There were a couple of things to do on my To-Do list. I wanted to write an essay on boosting creativity. I also needed to clean the bathroom.
I’m one of those writers who loves having written, but I struggle with sitting down and making it happen. So, guess which option I chose? Yep – I cleaned the bathroom.
But, before I started, I set an intention. I decided I would focus on what I was going to write about when my bathroom sparkled. I would do some mental brainstorming about topics and stories and anecdotes that would flow from my fingers to the keyboard to the screen. My hope was, even if I didn’t achieve the sparkle, I would have removed the ring around the tub and have an idea of where to start before I sat down to write.
This isn’t a new idea. In her book, “The Creative Habit,” the choreographer, Twyla Tharp says “Movement stimulates our brains in ways we don’t appreciate.” She gave an example of a friend who will dust when blocked while writing. Moving allows us to get out of our heads and lets our mind wander.
Most of us have experienced thinking of solutions to problems while driving or taking a shower. Creatives often spend time in nature allowing their thoughts to flow.
What I did differently on this day was to give my mind a specific task while it wandered. I wanted an idea to write about. If I got an idea – great. I would be all set to start writing. And if I didn’t – that would okay too. I’d at least be able to scratch off a task on my to-do list.
It took all the pressure off. I was just cleaning the bathroom. I pondered creativity as I wiped the mirror. I thought about how the mind can just flow as I scrubbed the tub. As I wrung out the sponge, I decided having a pen and paper nearby would be important to the process to get down your ideas before they were forgotten.
Does this mean all I need to do to get good ideas is to clean my house? Unlikely. I’m still a big fan of artist dates (thanks Julia Cameron), walking in nature to replenish the well and other things I do for self-care. But I have found a way of making use of the time I need to use to clean and care for my home and my family.
Unfortunately, I need to go outside and shovel the snow off the driveway. What intention shall I set now?
