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| Creativity Information |
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Top Five Journal Exercises
Keeping a journal is a form of creative expression that enhances the creativity coaching process. Keeping a journal develops emotional awareness, reinforces self-esteem and aids in problem-solving. Keeping a journal also provides a written record of artistic growth, struggle and change. Here are some basic exercises that I use throughout the creativity coaching process. DIALOGUE: Writing a dialogue between one or more subjects helps to identify and separate emotions, ideas, issues and influences in a given creative situation. The primary result of writing dialogue is to clarify the creative situation, to give voice to all aspects of the situation and to restore the situation to it's proper perspective. GRATITUDE LIST: Thank you lists are very easy to write. It takes no more than a few seconds, some paper and a pen to create a list. Thank you lists, no matter what the length, powerfully challenge negative thoughts, disappointment and disouragement. Lists also help restore the situaition to it's rightful place in the clients creative pocess. Thank you lists are especially useful when pursuing long-term goals and facing crises. COMPLETED ACTION LIST: What a client thinks can powerfully impact the creative process. Building an artistic career upon past negative artistic experiences blocks creative expression. It also leaves no room for the possiblitiy of current or future positive change. Keeping track of completed actions, no matter how small, provides an accurate record of the client's progress toward her artistic and business goals. GOAL LIST: Identifying and developing artistic and business goals, provides a clear path for fullfilling the client's dreams. Regular progress through each goal can become a ready source of motivation for the client. The goal list provides a reality check for boh the client and the coach, when difficulties rise or progress is being assessed. CHARACTER TRAITS LIST: Developing and maintaining a list of the character traits reinforces self-esteem, aids in problem-solving, and increases emotional awareness. The client describes one success using one character trait. The client learns to acknowledge her participation in the creative process which will encrourage future creative learning and growth. Keeping a journal of creative work and progress can enrich all areas of an artist's life. Start exploring your creativity today. Copyright 2005 Writer's Eye Advisory Service Lael Johnson, owner of Writer's Eye Advisory Service, offers creativity coaching services and writing resources. at: http://www.writerseye.com
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RELATED ARTICLES
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Color the experience with as much feeling and emotion as you can muster up. Experience as if it had already happened, as if it was in the present. See it in your mind with as much detail as possible. If you're not good with visuals, then do the same thing through verbal thoughts, talking to yourself about what you want, repeating the idea in your mind, feeling and experiencing the sensation of the idea. Stay in the present while you're doing this. It's happening NOW. What you think of as your normal everyday life no longer exists. This new idea is what you're experiencing. When you're done, drop the idea completely. Don't worry about accomplishing it, but do look for new ideas, impulses, gut feelings, and new energy that will begin to guide you to what you want. Notice when you have thoughts during the day that contradict what you want, and realize they're just thoughts, non-active ones, because you're now building new beliefs. 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