Fabulous Phrases: Anne Lamott

Joy will always be the best makeup.
-- from Anne Lamott, closing a post on Facebook -- a riff on a line from one of her books.

Creativity Tips: There Is No Wrong

This is what I love about creativity: "Take a photo that illustrates recalculating" leads to this shot from Bud:

 

And this one from another reader:

And this from Kate:

And this from me. After much agonizing. Because when I had the exercise in mind, I saw recalculating everywhere I looked -- from books and thermometers to plants and kitchen appliances:

The creativity lesson? Recalculate your perception that there is a right way to do everything. Enjoy the times when there is no right. There is no wrong. Enjoy the fact that the world is filled with amazing, delighting options.

Go play.

Creativity Exercise: Recalculating

Ooops. When I said last Friday's post was the 1,000th post on the CI blog, well. Yeah. I lied. It would have been if I posted every day last week, but I missed a day. So, that means ....

Ta Dah! This is #1,000!

My mistake and a frequent admonition from my GPS combine to create today's exercise: Let's illustrate the infamous recalculating. (Does your GPS say that every freakin' time you make a wrong turn? And do you make a lot of wrong turns? Of course, in our house, we like to consider those turns the scenic route.*)

So. We're recalculating. Take your digital camera, your fancy phone, your Polaroid, whatever, and take a photo of something that symbolizes recalculating. If you want to email me your creative results, great!

*Do not, under any circumstance, ever ask my buddy Lynn about the scenic route to Canyon de Chelly. It is not a pretty story. Not pretty at all. Let's just say that a lesser woman would have recalculated our friendship ...

Friday Fun: Village Shalom

If the Google stats are to be believed, this is the 1,000th post on the Creative Instigation blog. Woohoo! I'm thankful to still be writing -- and very thankful you're still reading!

One of the funnest aspects of creativity is that there's no age limit. Check out this video from Village Shalom, where my mom lives. They're celebrating 100 years of helping the aged live happy, creative lives.

Happy weekend!

Creativity Tips: Be Grateful

On this Thanksgiving Day, I'm going to share the prayer I say every morning when I wake up and dozens of times throughout the day. It's my brain's automatic response to the good things that happen in life and the bad things that don't. (You know. You're driving and some idiot almost smashes into you. It's the almost that matters. Not the idiot.)

My continual prayer/mantra of thanksgiving is incredibly simple:

Thank you G-d for all your blessings. Thank you very much. Amen.

Is it fair to title this post a creativity tip? Absolutely. I believe grateful souls -- whether they believe in any god or not -- have more space in their brains for creative thoughts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Creativity Tips: Keep an Open Mind

Thanks to Lezlie for posting this video on Facebook! Keeping an open mind, seeing the good around us ... seems like an appropriate message for this blog and this week. (The link is on Facebook, so if you get this post via email and can't access the video or the link, you can always look at the blog online. Thanks!)

Creativity Tips: How to Write a Thank You Note

As we start the week of Thanksgiving, it's a perfect time for a primer on thank you notes -- and there is a test at the end, so sit up straight and pay attention. You'll thank me later.

How to Write a Thank You Note:

1. Have stationery* on hand so you're ready to put pen to paper. That's right. Pen to paper. A quick email is completely wonderful to acknowledge receipt of a gift, but nothing replaces a note in the mail.
2. Be prompt. Write the note within a day of receiving the gift, enjoying the dinner out, whatever. "Within a day" is not Emily Post etiquette -- I'm sure you have longer than that to still be correct. However, the longer you put it off, the less likely you are to write it. And, unfortunately, the longer you put it off, the more likely you are to approach it like a task rather than a genuine expression of gratitude.  
3. Make it a genuine expression of gratitude. Stop for a minute and think about why this is nice, what the gift/event means to you, what the person means to you, etc.
4. Don't worry about the salutation. Dear "Name" is always appropriate. Or, have fun if you want -- for example, Pattibeth! as opposed to Dear Patty. (Again, I am not Emily Post.)
5. Don't worry about word count. Keep it short and sincere. You're writing a note, not a term paper. On the other hand, this is no time for a tweet -- Thanks a lot! is not enough.  
6. Be specific. Mention the item or event and a reason or two why it is special. For example:
   Dear Mo,
   Thank you so much for the Anne Lamott book! I know you really enjoyed Help, Thanks, Wow and I look forward to discussing it with you after I read it. Lamott is one of my favorite authors -- and you are one of my favorite people!
   Love,
   Jan
   
   or
   Dear John,
   Thank you for the wonderful lunch at Yia Yia's! The company was spectacular and the food was delicious. It was incredibly thoughtful of you to tell the hostess ahead of time that it was my birthday -- dessert is always a treat. As is time with you!
   All the best,
   Jan
7. Consider all these fabulous ending options: Thanks again, Cheers, All the best, With gratitude, In appreciation, Love, Sincerely, or the basic and perfectly lovely Thank you!

Now, for the test! (Hey, I warned you.) Look around and find a present someone gave you a long, long time ago. Something that you have kept, treasured, etc. For example, I keep a framed photo on my desk that mybestfriendintheworldsincefourthgrade sent me years ago -- a photo of us on vacation, in a frame that has special meaning. Did you find something? Great. Now write a thank you note to the person who gave it to you. Mail it. Make their day.

Naturally, there's only one way to end a post like this: Thank you for being part of the CI team!

*And keep a dictionary on hand so you can look up stationery vs. stationary.