Photo on <a href=”https://visualhunt.com/re/f097da“>Visualhunt</a>

 

Plan Ahead

I love the picture above. Not only because if the vibrant colors and of the obvious talent portrayed in the paintings. There is something else that catches my attention, and that’s the artist himself. It would be an average sort of attention you would pour into if the artist was a young man, but the fact that it’s an on older man speaks volumes of discipline and wisdom. I sometimes would like to be like that man because of his dedication. I wonder how more efficient we would be in our lives if we would follow his silent advice of making time for it. You make time to buy groceries, to spend time with your kids, to complete homework, among other responsibilities. Have you ever made time in your schedule just to be you?

 

Remember, you are creative.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself: “ I’m not that creative.” False! Yes, you are! Just because you are not a writer, painter, singer, or crafter, does not mean that you lack creativity. You may be into coding, baking, decoration, or reading books. Whatever makes you feel creative is perfectly fine. Not everyone has the same talents or skill, therefore there should be no shame when it comes to this. If you are open to trying new things then I would say go for it. Here at PLQ, we value creativity and expression.

Organization is key

The following things are things that I do regularly in order to maintain my creativity in order. I know it seems to be quite contradictory to assume that creativity needs order, mean it’s nature is to be all over the place. Because I tend to get distracted, I write everything on notebooks. Whether those notebooks are virtual or not, I always try to categorize every little thing I am doing that way I won’t get confused. One Note is an app you can use on your computer, tablet, and phone. It works like Evernote, Bear and all of the wonderful apps that exist for creative writers. The old-fashioned way, which is plain notebooks, make take some space in your home, but trust me it can benefits you in many ways. I guess I’m just being biased because I am a notebook hoarder myself. I have a notebook for everything. It helps me focus knowing that if I want to work on a particular thing that day.

Photo credit: Dvortygirl on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA

 

Create your own routine

Any successful person such as a CEO or an athlete will tell you that a routine is one of the reasons they have accomplished so much. I am not suggesting that you should wake up at 5 a.m. every single morning, however, it will help. By routine, I mean making friends with repeating certain things. I’ll illustrate an example so can understand this better. As a creative individual, there are certain things that benefit my expression. There are other things that doesn’t. There things that I like and things that I don’t really like. Being able to find the perfect combination of things that help me push further has been a life changer. These are things I do on a daily basis: (Not necessarily in the exact order it happens daily.)

• Wake up at 5 a.m.
• Exercise one hour.
• Coffee.
• Revise to do list in my planner.
• Read and pray for at least 15 minutes.
• Listen to classical music.
• Write for two hours.
• Read a book a day. ( Need to start getting into that habit again.)

Find what’s right for you and stick to it. You’ll find yourself feeling funny if one day you skip one of the things in your routine. That’s how you’ll know that you’re getting used to it.

 

Finding Inspiration

Photo on <a href=”https://visualhunt.com/re/dca277“>VisualHunt.com</a>

Lantern Festival, Seoul, Cheonggyecheon Stream, Lantern

Having problems finding inspiration? Try looking at pictures from different places in your city. I’ve been lately admiring South Korea and Japan. Try it if you’re having writer’s block or just can’t find a good reason to draw or paint.
Photo credit: Dean Hochman on Visual hunt / CC BY

 

I hope this helped!

 

And remember… you are beautiful!

Sincerely,

 

Loren Ruiz

PLQ Survivor and Ambassador

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