June 30, 2006 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

The Artist Date is one of the two vital tools recommended by Julia Cameron in her best-selling bible for “discovering and recovering your creative self,” The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (the other vital tool being Morning Pages).

Simply put, this weekly commitment to your creativity is an excursion or play date with yourself that you pre-plan and keep at all costs, no excuses. No one goes with you – no kids, spouses, friends, or associates – no exceptions. The key is to have fun, not to run errands or do something your Logic Brain thinks you should do to be more cultured or responsible. It doesn’t have to cost money or be extravagant. It just has to be something you truly want to do.

The Artist Date fills your creative well. Since the Artist Brain relies on images and sensory experiences to thrive, it needs fun, inspiring things upon which to draw when the time comes to create. When you’re playing freely or otherwise involved in an activity you truly love, you load your Artist Brain with the fuel it needs. Plus – you feel more alive…which means you’re prime for receiving those ideas and insights that thrill you most.

If you want to be more creative and do more and create more, you must replenish your rations. The Artist Date is an awesome way to do just that.

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June 26, 2006 by Lani Voivod, Chief Scribbler.

We’ve all been there.

We’re presented with a shining opportunity – it gets us excited, it feels right, and we know it’s a wonderful thing for our mind, spirit, and soul. But when the time comes for action, we freeze like a shoeless, sock-less toe on the vast arctic tundra.

And then comes the fun part: we either pretend that the opportunity never existed, or we mercilessly regret our cowardice for the rest of our lives.

Well wiggle your toasty tootsies, folks! Because it doesn’t have to be like this anymore. Next time you feel yourself shirking from what you know you really want to do, try using one (or all!) of these six tricky tactics to bust through your personal barriers.

1.      Don’t Let the Past Predict Your Future. Hey – just because you’ve never been able to move past your fears before doesn’t mean you’re destined to stay stuck forever. Rely on two time-honored clichés: 1) “There’s a first time for everything!” and b) “There’s no better time than the present!” Then take that leap to the next level with a heart-thumping, “Geronimo!”

2.      Take Advantage of Your Multiple Personality Disorder. Many of us have too many moods to count, and those beauties have no problem appearing at their wacky whims. Why not call upon one of your bolder, TAKE NO PRISONERS personas to conquer the challenge in front of you? Wear a weird hat, an uncommon outfit, or a silly accessory to help you stay in character. There’s a good chance no one will even notice. (And if they do, so what?)

3.      Bribe Yourself. Need a new pair of jeans? Want the latest CD from your favorite singer? Wish you could justify a spa day? Make a shrewd deal with the chicken within! Tell yourself that if you move forward with that which is intimidating you, you will EARN the gift you covet. Don’t cheat on this one, kids – or else your gift will be marked by the eternal stench of dirty booty, and nothing gets that smell out. J

4.      Focus on the Bragging Rights. Okay, so you’re fearful of failure, unsure of the unknown, tapped for time, or nookered by negativity. Step back for a second and imagine yourself on the other side of things. Are you proud? Smiling? Merry-making with friends and family who are doting on your latest decision or accomplishment? Well GO ON, then, hop to it! The accolades are even sweeter when they’re experienced in real life.

5.      Manipulate the Time/Space Continuum. Impossible, you say? Ha! I do it all the time! Simply write down your mind’s nagging to-do list. Now, instead of assuming the list is meant for an aggressive deadline – like a certain day, week, or month – trust that it serves your own life’s highly personalized overarching timeline. Then revel in doing what YOU want WHEN you want, or until you’re not really interested in doing the stuff on your list anymore. Pretty wily, indeed!

6.      When All Else Fails, Invoke Objective Perspective. Most opportunities in life don’t actually go away – we just give up on them. Life happens, right? Things get postponed, other things take precedence…Yup, we all get sidetracked. The good news is, whether a goal takes a week or a decade to accomplish is of little importance. It’s whether YOU eventually reach it that counts. So remember – THIS IS YOUR JOURNEY – not your calendar’s. Might as well point those twinkling toes down the road of your dreams and go, Go, GO!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? Please do! Just kindly include this blurb with it:

Writer and Creativity Aficionado Lani Voivod is a daily poster child for Adult ADD and all its trimmings. Whether she’s creating kids’ content on Barbie.com or writing pop culture diatribes for her popular American Midol column on DeadBrain.com, Lani hopes her co-owned-with-spouse writing business, www.EpiphaniesInc.com, will be living up to its evocative name before we know it.

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