Embracing My Creative Mind: A Morning Reflection

I woke up this morning and immediately dove into my never-ending to-do list—then I hit the brakes! I've realized that it’s best to start my day with my creative mind in charge before I shift into practical tasks. Otherwise, I risk missing out on that wonderful creative spark. My creative side hangs out on my shoulder, gently nudging me, often even before I get out of bed, allowing ideas to flow and see which ones might take flight.

Now that I'm embracing my “older” brain, it’s not about chasing every idea but remembering the ones that stick around after dancing through my mind. One of the perks of getting older, I suppose! I’ve noticed that my brain has fewer decisions to make—I can only focus on what I can remember. It’s funny; I often say that for every new idea I grab, a dozen others seem to tumble out the back!

My creative brain can be quite noisy—“Do this. Do that. Don’t forget. Write it down.” It buzzes like that until I start to paint, and then everything quiets down. It’s like having a noisy creative brain and a calm one, both equally important to my process. If I didn’t have that noisy voice, the quiet one might never show up to play.

In our busy lives, there’s so much to do and keep track of that it’s tough to find time to let our minds wander freely. I’ve learned to embrace that wandering at the beginning of my day. Maybe my goal should be to extend that time and delay diving into practical tasks until later. For now, though, my creative brain often steps aside for the practical one without me even realizing it’s happening.

So, when your muse shows up, make sure to follow it wherever it leads!