How Devotion Elevated My Creative Work

If you're anything like me you might bristle when you hear the words discipline, routine, or habit. I mean, doesn't spontaneous have a much more satisfying ring to it? But, recently I started to see the downside of jumping from one experience (or medium) to the next in my creative life. My work felt a bit unglued and without a cohesive center. I realized I didn't only want more consistent output, but a deeper level of exploration. I found myself wanted to build something more lasting, if only for my own grounded satisfaction.

The idea of devotion seemed like the perfect pathway to this new chapter. It took the dreaded, parochial methodology of "discipline" and replaced it with loving dedication.

With an eye toward shifting habits I embarked on a project called "48 Days of Creative Devotion," wherein I made one creative work a day for, you guessed it, 48 days. My aim was not so much to build a body of work, but to develop a consistent practice.

The rules were simple - make one complete work a day in the medium of my choosing and post it to Facebook without apology, explanation, or justification. Being dedicated to prosperity, I also made sure to price every work.

A lot happened during those 48 days. I learned how to be visible on a grander scale and in doing so inspired other people to do the same. I learned that sometimes when you really, really don't feel like making anything, you make your best work. I learned that the combo of consistency and visibility lead to greater prosperity. I learned that creative devotion allows for new ideas to bubble up and new threads to be explored. And, I learned that just showing up and starting was a huge part of an artist's job.

I recently finished my second round of this project - "48 MORE Days of Creative Devotion" - but this time I asked other folks to join in. To my surprise almost 50 people jumped in at a moment's notice. We shared our work in a private forum and marveled at what came through every day. It was magical.

Are you up for joining me for "48 Days of Creative Devotion?"

We continue our devotion with another round of the project starting on Wednesday March 11th. Anyone interested in creating one complete work a day in any medium is welcome to join us. (If you are a writer of longer form works, you may break this down into something like one page a day, or 250 words a day, etc.) ALL levels of talent welcome - from beginner to professional.

If this intrigues you please email me at allcreativelike@gmail.com and I'll forward you the link to our private, jerk-free, super supportive Facebook forum. And, don't forget, you need not join us to create devotion all on your own. Find out what it looks like for you and then dive in.

Your creative spirit is calling to you.

All Creativelike: An Interview with Fiber Artist Lynn Krawczyk

I've never had the pleasure of meeting Lynn Krawczyk in person, but I follow her on Facebook where she delights me to no end. She's not only a talented artist who freely shares her process and art making experiences, she's also a witty wordsmith. Since I know very little about fiber arts, I'm thrilled I got to interview Lynn about what it's like to stamp, stitch, dye and create art with fabric.

How do you define creativity? Great question! It’s such a personal thing, that definition. For me, creativity is about the willingness to constantly question what I do and be willing to reinvent when needed. Living a creative life takes a lot of guts because we constantly expose our inner thoughts on fabric, canvas, photos – whatever your chosen medium is. It’s the ultimate connection of spirit and mind so sharing it with others is a brave thing to do. To me, that’s at the crux of being creative.

You got interested in working with fibers and fabrics after a back injury. Can you tell us about that moment, and how it lead to finding your passion? It was one of those, “Wow, how did I not know about this??” moments. I’m the kind of person that has trouble sitting still, I’m always doing something. So when I had back surgery and was forced to really slow down, I was constantly searching for ways to fill my time and TV turned out to be one of them. One afternoon “Simply Quilts” with Alex Anderson was on.

It was the first time I’d really taken a moment to listen to anyone discussing quilt making. It was a thunderbolt moment, instant connection, instant love. I did a lot of reading about quilts, because I was still recovering from surgery, and became hooked on crazy quilts. I liked all the options it offered for creativity – embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, beading, lace making, etc.

I moved on after a couple of years to art quilts and then to surface design, but there is still a strong influence of crazy quilts in my work. My collages are a celebration of pattern and print, and I can’t tear myself away from wanting to hand stitch everything. I'm fascinated by the layering and mixed media processes you employ in making your work. Can you describe your various art making processes for those who may not know about fiber art? Absolutely! As a surface design artist I draw a lot of inspiration from traditional printmaking techniques – for example screen printing and monoprinting. My work always starts with fabric I’ve printed with these techniques. I use these fabrics to create a collage, cutting pieces and fitting them together. It’s a work-as-you-go process. I don’t work to patterns. The last thing is to add stitching and additional printing over the top. I love artwork that you can just sit and study and always find teeny details. That’s what I work to create in my pieces.

Color and pattern play a big part of your work. Where do you find the inspiration? Absolutely everywhere! Since I’m an abstract artist, it’s so easy to find inspiration in the close up details of little things around me. But, I have to be honest, I get most of my ideas for work or projects when I just daydream. I know it sounds sort of cheesy, but I’ll put my headphones on and just zone out.

I think our day-to-day lives just cause too much static in our heads. Sitting still – which isn’t always easy to find time to do during the day, and which explains why my art brain goes into high gear right when I want to fall asleep! – just lets all that nonsense fall away. I’m not talking about any kind of formal meditation. Just put on your favorite music and close your eyes. It’s amazing what will shake loose when you just chill!

You have a new book coming out. Congrats! Please tell us more. Thanks! It’s my first book and I’m so excited about it! It’s called Intentional Printing and its focus is on learning to print fabric tailored to the project you are working on. That way you are sure to be satisfied with your surface design efforts. There are several surface design techniques and projects to get you started on your printing journey. It’s a really accessible book for anyone looking to start working with paint and fabric.

It’s also about having the confidence to use your artistic voice and trust yourself. I think that’s the first step – letting go of the idea that we have to be perfect. Instead just make stuff. Some will be good, some will be bad and each one will be worthwhile.

On your website you say that when you print fabric it's "the most honest part of your day." Tell us about that. What's honest about it? I guess I call it honest because there is never any other agenda when I’m printing fabric. There’s no goal to impress, no pressure to perform. Even when I’m working on a project that has a deadline and I really, really want it to come out well, the fabric printing is always stress free.

That’s because when I really embraced surface design, I promised myself that I would not assign the need for perfection to it. Because that whole business just strangles the joy of it. So when I put paint to fabric, I completely enjoy every part of it and it’s so great! Favorite artists? I honestly can’t say that I have favorites because there’s so much art to enjoy out there, I seem to bounce around with what is new and exciting to me. Of course, there’s Frida Kahlo, Lee Krasner, many of the Abstract Expressionists.

Daily habits? I have a full-time, non-art day job so I’m not able to say that I spend all day in the studio. But, I do make sure that I incorporate art into every day. Whether it’s working through the details of an idea in the notebook I keep with me, reading the blogs of artists I admire, writing a little bit, or stitching in the evenings, there is always something. One of the habits I have is to do prep work for projects on the weekends when I work in my studio. I split up the elements of a project into what needs to be done in my studio and what I can work on when I’m hanging out on the sofa in the evenings with Carter (my doggie) unwinding with a TV show. There are so many elements to the art we make, managing them so that they fit into our schedules is a great habit to develop.

Any advice for aspiring fiber artists? Don’t be afraid of making bad art. I’ve learned just as much from the stuff that doesn’t work as I have from the stuff that did.

You give failure too much power if you become afraid of it. It just means you try again.

And, be persistent. Everything takes time. I’m not so good at being patient when it’s something I really want, so I understand the desire to go quick and be successful immediately. But it rarely works that way. Instead just be yourself, do the work, and over time, things will fall into place.

Lastly, I couldn't let an opportunity pass for you to talk about your second passion - coffee! What makes the perfect cup? Oh yes! Love my coffee! I bet you could ask a hundred different people and get a hundred different answers. But, I will tell you how I like to make my favorite cup. I use an electric percolator. I have this weird belief that non-plastic coffee makers make the best tasting coffee. I like to mix unflavored coffee and flavored ones. My absolute favorite flavored is Northern Michigan Cherry from Paramount Coffee here in Michigan. I like sugar and sometimes creamer. But more often than not I drink it black. There’s just nothing better than a good cup of coffee!

Lynn Krawczyk is a surface design artist and writer living in Southeast Michigan. Her textile work consists of collage, hand stitching, and multiple paint printing methods. She believes art will heal the world. You can contact Lynn, see more of her work, or read her insightful blog at her website, Smudged Textiles Studio.

All Creativelike: An Interview with Artist Sara E. Lynch

Sara E. Lynch cracks me up. She makes animal mugs with little feet on the underside, and turns a head of cauliflower into a mortuary urn for a beloved cat. It's hard not to be drawn in by her attention to detail, technical mastery, and whimsy. Though I know Sara mainly as a ceramic artist, she's adept in multiple mediums (Lucky dog!), and a pretty smart businessperson to boot.

Sara, how would you define creativity? I would say creativity is the skill of finding a new and different solution to a problem. My daily problem is: I have this damp, mushy material called clay, what can I do with it? This needs to be looked at without preconceived notions or limitations so you can explore all possible solutions then decide what is best. The process of creativity involves being open-minded, pondering as many options as possible, and then eliminating them one by one until you have a solution you think is worth trying. Then, you need to focus and test your solution to see if it's any good. If not, go back to the beginning again, or order a pizza.

What started you on the path to becoming a ceramic artist? This is a rather funny answer. I did one clay project in high school and HATED it. I felt it was unpredictable and way too technical, so I stuck with painting, drawing, and photography. Then I got a full scholarship to Alfred University, which is a great art school, but also a world-renowned ceramics school. Although I was set on being a painter, I couldn't turn down free tuition. When it came time to choose sophomore classes I figured I might as well try a wheel class since it was such a good place for clay. I had zero ideas about how pottery should be, and my teacher was much more into using the wheel as a tool rather than making finished products. Many of the students with prior pottery experience struggled, while I just explored whatever idea struck me. It was the only class I got an A in, so I signed up for it again, and again, and again.

What is it about clay that draws you to it more than other art mediums? I actually wouldn't say I am drawn to it more them other mediums. I do a lot of photography, jewelry, and weird mixed media paintings as well. I am a lucky recipient of a grant to expand my ceramics studio, so it's been taking up more of my time, but I still love all of the other things I do. I love clay because I can create a useful object that is also art. This contrast creates a really compelling tension. My painting, jewelry, and photography work also focuses around a combination of art and craft. I obsessively sew stuff on my paintings, machine stitch my photographs, and my jewelry is usually classified as art jewelry because it is so unusual. This probably comes from going to an art school with a strong connection to crafts, as well as me being a bit of a rebel.

When do you feel most open to your creativity or at your creative peak? It's weird, but I often settle down to do my best work at midnight or later. This can make normal activities, like going to the bank and mailing stuff, difficult, but I love it. When I finally quit my day job last September it was such a relief to finally be able to get work done and sleep more than four hours a night. I also do various physical activities such as swimming, biking, yoga, and distance running. I love getting to work after a really great yoga class or other activity. It's like all my ideas and creative energy had time to percolate and now they can all come out.

One of the things I love about your work is the humor you bring to it. Where does that come from, and is it a conscious decision you've made or a happy accident, so to speak? The first artist talk I ever gave was to a group of mostly older ceramic artists that I really respected. I put my first slide up and everyone started laughing. Not in a mean way, but in a "this-stuff-is-really-funny" way. I decided to go with it, and I now give an absolutely hysterical artist talk that people love. It's really great, because you can't be stressed when you're laughing, so I actually enjoy giving talks. With my work, I am interested in the push and pull between the humorous and darker aspects. I try to keep my work in the middle of these two qualities, but sometimes it veers a bit more towards one or the other.

How do you get your art out into the world? I sell most of my work online to people in California, Western Canada, the UK, and Australia via Etsy.com and my website. I'm not really sure why this is. I also use the site CustomMade.com to get many of my commissions. I do about 2 to 4 gallery shows around the continental US per year, and a few craft fairs to mingle with the locals. When I first quit my day job many people were worried I wouldn't make it because they knew someone else who tried to make a go of it as an artist 30 or so years ago and it didn't work out. I appreciated their concern, but I wasn't really sure how to explain that with the internet it is very easy to find your audience and get your work to them.

You seem to have found a balance between being an artist and being a businessperson. Can you tell me about finding that balance? Well, that's a work in progress, but I'm getting there. To pay the bills I do a lot of custom work. Basically, I'm creating other people's ideas. I make a point though, of only saying yes to things that I find interesting and think I will enjoy. Also, when I feel compelled to sew sparkly fabric on an old badminton racket or explore an abandoned building I do it. I can't make decent work for my clients if I'm not feeling happy and engaged, and I know what things I need to do in order to feel this way.

Who are your favorite artists? I'm pretty much a visual omnivore. I love the work that Freight and Volume shows. They do a really great job of showcasing interesting and clever work by today's artists. I love Judith Brown's jewelry. I just recently rediscovered that I love Fred Tomaselli's paintings. I look at a lot of old fussy English ceramics for inspiration, as well and cheap thrift store mugs. For favorite ceramic artists though, I will always be blown away by Beth Cavener Stichter's animal sculptures, as well as how my former teacher Susan Halls handles clay. And actually, I recently started a Pinterest board called "painting envy." Since it's fairly new there isn't a ton on there, but here it is.

What are your daily or weekly habits and practices? It depends on what's going on. In general, I like to swim, run, do yoga, visit with friends, and volunteer at the animal shelter once a week. I don't always get to all of these. Daily, I like to meditate, sleep, cook, mess around in my garden, and pet my rabbit. The work I do dictates its own schedule depending on size, drying time, firing, cleaning up, photographing, and shipping. It's so random that I can't let that dictate my life, so I work to fit it around the other things that I like to do. I also like to take classes, go to residencies, and apply to shows, so sometimes applications take over my life. This is not fun, but I love to travel and do work in other places, so it's worth it.

Any advice to aspiring artists? I would say if there's a skill you are interested in, take a class about it. This may require you to travel to a craft school such as Penland or Haystack. It may stretch your budget, but it is the absolute best way to learn. The more teachers you have and people you work alongside the better. If you think you know everything you need to know, go to a residency. Don't go with a project to create, go with an open mind, no plans, and have fun learning.

Sara Lynch is a multimedia artist living and working on the northern edge of New York State. She loves spending time with animals, and attempting to grow things in unusual containers. Visit her website for more information.(It's currently under construction, but still looks pretty lovely!)

All Creativelike: An Interview with Bri Johnson

I am positively giddy to unveil the All Creativelike interview series today, especially because we're kicking off our inaugural post with Bri Johnson, a wonderful artist who uses words and text in delightful combination. Bri is a writer, scribbler, former teen librarian and cancer survivor with a unique perspective on life and art.

Bri, what does "being creative" mean to you? To me, it means being open and amused. I like myself that way, so creativity is linked to me being at my best. But what if someday I’m kidnapped and held against my will? I dread that possibility. In that situation I’d be at my worst—closed and anguished. And I would need to be creative in that state, in order to escape. That’s a paradox I like to avoid.

Where does your inspiration come from? Always from relationships. But it took me ages to figure that out. For a long time, I think I linked inspiration to problem solving, but for me that is a mistake. Difficulty and resolution don’t stimulate me at all. I like associations, of any kind, hostile or harmonious, between objects, people, images, sounds, etc. And how we respond to these also interests me.

What is it about the intersection, or confluence, of drawing and words that pulls you in? It just makes immediate sense. I like to think it has something to do with my early experiences with picture books. Who knows. It kills me now to see picture books underrated, not only by young readers determined to move on, but also by their parents, who believe their kids should read novels sooner than later.

I spent years hearing that as a young adult librarian. “My child reads at a high reading level.” I had kids as young as eight pining for young adult novels at the library. Few had read Edward Eager, or The Borrowers, or The Penderwicks, or anything by E. Nesbit. That never made sense to me.

There’s a wild buzz around graphic novels, too, and I dutifully fostered it as a young adult librarian. But my heart was always with the picture books tucked away in the children's room. Is anyone reading them past the age of five? My hope was renewed the day I found The Arrival by Shaun Tan. I hope everyone reads that book. No one knows where to shelve Tan’s books, but they’re universally loved.

When do you feel at your creative peak? When I’m open, and when I notice inspiration. Some people might link that to a certain time of day, but I don’t. It can happen any time.

What are you working on now? It’s an exciting year for me! This summer I’m writing and drawing indiscriminately, to gain creative traction before I go to Maine in the fall, where I’ll study documentary storytelling at the Salt Institute. I’m hoping the constant practice combined with new documentary skills will prepare me to spend the winter working on an illustrated memoir. To stay loose - a constant battle for me - I use an iPhone drawing app now instead of a camera. Every day I try to post a drawing, a poem, or a photo on Facebook, something fast and playful. And I’m about to launch a blog about meeting people, called Hello?

How does your work as a teacher fuel your own creativity? Kids are so compelling. They’re easily amused and they make surprising connections, but so often they don’t appreciate their own brains until they witness someone gaga for their work. I try to get out of their way, and, if necessary, I try to help them get out of their own way. That helps me. Blocking myself is my biggest hurdle as an artist. Time with kids is my reminder to remain free and to appreciate my own brain.

No, but seriously. Why are kids so darned creative? Lynda Barry might speak to this better than me, but I wonder if it’s their limited exposure to societal culture. We’re so shaped by culture. And American culture in particular features a dysfunctional relationship with creativity and freedom. But kids create so effortlessly, all they need is room. That’s what anyone needs, if you think about it. We all start with room, then everything shrinks. Our days give way to schedules, our schools support rubrics, minds close, our interactions become fractured. How can we be creative in spite of that?

Favorite artist or influence? I curbed my self-expression at a fairly young age, and I stopped reading for pleasure around 5th grade. I’m haunted by that huge span of lost time, all the books and ideas and creative growth that I missed. I vividly remember circling a large table in my school library, piled with new books. We were allowed to choose one to keep and I picked Harriet the Spy. But I didn’t open it for at least 15 years. I can’t believe I had in my hands a marvelous story about a young girl’s development as a writer—at the perfect time in my life—and I left it closed.

But certain authors from my early childhood continue to influence me: Shel Silverstein, Rosemary Wells, Richard Scarry, Dr. Seuss, and Charles Schulz the most. Later, I discovered other favorites: Bemelmans, Sendak, Steig, Toon Tellegen, Crocket Johnson, Ruth Krauss, Quentin Blake, James Stevenson. And I have a long list of new favorites now, including Lynda Barry, Maira Kalman, Shaun Tan, Wendy MacNaughton, Nick Wadley,  Franciszka Themerson, Saul Steinberg, Tove Jansson, and Charlotte Salomon. Salomon’s visual memoir, Life? or Theatre?, is remarkable.

You’re a cancer survivor. Did going through that crisis and subsequent healing journey affect your creativity or how you view the importance or non-importance of making things? I was at a crossroads when I found out I had cancer. I graduated from RISD years earlier with no job, no place to live, no voice, no direction (that’s a lot of NOs), and thousands of dollars in debt. I had to support myself, and fast, so that’s what I focused on.

By the time I was 30-something, I was more or less estranged from my creative self. I had no idea what inspired me. A breakthrough came when I bought a small digital camera and began taking daily pictures for the sole purpose of noticing what I notice. For three years, I paired image with text, whatever came to mind. It was the most rudimentary thing, but that’s how I learned about self-expression.

Near the end of that project, excited about my next creative step, I learned I had a sizable malignant tumor in my gut. I had talked so often about leaving my job (which I loved) to spend some lost time making things. The idea was even more appealing now that self-expression made sense to me. But the privilege felt squarely out of my league. Leaving to fight a life-threatening illness instead felt much more realistic.

Did it lead to my next creative breakthrough? Not directly. I spent many months sick and tired, watching TED talks on my couch. Then you and YES Gallery + Studio suddenly came along, and you encouraged me to make things for your Itty Bitty show. So I made some tiny things. And it felt good, like something I should build on.

Almost five years have passed since the Itty Bitty exhibit, and I might now be entering the luckiest time of my life. I have no evidence of disease, and I am suddenly no longer reporting to work as a librarian. My time is my own for a while. I can't wait to see where it leads.

You're always tapped into the most amazing books. Can you recommend your favorite books on writing, art making, and/or creativity to the All Creativelike readers? Yes! This looks like a mishmash to me, but all of these helped me, often more than once:

Louise Fitzhugh: Harriet the Spy Wassily Kandinsky: Concerning the Spiritual in Art Stephen Nachmanovitch: Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art Doris Lessing: Prisons we Choose to Live Inside Eudora Welty: One Writer’s Beginnings Tove Jansson: Moominpappa’s Memoirs Nicholson Baker: The Anthologist Maria Kalman: The Principles of Uncertainty Phillip Lopate: Being with Children Anne Truitt: Daybook: The Journey of an Artist Stephen King: On Writing John Steinbeck: Working Days Elif Batuman: The Possessed Louise Bourgeois: Drawings & Observations Lynda Barry: What It Is Patti Smith: Just Kids The Paris Review Interviews

On the web: Maria Popova: Brain Pickings Garrison Keillor: The Writer’s Almanac Sari Botton: Conversations With Writers Braver Than Me

Bri Johnson hails from the Green Mountain State. She is the founder of Sheepish Duck Magazine, written by kids from the Ocean State. And she is heading next to the Pine Tree State, to learn documentary storytelling at the Salt Institute. Keep an eye out for her new blog coming soon to www.thisishello.com. She can be reached at brilarian@gmail.com.

Your Art Is a Love Letter

Dear Fabulous Creative Person, I was kicking around ideas for today's blog post, when I finally thought, "Why don't I just sit down, get quiet and see what comes to me."

So that's what I did. I closed my eyes, opened my palms, took a deep breath and asked the universe, "What should I write about today?"

And it answered, "Write about love." And I said, "Okay, sure. But what about love? And how does that relate to creative folks?" And it said, "Write about how artists are lovers, about how every work of art is a love letter."

And I thought about that. I mean, what an idea, that every piece of art you make is an extension of your heart. I have never truly looked at art in this way. I've understood it as a form of communication, sure, but not as a "I-Simply-Must-Confess-My-Overwhelming-Passionate-Feelings-Toward-You" sorta thing. That's something else.

It's an idea that suggests a deep abiding love for humanity such that we ache to convey our feelings. It's saying that when someone sees what you have made, what you have brought forth as a creation that was first nothing and is now something, they will melt. They will swoon. They will think to themselves, "OH GOD YES, I LOVE YOU TOO."

It's no surprise the universe directed me to write about this today as I had this very experience last night. During a backyard benefit concert, I was listening to one of my favorite local musicians* and I literally thought, "I love you. I really love you." And it wasn't about him as a person (I don't know him at all and I have a very lovely boyfriend, thankyouverymuch.) No, it was about the song, the love letter. In that moment, his passion was written down, stamped, sent across the wires, delivered to me, opened and received clearly. I got it. And so did many others in the crowd, including the gentleman in front of me who had to take off his glasses to wipe away tears. When we do it right the love letter that feels so specific and personal reaches many. That's the beauty of universal appeal.

So, that's my practice for this week, to look at my creations as love letters, to make art that burns for you. I invite you to join me and report back in the comments.

Until the next, my love...

XO Leigh

(*You can hear this beautiful music right here.)

Dealing with Creative Labor Pains

"@%$%@! Get this thing out of me!"

Apologies in advance to the mothers among you who will surely take issue with my imminent comparison of the pain of artmaking to the pain of giving birth. I'm assured that ACTUAL birth is a whole helluva lot harder and much, much, MUCH more painful.

That said, I can't help but notice, despite the fact we're producing artwork of some kind and not a human  being, we're still engaged with the same essential process: the act of creation. The stages of conception, gestation, labor, and birth are the same as the stages of creating art. First, you get an amazing idea (conception), you sit with it and mull it over (gestation), then you struggle and struggle and struggle while making it (labor) until finally - voilà! - a completed work (birth!)

But why do we do it when it can be so hard? Perhaps for the same reason that women, after a lifetime of hearing how grueling the birth process can be, still choose to have children. Because, ultimately, the pain is but a small price to pay for the incredibly satisfying result.

Remember when you're creating something that you're in labor. And it can be hard. It can bring a lot of emotional stuff to the surface. It questions our dedication, our courage, our discipline, our strength, our focus, our stamina. It can cause us to shut down, melt down and otherwise wig the hell out.

The trick is to be gentle with yourself and allow the process to unfold. Keep showing up and do your best to ride out the pain. Know that struggle isn't indicating that you should abandon this project, it's simply a natural part of bringing something to light.

If you're feeling labor pains while in the throes of creation, hang on. Keep going. BREATHE.

And push, darn it! PUUUSSSHHH!

The Most Important Thing I Know About Creativity

One time, many years ago, my friend's seven year-old son was taking a bath and began to scream for his mother. She ran in to find him with a frantic look on his face. "Mom, I need paper and a pen! I feel a poem coming on!"

Understanding the importance of this request, my friend dashed to the other room, grabbed the requested materials, and began to transcribe the poem as it tumbled from her son's lips.

I've always loved this story. Not just for the characters involved - and, trust me, they are characters - but for the truth it tells about the creative process. Our creations are not made by us, so much as they come through us.

I had a similar experience when I was five years-old. My first poem came out of me in one solid lump, transcribed onto a white pad with a sky blue crayon. I can remember staring at it for a long time, feeling surprised. I remember thinking, "I didn't write this." And, I remember also thinking, "This is really good." I still have it memorized:

Oh, so high in the sky the birds fly.Down to the ground, and up with a bound, Oh, so high in the sky.

Not bad for a five year-old who had never taken a writing class, right?

I feel fortunate that this happened at such a young age. That experience holds a valuable lesson, one I return to again and again. It is the single most important thing I know about creativity: that if we step aside and allow ourselves to become a clear channel the work will flow through us. The act of creation will be more like watching a film unfold and less like a wrestling match where two opponents beat the hell out of one another and no one's quite sure who's going to win.

If you find yourself feeling frustrated, stuck or joyless in the creative process, return to this simple place of allowing. Let the creation reveal itself.