May is Creative Beginnings Month
Whether you’re tired of hearing about how your ovaries are growing cobwebs, how you need to “find a man” before you develop varicose veins, or you just want to do something new, it’s time to start something new; something… creative.
And everyone can, no matter who you are, how many hours you work, or how many credit hours you’re enrolled in. Let the Muse drag you away from the dullness of the ordinary and inspire you to just begin. (Beware: The Muse may take many forms, ranging from a screaming dominatrix to a dreamy Woodstock stoner. Just go with it.)
Here are some great ways to get creative this month:
Get messy. Remember when Anne Hathaway threw darts at paint-filled balloons with her movie-mama in The Princess Diaries? Yeah. Go there. Or throw some paint on a drum set and make what your mother would call an utter disaster. Grab some paintballs, dress up in white (it is Memorial Day weekend, after all), and re-design what you’re wearing—while you’re in it. If you just can’t make that much of a mess, then grab some paper, some dime-store paints and a brush, and go for it.
Write your life saga. Or a romance between two people you’d love to get together—say, yourself and Hugh Jackman. Make a list of things to get at the grocery store—then add descriptions after each one. (“Bananas—for depicting proper condom use to my one-too-many pregnancy-tests-in-the-bathroom-trashcan roommate.”)
Name stuff—your coffee pot, your spider plant, your breasts. Make your girls’ names extra special—like Xena and Cher.
Sing. Do it anywhere. The shower, the car, your sister’s wedding (vodka might help that one along). Give some new music a try and sing along. Grab a children’s CD from the library and sing along—be goofy, sob as if Kermit has just died, or croon like you’re telling JFK he’s your rubber duckie.
Start a creative hobby. Collect stuff—acorns, rocks shaped like Philip Seymour Hoffman’s head, orange candles, cocktail napkins. Make stuff—models from kits, sculptures from clay or candy wrappers, collages from swiped doctor’s office magazines.
Whatever you do, be creative and have some fun. Even if you just change your routine a little, it can be a creative beginning that could change your life. Here are some great books to get you going:
The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron
Inspiration Sandwich, by SARK
Living Juicy, by SARK
How to Be an Explorer of the World, by Keri Smith
Wreck This Journal, by Keri Smith
The Awe-Manac, by Jill Badonsky