haiku or sonnet. Or, perhaps they might find their way into a chapter of a novel you are writing. Finally, treat yourself to a bagel, piece of chocolate, or other confection as part of your creative exploration. Eat it slowly to bring out the greatest satisfaction in the event.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

 

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Ash Smudge Reminds Creatives of Their Unique Journey

Find Focus with Ash Smudge

Ash smudges liead to creative flow for some.
Remember the path you are on as a creative. It always leads to rebirth.

Today is Ash Wednesday in Christian churches worldwide. Ashes are distributed at services to literally and figuratively mark the beginning of the Lenten season. This liturgical time marks the six weeks before Easter Sunday. In this tradition, Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection are remembered, recalled, and, in the end, celebrated. To learn more about the history of Ash Wednesday, look here: http://time.com/4210001/ash-wednesday-ash-forehead/

Creatives, too, have cycles in their growth. We can feel persecuted for our faith in creativity – especially when it is blocked. We may figuratively die from the harsh criticism from others or ourselves. Yet, in the end, we, too, can rise in creative flow.

Remembering the Path

Creatives need to remember that our path is not a linear one. We encounter successful highs, dreadful lows, and winding literary transactions as we proceed with our journeys. Remembering that these paths are supposed to be this way, instead of a one-size-fits-all roads, helps us hit the ground running. Why waste time cursing the curves when we can appreciate that our trips are tailor-made for our creative growth and development?

Your Turn

Take a walk. It doesn’t matter whether it is in snow-covered woods or along a sunny strip of beach. It might be near a busy city street or a manicured residential neighborhood. If you are so inclined, walk to a church, temple, or synagogue to take in a service or to simply look at the architecture, statues, and stained glass. Stroll for 20-30 minutes. Then, return to your journal. Write for at least 15 minutes. Note everything you saw and any symbols that the journey offered. Note what feels like it is dying and what is rising in its place. Just make note of it. The change is happening within you as you become open to the path. Nothing else is needed of you at this time.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa