Monday, January 9, 2012

Creative Endurance?




Ever stop and think how creativity and endurance might intertwine?

Are you creative? 

Of course you are! You are a writer, after all. 

Do you have endurance? 

Well sure, you say, I can write a blog post without getting winded.

So do you think you have creative endurance?

Six Steps to Building Your Creative Endurance by Jarie Bolander may have your answer.

It explains the ins and outs on maintaining long term creativity.

Just how do we do that?

By honestly assessing the barriers that hold us back,

like lame excuses and wasted pockets of time, and taking productive steps forward.

Good stuff, and very inspiring. I encourage you to check it out!

What hinders your creativity? What boosts it? What do you do to maintain it?

Happy writing,

Karen




 Photo credit: Stock Exchange

36 comments :

  1. Thanks Karen. Hope yu have ahappy writing week.

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  2. The same thing is the culprit to all my "stop shorts": loss of focus. What seemed good one moment, gives way to something else that seems good now.

    I love endurance. To me it's the staying power behind any endeavor - be it writing or marriage or a long medical treatment or a difficult job. We are gifted with it by God Himself in the form of long suffering. Sometimes I've had to endure it to have it :)

    Hugs,
    Kathleen

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  3. Ah, good question. I need a little boost right now. Finding it hard to get back into my groove since the holidays. Will check out that link.
    Happy New Year!

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  4. I answered this question on Jessica Patch's blog this morning and it's discouragement. It frustrates my creative flow.
    ~ Wendy

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  5. Linda,
    You are welcome! Hope you have a good one too! :)

    Alex,
    Hope it is helpful!

    Kathleen,
    Ah, I can do that too. Sometimes I feel like a scattered little kid. Yes, endurance is the key!

    Jennifer,
    Getting back into the groove, I hear ya! Hope the article helps!

    Wendy,
    I know. That can be one I face sometimes. That and time or interruptions.

    Blessings,
    Karen

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  6. A good cup of herbal tea or a bubble bath break works for me. :-)
    Happy Monday!

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  7. I have bad short term endurance but good long term endurance. I have some work to do, LOL

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  8. I feel blessed the ideas just keep coming. I have to edit stuff out and place it in my JUNKYARD where I can pick a part and plug it in for later use.

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  9. Hope you are having a great Monday to start the week. sandie

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  10. Jen,
    Hey, now there's a good solution! Happy Monday to you too!

    Lydia,
    Me too! Well, we can be works in progress, right?

    Stephen,
    Good for you! Glad the ideas are flowing!

    Happy writing,
    Karen

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  11. Balance and routine boosts my creativity and keeps me productive. I'm trying to get more of that into my schedule this year :)

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  12. My creativity is hindered when I don't have time to sit and ponder things. Too much mental input will put a damper on it, too. When I'm on an important task, like a novel, I have endurance. Otherwise, I'm not so sure.

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  13. Oh wow, that sounds like an awesome post! Thanks for the tip, Karen. :)

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  14. Cindy,
    You know, me too! I wonder if that isn't overlooked sometimes. Trying to get some balance here too. :)

    Nancy,
    Oh yes, I think we need time to just think and play around with ideas. Too bad we aren't always paid for that! lol

    Sarah,
    You are welcome! I really enjoyed it. Hope you do too. :)

    Blessings,
    Karen

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  15. What hinders mine is a long to-do list and too many distractions.

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  16. I need that some days. Thanks for the link! :O)

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  17. My creativity generally is boosted by what others say. A conversation often yields ideas. Have a great week. Cheers!

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  18. I shall run, and not walk, over there this minute!

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  19. Diane W.,
    Hey, that's what I had today! Looking for a quieter day and a shorter list tomorrow! :)

    Diane,
    Me too. :) You are most welcome!

    Sally,
    This is very true for me too. Conversations are great, aren't they!

    Susan,
    Hope you find something helpful!

    Blessings,
    Karen

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  20. Being too tired hinders my creativity.

    Photography to go with my writing bolsters it.

    I maintain it by just writing and taking photos on a daily basis...like walking or brushing one's teeth.

    Have a great Tuesday, Karen. Susan

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  21. Sounds like a great read! I have to say self-doubt is one the biggest hindrances to my creativity. Blergh.

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  22. How do you find all these little gold nuggets?! Checking it out. :)
    Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

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  23. Talli,
    I hear you. I fight that one too sometimes. Work in progress, that's what I confess to be! :)

    Jules,
    I forget how I came across this one, actually. Perhaps in an email newsletter. I get a bunch of them. :) Some days I could use a secretary to weed through my email!

    Happy Tuesday,
    Karen

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  24. I pray. A lot. And I find that as I write, I think more and more like a writer, seeing posts and columns from the smallest snippets that I see, hear, or happen to think. I'm going to bookmark this link and check it out because I can still use all the help I can get.

    Thanks, Karen, for passing this on!

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  25. Karen, you know my mojo is on vaca. So I am clicking over. I definitely need this right now. Love you amigo. Still praying! :-)

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  26. Karen, when I feel low my creativity is definitely suppressed. Then its difficult to get any writing done. I have to constantly motivate myself to get my creative juices flowing.

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  27. Hi Karen .. if you'd asked me a few years ago .. I'd have had to ask you to explain creativity to me - but now .. it just pours out. I'm lucky I guess .. though it's taken many a long year to realise!

    Cheers Hilary

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  28. Thanks for the info. I'm prone to writing droughts when I'm too "busy". Based on another blogger's 2011 challenge, I'm getting together with a few writer friends through Facebook to pay $1 to charity for each day we don't write or edit. I think it's the kick I need!

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  29. Robyn,
    Yes, and praying you're getting it back any day. You've got it in you, girl! I know you do.

    Rachna,
    I think we are in the business of self motivation as writers, you know? It is largely a solitary thing. We have to keep pushing ahead! :)

    Hilary,
    Ah, creative you are, though, my friend. That's for sure! Sometimes it just takes us a while to figure it out. Glad you did!

    Theresa,
    Yeah, busy will get you too. Creative thinking, such as your friend's challenge, is a good way to beat that! :)

    Blessings,
    Karen

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  30. Hi Karen .. took me many a long year of not looking - then blogging = wham bam .. and I'm away .. funny old world - how things turn out.

    Cheers Hilary

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  31. Karen:

    Going through life's ups and downs boosts my creativity. I think it makes me more empathetic which, in turn, helps me to see things that I otherwise hadn't noticed or took for granted entirely.

    As for maintaining creativity, blogging helps me do that, as well as reading.

    Happy writing to you, as well! :-)

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  32. Hilary,
    I think this is a good thing, you know, finding our creativity and growing and expanding in it. Just love your style of it too! :)

    Janette,
    We really do learn a lot this way, don't we? Just think how boring it would all be without hills and valleys!

    Blessings,
    Karen

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  33. Rhonda,
    Snippets - yes, they are ever dancing around before my eyes and in my head. Even when I am dry creatively, they often remain. Hope the link is helpful!
    Thanks friend,
    Karen

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  34. Aw, geez, you're making me tattle on myself! I hinder myself by wasting time and not sticking to a schedule. Yesterday, for example, I had plenty of time to write. I started reading, though, and didn't put the book down when the time came to hit the keyboard. I kept on reading. I guess I can be forgiven for that, but the result is that I didn't get my writing accomplished for the day. Self-discipline is often where I fall down on the job.

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  35. Karen:
    As usual, you have aroused my curiosity. My creative endurance seems to be getting stronger. I will go to that other site as soon as I get through with this comment.

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  36. Lisa,
    I'm sorry! If it makes you feel any better, I fight this one too. You are right, self discipline is necessary.

    Cecelia,
    Hope you enjoyed the link. I've been doing a lot of thinking about creativity and whatnot lately.

    Blessings,
    Karen

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Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Have a blessed day!