My Peacetree Archives - Ingrid Murray

How to Use Structure to Inspire Creativity

This post was originally published on the My Peacetree blog. Read more about these archives.

Hello, my loves.

I’ve been reading up on a lot of theories and opinions and suggestions about blogging. Many successful bloggers use an editorial calendar (a planned schedule of posts to publish), ensuring that they have on-topic posts prepared and ready to publish long before they need them. This creates consistency in voice and the blog feed, increases readership, and (they say, or at least suggest) keeps a wave of inspiration flowing.

After reading these articles, I was overwhelmed with inspiration. I decided in the midst of all this to reevaluate the blog, rediscover myself, and make sure that my interests are aligned with my posts. So I delved into Evernote for the first time, came up with more than seventy post ideas, and even planned out an editorial calendar all the way through the next three months. I wrote up and published the first post on that list right on schedule – and haven’t followed through with anything I came up with in that frenzy of creativity since. Even though I had the next post planned out and half written. (Instead, I jumped ahead two weeks and posted an art journal spread that required little writing.)

Inspiration strikes me in bizarre ways. I can be overrun with ideas and motivation – usually at about eleven at night when I have to be up early the next day – and can ride that wave for hours and hours, so long as I stay with it. If I go to sleep, I often wake in the morning with little inspiration left to pursue the big ideas I’d had the night before. If something like work or running an errand interrupts my wild-donkey-riding, I become distracted and that momentum is halted.

As I went through this whole process, and as I attempt to try again, I wonder about the relationship between structure and creativity, right-brain and left-brain thinking, and the spontaneity of creation and the reliability of planning.

I feel like artists are often thought of as impulsive: so much of creation is about the flow of creativity. We talk about writer’s block as an impediment to that flow. Yet when I took a course in oil painting in college, much of the process of creating a painting was spent planning out the composition, doing preliminary sketching, and deciding just the right angle and colors and methods to use.

Steve Denning wrote the following in “Creativity Must Have Structure“, published on Forbes:

Structure and creativity have the same parentage. It is structure that enables creativity. […] In the twelve notes of the musical scale, in the twenty six letters of the alphabet, these fantastic structural inventions have unlocked the enormous creativity of literature and music. Without structure, there is nothing for creativity to get leverage upon.

When put that way, the correlation between structure and creativity is obvious. In fact, I am reminded of an article I actually wrote several years ago discussing whether or not originality exists. (I unfortunately no longer have the piece. But my conclusion was that, since every individual is influenced by art, tools, behavior, or ideas others have created, there is no originality – only original thought of how to re-assemble pre-existing pieces.)

Below are five tips on how to use your left hemisphere to jump-start creativity:

Research: Read books or articles that address the creative blocks you are currently facing.
Delegate: Find resources that help you prepare and plan ahead for future creative droughts. (Blogging-wise, use the schedule post tool on your blog to automatically publish to your blog, and check out a publishing tool like Later or Hootsuite as a useful Twitter/Facebook-publishing tool.)
Create a routine: Take out your journal, paintbrushes, or sketchbook even when you aren’t inspired. The act of beginning, of pushing yourself into creation, often inspires inspiration.
Prepare: Get ahead of yourself. Having a list of possible posts, ideas, or ideas to explore will give you a place to jump from, and you will avoid having to start from scratch.
Make notes: In a moment of inspiration, get as much done as you possibly can. If you have to step away from your project, leave a note outlining where your project is headed to help yourself find your way back into it.

I am determined to balance my creative impulsiveness and elusive bouts of inspiration with the structure and self-discipline that are foreign to my creative process and nature. Balance is key, and I think that however frustrating in the meantime will prove valuable in the long run.

This subject something I’m going to keep thinking about, mulling over, and addressing. I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this, and I’d especially love to know about your own habits and ebbs and flows of creativity! Please share in the comments below.

8 Myths about Art Journaling

This post was originally published on the My Peacetree blog. Read more about these archives.

A close-up photo of two art journals, one yellow and the other blue. They are standing next to one another, with the spines close to the view. You can see the edges of colorful painted pages.

One of the most wonderful things about art journaling – and one of the hardest to become comfortable with – is that there is no wrong way to do it. You can’t screw up. Which means, too, that there are no guidelines for what is “right” or “good”, and it can be difficult to find your way without any boundaries at all.

Additionally, especially while embarking into newness, we set expectations based on the results of individuals who have spent years honing their style and technique. I thought I’d address some of the myths that I have struggled with while on my own art journaling journey, in hopes of helping you to be gentle with yourself while you begin or continue with your artistic journey.

Myth #1: You need a main focus/image.

Sometimes my pages are dominated by a central image, but usually they are not. Often, a color scheme is all I use to tie a spread together. Try creating a page that feels loose and spontaneous and purposefully vast, try creating a page with a main focus, and try creating one that has a balance – and decide for yourself what feels best for you.

Myth #2: You next text — text that is beautiful and wise and poignantly written about growth or struggle.

This is one that I struggled with for a long time. I felt like I was missing some important element of the process of art journaling by not being struck by some magnificent revelation while painting. But I have found that, for me, it is the process that is most important, and I don’t have use a quote to prove (to myself or to others) how art journaling benefits me.

Alternately, if you are looking to use text in your art but don’t know what to write, try a stream-of-consciousness approach: write for a set amount of time without stopping and without thinking too hard about what comes next. (For example: “Now I’m doing stream-of-consciousness but I don’t really know what I’m writing and it’s weird but oh well I’m trying to fill up text and here’s the end of the sentence.”) Most of the text in my art journal is this kind of writing!

Myth #3: You need to paint.

Scared of paint? No worries. Start with what you feel comfortable with, whether it be collage, ballpoint pen, crayon, sharpie, pencil, marker, charcoal, or something else entirely.

Myth #4: You need to draw/paint/sketch figures.

Nope. Creating realistic images takes time, patience, and passion. If you are interested in getting better, go for it! Otherwise, skip what you’re not interested in (or yet not ready to attempt) and experiment with color, texture, and other abstract concepts, or use magazine or catalogue images for figures you want to include.

Myth #5: You need expensive materials.

In art journaling, cheap is possible without sacrificing beauty. Try using items you probably already have at home or can snap up for just a few dollars: a thrifted book, watercolors and brushes from the dollar store, newspaper, crayons, magazines, tissue paper, scrap paper, glue stick, staples, masking tape, ink-jet printed text and images. And, if you want to spring for it, an acrylic paint set under $10. Crayola has some fantastic materials, too, many for under $5.

Using cheaper materials, incidentally, lessens the fear of wasting product and makes it easier to experiment!

Myth #6: Every page has to be “finished” before you start the next one.

One of my greatest inspirations once posted something that forever changed how I approached my art journal. I paraphrase: “If you don’t like what you’ve created, turn the page and start again.” It takes courage to stop, turn to a new page, release whatever frustration you may be feeling, and try something new. But my goodness, loves, is it so exhilarating to give yourself permission to screw up and move on!

Don’t spend all your time and energy wrestling with something that isn’t turning out the way you’ve envisioned. Put it behind you, turn the page, and start again.

Myth #7: The pages have to be done in order.

I skip around in my art journal all the time, inspired by the images that are on the pages of my thrifted books and my whimsy. Follow your instinct! Incidentally, if you are using an altered book, switching between working in the first half and the last half of the book actually helps to keep the spine more even.

Myth #8: You are a serious art journaler only if you do it every day.

This is something I still struggle with: admitting that months sometimes go by between when I pick up my brush. But you know what? Fact is, I paint when the inspiration strikes, and that means that I do not paint regularly. While I know that I love art journaling, and often I fall into a creative streak when I force myself to put color on the pages, it is important for us to be gentle with ourselves, especially when it comes to our passions.

Is there anything that you have struggled with while art journaling? What is holding you back?

Wonderful, Silly, Amazing Life

This post was originally published on the My Peacetree blog. Read more about these archives.

Last Tuesday evening, I was in a car accident. I remember the headlights coming straight towards me, growing alarmingly larger.

Miraculously, I’m not seriously injured. I walked away with a small scrape and several bruises, but the reality of it is that I was quite literally two feet away from death: the car crashed into the front right wheel well, a very short distance from where I was sitting in the front passenger seat.

It is this thought that is slowly growing to recognition in my mind – how by such narrow margins I’m walking, talking, and breathing today – and, to be honest, it’s incredibly difficult to wrap my head around. I’ve lost two close friends in the past few years, and another sweet friend recently had her own awakening to mortality. I am finding that I am more deeply saddened by these experiences than my own, and this surprises me.

Life is a funny thing. We grow so comfortable in our bodies and with the tiny details in our lives: the routine of coffee in the morning, the uncertainty of picking out the perfect outfit for a night out, the hustle to finish a project before a deadline. These little things become so important to us and often become the main focus of our lives; it’s so easy to forget how enormous the Universe is and how beautiful the world is.

We forget to enjoy food, music, and art as if it were the first time we were experiencing it. We forget how incredibly lucky we are to be here, experiencing this: with all its ups and downs, bad hair days, sadnesses and sufferings and mistakes, life is a grand adventure, filled with the most amazing things and the most lovely people.

Our mere existence is more wondrous than we could ever imagine.

Today I invite you to look at the world with new eyes and consider, no matter your circumstances, how magnificent it is to be alive.

Truest Truth

This post was originally published on the My Peacetree blog. Read more about these archives.

It’s been a very long time since I had the courage to write anything truly personal here. As I’ve hinted at before, this year has been an achingly difficult one, and I have had to endure some incredibly difficult situations that have ripped open excruciatingly painful wounds from the past, particularly from my childhood. The truth of it all is that I can’t – even for myself – find the words to express or sort through the emotional responses to this year.

I hope one day to be able to share without reservation my experiences in order to help those in similar circumstances, but today the pain is too raw and close, and words fail me.

We all have been in the midst of difficult situations – every last one of us. We are human, after all, and life is made of challenges to be overcome. Along the way we learn things, messages introduced when battling obstacles. In good moments, we tell ourselves that we are strong and resilient; in moments of fear or disappointment we whisper negative things to ourselves, words like “failure” and “incompetent”. And the funny thing is that, the longer we tell ourselves these unhappy things, the more firmly we come to believe it, regardless of whether or not it was ever true.

What have you been telling yourself, love? On my worst days, I find myself believing that I am stupid, unappreciated, invisible, and completely alone. I have felt guilty and angry and ashamed and unloveable. And I have cried many, many tears.

The reason I’m sharing this today is that I believe I am not alone in this inner struggle. This world can be harsh sometimes, and, I think, often leads us to think that if we are not perfect – if we are not skinny, tall, tan, young, brown-eyed, blue-eyed, or green-eyed enough; if we can’t paint like Rembrandt or van Gogh; if we aren’t that blogger who posts every other day with stories from an impossibly perfect life; if we don’t have smooth, glowing skin; if we can’t find love; if we have bad hair days; if we have troubles and concerns and worries – if we aren’t perfect enough, then we’re not good enough.

If you, sweet reader, have been struggling silently with these doubts about your own worth, I have a message for you, one that is far greater than any negative whisper you have ever told yourself. This message doesn’t come from me, but from all the love that makes up this beautiful Universe, something eternal and ever present, something that speaks only truth. It’s a message just for you, darling.

You are loved.

You – sweet, strong, kind, creative you – are perfect.
You are good, and whole, and you are on the right path.

You are enough.

And all the love that makes up everything, the love that coaxes flower petals from tight buds, that makes the stars twinkle and the cicadas sing, that brings hope and joy and comfort to people around the globe, this love is enveloping you, holding you tightly in a big bear hug and filling you up with happiness and peace. It is holding you, now and always.

Breathe it in, beautiful. Trust it.
Everything is going to be alright.

Self-Love in Busy Moments

This post was originally published on the My Peacetree blog. Read more about these archives.

Repeat after me: I will give myself a moment or two of my own time. I will remember that I (and my mental, physical, and emotional health) am a priority. I will be gentle with myself.

I sit on my bed under a downy blanket, fighting procrastination. This past week has been a tough one for me. There have been several things which have been testing me mentally and emotionally and which have been completely preoccupying my mind. Deadlines are ever present. I’m exhausted and have not been treating my body well, resulting in further exhaustion.

What does one do in these situations? Do you, like I do, need reminding that it’s okay to take a step back, take a deep breath, and go slowly?

Sometimes, in all the hurry and bustle and must dos and should dos, I forget to take care of myself. I forget to send myself love, and I forget to be gentle with myself. If you are in a similar situation, dearest, remember that you are a top priority – those To Dos can wait for a moment while you dedicate some time to you.

For a short-term solution, take a quick break in the midst of work – it often allows one to come back refreshed and full of renewed energy. Struggling through a project or task may in fact prevent you from doing your best work or from accomplishing as much as you need to!

Try one or more of these little tricks to boost your spirits and your drive:

Make a cup of tea and sip it slowly
Read a blog post or two
Take a short walk outside
Have a conversation with your kids, spouse, or friend
Doodle or sketch
Stretch
Meditate for a few minutes, or simply close your eyes and focus on your breathing
Tidy the area around you – often a clear space helps create a clear mind
Make a list of 15 things to be grateful for

After a few minutes’ break, return to the task at hand and see if you are not more clear-headed and better able to focus. I suggest giving yourself at least five minutes of time each hour in order to re-center. Go on, treat yourself to some self-love!