We’ve all heard of writer’s block, but most (all?) artists face times when their creative juices just aren’t flowing.

This week I had the opportunity to hear an interview with the queen of creativity, Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity – and the quintessential guide to moving through anything that’s blocking your artistic (or any other) genius. In addition to the Artist’s Way, Cameron has written 30 other books. Wow.

When asked what’s at the heart of her ‘brand’ Cameron replied “optimism and compassion.”The Artist’s Way emerged from her desire to help others, and is grounded in her own experience of how to overcome her own blocks and connect to what she calls “that holy place,” where creativity and spirituality fuse as one.

Here are a few tips and tools, from Cameron and others, on how you can reconnect to your creativity and let the magic begin.

1)  Write morning pages.
Writing three pages, by hand, in free flow form every morning is one of Cameron’s key tools to fueling creativity. In what could be considered a “divine download,” morning pages are a potent form of prayer and meditation. Says Cameron, “Hand-writing puts us in touch with our emotions. We learn how we feel about what we say. Writing by computer is a more shallow practice. It yields us speed and distance, but not the depth.”
 
2)  Make “artist’s dates.” 
This is another of Cameron’s keys to unlocking – and unleashing – creativity. Once a week, take a solo excursion to pursue something that interests you. I call these “Inspiration days.” It could be a trip to an art gallery, checking out a new restaurant or just taking photos in the park. These short journeys of the soul don’t have to be expensive or complicated, but they can foster conscious connect with a higher power.
 
3)  Go for a walk or take a break. 
Walking integrates our creative thoughts and helps us make conscious connections to new ideas and possibilities.
 
4)  Be present. Focus on one project. 
Multi-tasking adds confusion and distraction, and interferes with the creative channels. Choose a project that inspires or motivates you, and work on just that one. Even small amounts of progress add to a sense of accomplishment. And small victories make us happy… and want to continue creating.
 
5)  Trust in yourself, and the process.
In order to create, you have to trust in the authenticity of your own impulses and originality. When you set out to create something, have faith and believe in what you’re doing. Step away from any inner censors or critics. If you listen to them, they’ll stop you in your tracks.
 
6)   Embrace imperfection. 
There is great power in taking action, even imperfect action. Perfectionism is the kiss of death for creativity. Begin by taking small steps, cooperate your creative impulses, and be open to whatever happens. Be willing to be bad.
 
7)  Pursue it and do it.
In the end, in order to create anything we have to be willing to make a good attempt… to persevere… and to send it out there. As Tim O’Reilly so brilliantly says: “Pursue something so important that even if you fail, the world is better off with you having tried.”
 
How do you fuel your creativity or overcome blocks? 

Today’s post was inspired by Danielle LaPorte’s Burning Questions Series where the passionate author asks a question, answers it and invites others to respond.

While there’s already a new “Burning Question” this week, my responses below are to Danielle’s inaugural Burning Question in the series: “How do you want to feel?”

As Danielle so aptly points out, feelings create an emotional magnetism that help us attract and manifest our desires or goals much more rapidly.

And speaking of feelings, how do you want to feel about your life’s work, biography or business? If you need help injecting a little more emotional magnetism into your stories, message or offerings, download my “10 Ways to Create Hot Copy” on this site.

Also in the near future, I will be offering an online workshop on How To Write Your Signature Story, so you can tell the world (with feeling) WHY you do the good work that you do.

Stay tuned…

I want to feel…

I want my day to feel like a lucid dream.

I want kissing to feel like dark chocolate melting in my mouth with a Shiraz finish.

I want my next success to feel like Adele rolling in the Grammys.

I want my body to feel like a lioness – lean, powerful and soft to the touch.

I want smiling to feel like sunlight on your face.

I want my friendships to feel like road trips without a map, to places I love and those yet to be discovered.

I want my nervous system to feel like the sea on a calm day.

I want my neighborhood to feel like a new Jack Johnson song.

I want my integrity to feel like quartz crystal.

I want my money-making to feel like an exotic garden where things are planted, nourished and blossom into beauty and abundance.

I want my word to feel like inspired alchemy.

I want my laughter to feel like rolling thunder.

I want the end of the day to feel like a relaxing meditation.

I want being of service to feel like a goddess just doing her job.

I want my philanthropy to feel like unconditional love for the masses.

I want my challenges to feel how an athlete feels after victory.

I want my love to feel Eternal. Infinite. Multi-dimensional.

I want my writing to feel like a scene from Midnight in Paris, but in a café with Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain on vacation.

I want my ideas to feel like light through a stained-glass window.

How do YOU want to feel?

February is the month we (officially) celebrate love.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we are awash with ideas – for dates, dinners and destinations – to amp up the romance and find the lo-o-o-ve.

This week I read that Winnipeg placed No. 15 among Canada’s 20 most romantic cities, in an annual list compiled by Amazon.ca.  According to the report, Amazon ranks the cities by comparing sales figures (since Jan. 1) of romance novels, sex and relationship books, rom-com movies and Michael Bublé discs. Seriously?

Apparently just reading (watching or listening to) all things romantic can put you in the mood… and your city on the love map.

Which got me thinking… novelists, screenwriters and songwriters all know how to turn up the heat with a few good lines. So this week here are a few hot tips to instill a little more passion in your writing.

Consider it the joy of text.

“When genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got and say it hot.”

– D. H. Lawrence

5 Ways to Write with Passion

1) Add some emotional rescue.

People everywhere, from your loved ones to friends and colleagues, are wanting to embrace emotion. Give it to them.  Speak it with words, paint it with pictures and say it like you feel it. Injecting emotion into your story, letter or speech, connects you and your passion to your audience –- whether it’s an audience of one… or thousands.

2) Open with your best line (s).

In journalism, after the headline, the most important line is the first sentence. From the top, you have to engage the audience and let them know why they should keep reading. Experts say you have three seconds to make a first, and often lasting, impression. That’s three seconds to connect and make them fall in love with what you have to say.

Literary agent Noah Lukeman says that what you say in the first five pages of a book is critical. The same can be said for your first five lines… of a love letter, business letter or cover letter.

3) Tap into the senses.

Use sight, sound, smell, touch and taste to enliven any copy. Writing is a form of visual art. Describing what you see (or sense) pulls the reader into the story. Good writing doesn’t talk “about” feelings; it uses words and imagination to connect with the reader and “bring him to his senses.”

4) Keep it real.

Recall, tell and retell true tales, hilarious anecdotes or life-changing testimonials. Passionate writing is infused with evocative, powerful stories — whether it’s about your business, adventures or life’s great moments. Good storytelling adds luster, meaning and connection. Few things are more inspiring than real stories (quips or quotes) from real people. As writer Kelly Diels says, “To write great dialogue, steal from your life. And the lips of everyone around you.”

5) Involve the reader.

Will you still read me tomorrow? Authors and readers are partners in the experience.  By involving the reader, writers show that they care about the content, storyline or information they are delivering.

In short, good writing is like good sex; technique matters but emotion, connection and attention to detail are what make it unforgettable.

So here’s to adding a little passion to your pen… and sharing the love.