I launched the Shiny Sparks article series on January 29th, but I haven’t been as consistent as I expected. I’ve had a few life delays, extra meetings, lots of book events (hooray!) and I lost my momentum a bit. Instead of making myself wrong for it, I’m examining the creative process as I experience it. I’ve noticed that when I’m launching something bigger, when I’m creating new things that have the potential to bring more light into the world, obstacles arise.

Has this happened to you?

I remember back before my mommy days I would take the occasional weekend trip with one of my friends. We’d carefully plan our departure times: who’s driving, where are we meeting to pack the car, what time, how long, which snacks. Excitement would be high, and then we’d hit a snag. Traffic would be crazy on the way out of town, or we’d miss an exit and have to loop around the highway. One of us forgot something crucial and we’d have to run back or stop somewhere to replace it.

This became such a predictable pattern that one friend and I (we traveled together a lot) would joke that because we had some obstacles and had to work harder to get on our way, it was a sign we were going to have a fabulous trip. And it was always that way – despite those challenges in the beginning, we’d spend days in joy, laughter, and bonding. Memories were implanted. Love grew. And because we had those experiences, we brought that energy  into the world in a way only we could have channeled.

Given that our results were so often positive and joyous, I started to question this pattern. Is it a necessary part of the creative process? Is it a lie we’ve bought into? I’m still experiencing it in my life, and sometimes it seems that the more I’m stepping up and out with my honest expressions, the bigger the obstacles that show up.

What has changed is my perspective about it. These days I know that if I keep at it despite setbacks, I’m destined to succeed. And I’m aware that what I perceive as a setback is often the creative idea giving itself time to grow and flourish.

In the space between my last weekly post and today, I’ve received an idea I’m excited to explore. For a while going forward I want to use this weekly series to examine the creative process from different perspectives, backgrounds, and approaches. How do we as creative people really stay connected to our own inspiration and motivation? What keeps us from operating on auto pilot and really living our creative lives consciously?

I’ve curated some artists and writers in my life, and together with their contributions to the series, we can watch snapshots of the collective creative process. Actively engaging in the creative process and sharing that with others, learning from how we all keep at it, and celebrating collective success brings me tremendous generative energy.

What about you?

What keep you inspired?

What keeps you from operating on auto pilot in your creativity?

I look forward to the conversation…