Finding Time for Creative Work

The Time Finder with Paula Eder

The way you use your time is the way you live your life.

Finding Time for Creative Work

Posted on January 22, 2009, under Time After Time.

The unfortunate myth is that creativity is a mysterious gift bestowed by the muses on a few special people. You either have it or you don’t? That is simply false. Sadly, it’s a falsehood that cuts many people off from mountains of possibility – as well as depriving the world of untold beauty and innovation.

The fact is that creativity is more a matter of persistence and passion than of muse-induced magic! Creativity has to do with commitment and with opening to the possibilities in each moment. As well, it has to do with being able to wait in that spirit of openness, letting things percolate and remain unfinished, as they evolve.

How do you manage this ambiguity that is inherent in the creative process … while at the same time moving ahead with your daily responsibilities and tasks? How do you maintain your hold on the creative thread over time?

In his most recent post on 43folders Merlin Mann writes about Twyla’s Box. Twyla is Twyla Tharp – the much-revered and ever-fascinating dancer and choreographer. She, some years ago, wrote a book titled The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life that explores creativity and shares the practical habits that she has evolved and honed over a lifetime of “making.” Paul Harrill, on his blog Self Reliant Film has offered further insight into Ms. Tharp’s process in a post titled Twyla Tharp: Getting Things Done (with Boxes).

What is most striking to me about her process is its elegant simplicity. You can read about it in more detail in the posts cited above, or in her book. For now, here’s a taste of what I mean:

Everyone has his or her own organizational system. Mine is a box, the kind you can buy at Office Depot for transferring files.

I start every dance with a box. I write the project name on the box, and as the piece progresses I fill it up with every item that went into the making of the dance. This means notebooks, news clippings, CDs, videotapes of me working alone in my studio, videos of the dancers rehearsing, books and photographs and pieces of art that may have inspired me.

The box documents active research on every project….

There are separate boxes for everything I’ve ever done. If you want a glimpse into how I think and work, you could do worse than to start with my boxes.

The box makes me feel organized, that I have my act together even when I don’t know where I’m going yet.

It also represents a commitment. The simple act of writing a project name on the box means I’ve started work.

The moment that you label a box with a project name, you are picking up the creative thread. Whether it’s a literal cardboard box or a metaphoric or virtual box – however you do it – once you pick up the thread and commit to following it, you are putting yourself in a position to be creative.

The time that you give to this process will vary. You will find your own rhythms. At the outset the key is to have a system for retaining your ideas and intuitions and for honoring them with your attention. It’s important to be able to “put” your ideas somewhere, let them go, and pick them up again without worrying that they will be lost or forgotten.

Twyla’s Box is an elegantly simple solution to the process of holding and letting go that is so fundamental to creativity.

Opening to possibility (and welcoming mystery and ambiguity), work to keep hold of the thread and nurture what emerges as your process unfolds.

Try it in small things first, and see what happens! How does this work for you? I’d love to hear!

What if you could find another hour every day? You can! For more Time Finding resources, you are invited to sign up and download The New Finding Time Boundary Template. It’s FREE, and when you sign up you will also receive (if you don’t already) my FREE, weekly Finding Time Tips and my FREE, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!

Let’s explore time together …

Paula's Signature

There are 3 Responses to “Finding Time for Creative Work”

#1 Alice - 27 January, 6:20 PM

What a great idea. I usually have notebooks and files.
A box makes for a better collection. Thank you for your ideas.

Best,

Alice

#2 Paula - 27 January, 7:35 PM

Hi Alice – I am so glad that idea from Twyla Tharp’s book resonated for you. A box allows for such a wide-ranging “collection” – including three-dimensional objects, scraps of paper, photos … you name it! It’s a great way to store momentary inspirations and spark creativity. Paula

#3 Find Time for January Favorites | The Time Finder with Paula Eder - 02 February, 6:59 AM

[...] Last but not least, creativity was on our readers’ minds this past month, as there were two posts about fostering creativity that sparked your interest: Find Time and Energy with 3 Tips to Quiet Your Inner Critical Voices in 2009, and Finding Time for Creative Work. [...]

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