Thursday, August 31, 2017

#Creativity Exercise: Find Your Four Words

While cleaning out a closet, I found a box full of old notes and clippings and a few drawings. This, this, is my self-portrait at 23 years of age.


Oy. So sad. So, so sad. I know why, and I won't bore you with the details -- let's just say men were involved. Now, looking at this, I just want to reach back and tell my dear younger self, "It gets better! It really does!"

The words that come to mind when I look at this are all negative. (Well, other than the part of my brain that says, "Damn, girl. That's not a bad self portrait.") And that brings us to today's creativity exercise!

My Instagram account includes a four-word bio -- and all four words make me happy: Writer. Mother. Baker. Friend. If you had only four words to describe yourself, what would they be? This is a quick exercise: Decide on your four words in the next 60 seconds. Go!

Looking for a longer creativity exercise? Draw a self portrait. Then put it in a box somewhere, for your future self to find ... and remember.

P.S.: I'm glad I lost the despair. I wish I still had that blue-and-white sweater.


4 comments:

CJ Kennedy said...

Artist, mama, friend, procraftinator. Not knowing the real story behind the sad, young woman in the portrait, I think I recognize a broken heart. So, I'll give the young woman, the same advice my cousin gave me when my heart was broken. Stand on the corner long enough, and another bus will go by.

Jan said...

CJ -- I love your four words! And you're absolutely right. That was a young woman with a broken heart and, although she wouldn't have believed it then, another bus did go by. :-)

Did you mean "procraftinator" as opposed to "procrastinator"? I'm thinking you probably did, and I have a whole basement full of half-done and undone projects to claim that word right along with you!

CJ Kennedy said...

Procraftination is doing some craft project when you should be doing something else especially if the something else has a deadline. :-D

Jan said...

Even better than what I thought it meant!!!