Welcome to my new and improved site!
In the past, this blog has served more as a format for personal insights about my writing and occasional special events. During the last several months, as I started working on the second draft of my novel, I realized something.
I realized I was burned out.
I wasn’t burned out on writing; I was burned out in general. My bill paying job is one of those that requires sitting in front of a computer typing all day and following the same step-by-step process over and over. While this job pays the bills and provides health insurance, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I went to graduate school to get my Master’s degree in English.
Like many with creative aspirations, the problem with sitting in a cubicle for eight hours a day drained me mentally and physically. I was too tired at the end of the day to write much at home, but I always felt guilty about not writing. Getting up early is already a struggle since I tend to deal with insomnia at night. Those extra thirty minutes in bed in the morning are huge.
Even though I still loved my novel’s story, I knew something wasn’t right. It’s been a slow process, but I now realize what was missing. I put what little creative energy I had left at the end of the day into my novel so I didn’t have energy for anything else. I needed a creative outlet that was just for me, just for fun.
As I talked with co-workers and friends about this, I heard one of two stories. One was from those who were in similar situations – people who considered themselves to be creative but didn’t have the time nor energy to do anything creative. The second answer was “I’m not really that creative.” Those people didn’t even realize they were burned out creatively because they had told themselves they weren’t creative. The traditional view of creativity is that it’s reserved for writers, artists, and musicians – people to create tangible works based on language, sight, and sound. I’m here to change that view.
I believe that everyone has a creative side that needs to be nurtured as a necessary part of personal and professional fulfillment. Creativity isn’t only about creating art. It’s about viewing the world differently, asking new questions, and developing innovative solutions to modern problems.
WHY NOW?
I chose today to relaunch my blog for a specific reason. Today (May 30) is National Creativity Day, a day to “celebrate the imaginative spirits everywhere and to encourage them to keep creating,” according to the National Day Calendar.
Regardless of whether you consider yourself to be creative or not, my goal is to help others come to realize their own creative strengths. Think back to your childhood. What were your favorite games? Your favorite things to do when you were by yourself? For most, the answer to these questions includes coloring and drawing, playing imaginary games, and building elaborate structures with blocks or LEGOs. All creative things.
Somewhere between the awkward years of eight and twenty-eight, many adults lose this childlike sense of creativity and imagination. The new question is why does this happen? There’s a lot that goes on during the years between childhood and becoming a full-fledged adult. School, college, jobs, and family obligations all play a role in trading in the coloring books and blocks for spreadsheets and busy schedules. Of course, there are more responsibilities and expectations as an adult, but does that mean we have to stop thinking creatively or “playing” once in a while? I say no.
I hope you’ll join me on this creativity journey. As I explore my own sense of creativity while continuing to work on my novel and get back into some other types of creative projects, I hope to show you why creativity should matter to everyone. You’ll learn that the traditional definition no longer applies.
WHAT’S NEXT?
In the coming weeks, I’ll outline my Five Myths of Creativity and talk about why I believe everyone has a creative spirit longing to be let loose. I’ll also explain how I’m using some creative boosters to help ignite my writing as I work on the second draft of my novel.
DO’S AND DON’TS
As I continue to update my site in the coming weeks, there could be few glitches along the way. Please bear with me. In the meantime, here are some things you can do, or not do, as the case may be.
DO – Follow me on Facebook (Melanie Glinsmann – Writer) and Twitter (@MelanieG_Writer) for more interaction and special events. I’d also love it if you shared this with anyone you think can benefit from reigniting the creative spirit.
DO – Take a look around the new site. As I said, there will be a few glitches as I continue to update, but feel free to look at older posts, the new About Me page, and of course, the ever-popular Terms and Conditions in the Legal Stuff page.
DON’T – Don’t hit the Subscribe button… yet. If you’re interested in becoming a subscriber to receive future posts and newsletters, I am in the process of changing email list providers. There are still some things I have to get set up with the new provider before my subscriber list will be live. I will update you as soon as this is ready to go.
Reignite your creativity!
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