- Listen to the same song at the beginning of each daily practice. This anchors the process.
- Honor your creative space. Treat it as something sacred. Is there a way to bring a spiritual touchstone into the space?
- Quickly name the first two objects that come to mind. This is a message from the subconscious. They will somehow matter during the day’s creative session.
- Build up creative stamina. Break down each session into shorter time intervals. It keeps you focused.
- Divide these intervals into either idea generation times, in which nothing is censured, and revision times, in which you can be more critical of the work. Both of these times are equally creative – they just use different parts of the brain.
- Keep a scribble pad nearby to capture errant thoughts. The subconscious sometimes flies.
- Use crayons to capture those thoughts. There’s something magical about a crayon – it evokes childhood and frees creativity.
- Keep phone and other digital distractions away from your creative space.
- At the end of each daily practice, clean and order the creative space. This ritual primes you for tomorrow’s work
- Listen to a celebratory song at the close of each creative session. Then dance.
Mystery of a Story
Trying to wrangle the subconscious is part of the excitement and part of the burden of the artist. By its very nature,...
