Creative Adaptability by Sharon Heagy

 

Adapting. It’s in our DNA. Put there by the Creator Himself.  It’s one of the gifts He gives us to survive.  If life is anything, it is ever changing and at times unpredictable. We need the ability to embrace life and shift with its ever-changing flow, ‘a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.’ (Ecclesiastes 3:1) When we pour into the creative river within us and allow that river to freefall down the mountain, it not only aids in our writing, painting, sculpting etc. but it helps us to find creative solutions to situations in our daily life. If the river becomes dammed, algae blooms begin to grow and we start to stagnate. Our creativity wanes. It is up to us to figure out a way to poke a hole, to move one log and then kick the whole dam apart and WHOOSH, we are rushing, bubbling, twisting and turning our way back down the mountain. So how do we do that? How do we break through?

In 2Timothy1, Paul reminds Timothy to fan into flame the spiritual gift of God within him and in the same way we need to be reminded that it is up to us to stoke the fire, or in this case, to bust the dam wide open. We need to find a way to adapt. Below I offer a few dam busting solutions that have worked for me.

1. Always number one in my books – pray. Pray for help, for inspiration, for your eyes to be open then wait expectantly for answers. He will answer because He called you. Of course, if you are like me you need to remember to listen.

 2. Try a different medium. Switch to a pen or pencil if you use a computer and vice versa.

 3. Write about your frustrations. It gets the thing out of your head and may lead you to discover the real source of your frustration, which may be surprising.  A new concept may plunk itself down in your gray cells. You may go boldly to where your brain has never gone before. (Apologies to Star Trek)

 4. Turn off social media and other unnecessary screens. Nothing numbs creativity faster than extended hours of mindless activity.

 5. Go outside. A few minutes to a few hours outdoors can be amazingly refreshing. The fresh air clears our heads and can give us a new perspective. His creation is a grand source of clarity. Time spent there clears the cobwebs and the clutter.  If you are unable to go outside open a window and let the air in. Listen to sounds. Hear the wind. Listen to the birds. If that isn’t possible, perhaps a recording of nature would be more accessible. Close your eyes and allow God to minister to you.

 6. Have a nap. Studies have shown increased productivity in people who have a 20-minute snooze at some point during the day.

 7. Try a different genre or a different medium. Write a poem, prose, or non-fiction. Paint a picture, model some clay, doodle. Sing, dance make music. Do something other than your norm to kick start the creative engine of adaptability.

 8. Talk to other writers. (So thankful for Inscribe) They will have a plethora of ideas that work for them and you may just find the one that works best for you.

 9. Have courage and never give up.

 10. Tell Sharon to re-read this post on a regular basis as she forgets all the methods that have worked in the past and tell her there are a myriad more ways of provoking creativity because we serve an infinitely creative God.

 11. Have a blessed day and thanks for reading this rambling list. May you find encouragement and may your river never cease to cascade down the mountain.