I wonder if you feel like this, from time to time, or is it just me? I have so many creative ideas exploding like popcorn in my head. I come up with them all at once and then can’t implement them all. I land up feeling frustrated. This is akin to creative constipation; creative ideas being fed into my conscious brain but I am not giving it an outlet. It is slightly different to creative block but sometimes the result can be the same because I grind to a halt as I become bewildered by all the inspiration and don’t know how to get on with it.

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I consider myself self to be a creative cook who takes an interest in mixing and combining flavors much like an artist mixes her paints on a pallet. I garden and try to grow vegetables and fruit. I write short stories, poems and blogs. I paint and draw; I sew and make 3-dimensional objects; and I occasionally compose music. Most of my creativity expresses my ideas and feelings. That is what I do and there is more that I want to do that is hanging back behind the stage curtains.

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Tracking creative flow.
I have been tracking my creative flow over time and what I notice about myself is that I like going at it full force, totally focused on one thing at a time; in other words my focus is single minded. I think that having focus is good but this doesn’t really suit blog writing which I want to do regularly and at a metered pace so if I get into the frame of mind where I am painting a lot I then am not interested in blogging. You see my problem? It is like: blog? What blog?

My challenge is to harness the energy from the flow of inspiration and do the things that come up as well as keeping on going with my regular expressions. Sometimes I get really annoyed with myself for example, that I take such an interest in cooking healthy mindful meals when all I want to do is keep on going with whatever creative project is on the go. This is when I have to remind myself that I am dedicated to a healthy life style as well as being a creative. Sometimes, like this morning, I really wanted to get on with painting when I know that I haven’t blogged for a while, which is why I am writing this post now. Do you ever feel like this?

For me the conundrum is staying in the flow of creativity, yet keeping in mind the bigger picture and plan that I live by. Being rigid kills my creativity, but structure keeps me on the right track. It’s a fine balance and I don’t always get it right. Just as I am learning to regulate and have freedom of flow I am also learning to accept that it is okay to not always be on top of things. That’s the way I try to keep clear of creative constipation.

That is me for today, how are you doing?