Creative Monday!
Actually you can say that about any day of the week, depending on the weather, your mood, your itinerary, and your energy level.
Creativity is much more than starting a new painting or designing a new pop-up card.
But you already know that.
Being creative can mean taking a virtual online tour of magnificent museum slike the British Museum, London, The Guggenheim in Bilbao, in New York, the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Reading is always a step towards creativity. There are milllions of stories out there of people who made history being creative — Steven King, Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Frida Kahlo, Henry VIII, Maya Angelou, Gertrude Stein. History is full of people with creative, interesting, exciting lives.
One of my favorite ways of expanding my creativity is finding new recipes online. I tire of the hot dog-french fries menu, so I periodically take a stab at foods I’ve always been curious about but too lazy to buy or make. My husband recently learned a smashing egg foo young dish, and I have stepped out of my comfort zone lately to experiment with a classic French Chicken Basquaise and Cuban Ropa Vieja. Cooking is fun, eye-opening, and very rewarding.
I have also been listening to different kinds of background music while I craft, write, or walk. Lately I’m into Spanish Guitar music and Ambient Japanese Instrumentals. There are podcasts about nature, astral travel, and who knows what else that can tip your scales one way or another to play in the background.
How else can you be creative without investing all your spare time and spare change?
I’m sure you can come up with dozens of ways to expand your mind. Books from the library, free lectures, arts and crafts classes, wine and painting parties — the list is endless. There are crafting challenges and writing challenges and cooking challenges all over Word Press and Pinterest and Facebook — there’s always something to pique your interest.
There is no such thing as being bored in this universe.
All you have to do is take the first step. Make the effort to learn something new or hone a craft you’ve been tinkering with.
I haven’t been writing lately (except for blogs), and the itch is almost becoming unbearable. I want to write about “visiting” Paris and its countryside for a while now, which takes research research research. That’s exploring to me. That’s creativity in yet another form.
Creative Monday.
A chance to start again, to continue, to excel and fly and explore.
Take advantage of this opportunity you’ve been given. And spread it out all throughout the week.
Humoring the Goddess 
I hope you do too! Doing the Pitt Happy Dance for both of us!
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I love this post!!! I hope you create so much magic this week 💞💞
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Haha I like many genres, including instrumental. Thank goodness for music! I can’t imagine life without it, especially over the last year. It is good to be all over the place with our listening delights! 😄
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I thought about it after we talked ..then after we after-talked .. I am an instrumental music girl for sure, but I’ve also been listening to Wuthering Heights audio too. I’m all over the place!
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😉
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I am the same way. I prefer quiet when I am writing. Certain music works when I am reading. Your choices sound pleasant. haha Your podcasts sound entertaining too. 😄
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I have a hard time multi-tasking when talking is in the background — except for TV shows I’ve seen a dozen times. I like instrumental music to write and work to, like Smooth Jazz Instrumental and Japanese relaxation music. Wait. I lied. I like to listen to Horror Babble stories (podcasts) sometimes when I put together Angel Tears. Nothing like a bit of spooky to get your fingers moving!
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We are often on the same page, aren’t we?
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I love telling stories, with words and photos. Technology has certainly enhanced our ability to tell stories. I am not an expert, but learning is fun. Happy to inspire… you do the same for me. 💖 I don’t listen to enough consistently to give you names, but I like to listening to podcasts about writing, spirituality, thought-provoking, women-related topics, and my daughter’s friend has one called, “The Line to Mastery with Cam Nelson.” He is a rope walker – high altitudes sometimes. Yikes! If you do check it out, my daughter did his logo. 😄 What do you listen to?
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Excellent post! I agree 100%
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You know — I’m always taking pictures of clouds and the outdoors. I never thought of it as a creative outlet. Duh. My phone and Google Photos account think differently. Maybe I should work on creating some real albums and sharing them. Darn! You inspired another road for me to wander down! What kind of podcasts do you listen to?
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The first word that came to mind… it wasn’t necessarily a blue melancholy …. more like a rose color ..
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Love your post! Creativity has played a starring role in my life over the last year. I was a creative HS teacher, but applying creativity to things that light me up has been rewarding. I too have been exploring different music genres, which I am doing right now while I read blogs. Podcasts are nice while I make dinner. Photography and writing have been creative outlets for me. I enjoy viewing art online and appreciate your shares. 💖
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Yes indeed they are Claudia … not always melancholy though..
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The song sounded melancholy … those kinds of mellow tunes always hurt to listen to. I’m such a baby …. they are soooo good for your poetry, though!
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Yeah .. I am always listening to background music and ‘foreground’ music while writing/creating my poems claudia … I find it a great way to stimulate those tired hidden thoughts… at the moment I’m listening to ‘Powderfinger’ doing a 1 hour live acoustic concert ..
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Love love LOVE that!
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It really is. I hope it is for you, too! ❤
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Happy Creative Monday to you, too. You sound well and happy. I hope that it is real.
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Boy that’s sure true about music. I got a whole novel out of listening to 40s music on Sirius radio – I suppose, if I get it published, I have to thank them.
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