Unleashing Creativity is a blog about the creative process, whether it’s the written word or art or dance or music. Cooking, Tai chi, or gardening. But unlike other blogs on the creative process, you’ll seldom see a list of the ten best tips for finding inspiration. Or how to overcome writer’s block. There are already plenty of blogs and internet articles and books on that topic–more instructive than I could provide. (For example, see Anne R. Allen, Jane Friedman, Kristen Lamb, or Nathan Bransford).
I’m more interested in creating narrative pieces that play with the collision of two disparate ideas or experiences or images that lead to a story. Like stumbling upon a windshield wiper abandoned in the middle of the street, and musing about how it got there. Or wondering what else happened on the day I lost a pair of sunglasses in Bangkok. Or finding myself torn by tragedy in the news. The ending of each piece often comes as a surprise, and I hope that’s true for my reader as well.
In my past life, I was a psychologist in a university counseling center. Among my clients were architecture students, graphic designers, English majors. Their own struggles with sitting down in front of a blank page got me interested in the creative process. When I talk to friends who are designers or artists or photographers, we’re often struck by the similarity i
n our experiences.
Originally from New York, I live in San Luis Obispo, California where the hiking is spectacular most days of the year. And inspiration is never far behind.
What inspires you? I’d love to know.
