Your Best Life in the Arts with Eric Maisel

Week 1 - The Quick Download

 

Here are a few of our favorite Big Ideas + Other Cool Stuff from Week 1 of Eric Maisel's 14-week course, Your Best Life in the Arts.

Already enrolled? Download the class here.
Not enrolled yet? What're you waiting for? Learn more/sign up here! :)

 

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The Context

Eric Maisel is America’s foremost creativity expert and the author of more than 30 books including Fearless Creating, The Van Gogh Blues, Coaching the Artist Within, The Creativity Book, Mastering Creative Anxiety, Creativity for Life, Deep Writing, Affirmations for Artists, Creative Recovery, Brainstorm, Sleep Thinking, Toxic Criticism, A Writer’s Paris and A Writer’s San Francisco.

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The Big Ideas
 

#1: "Your Morning Creativity Practice"

When it comes to our creative work, we often think "maybe I'll get to..." which often turns into "no." The truth is by the end of the day, many of us simply want to relax.

So, what is the biggest practical change we can make to find the time and the energy to start living our Best Life in the Arts? We want to engage our creative process first thing in the morning, something Dr. Maisel calls our Morning Creativity Practice.

There are 3 key benefits to committing to your Morning Creativity Practice.

1. You'll get a lot of work done. By eliminating distractions and working with a fresh mind, you'll get more done than if you attempt to work later in the day when your brain has already been put to task with the ins and outs of daily life.
    
2. You'll get to use your "sleep thinking." While you are asleep, your mind is diligently working to solve problems for you. Start to take advantage of this process by asking questions about your creative project as you fall asleep. It's important to note here, you are not actively trying to solve the problem or answer the question. Rather, it is a kind of wonder and curiosity. Simply ask the question you need answered with wonder and detachment, and fall asleep with confidence, knowing that your brain is at work finding solutions for you.
    
3. If you turn to creating first thing, you'll have the experience of having made some meaning for the day. Even if the rest of the day is less than spectacular, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you made progress on your major creative project before starting anything else.

*** Important! The "work" you are doing in your Morning Creativity Practice is actually creating. Whether it's writing, music, or painting, whatever your creative discipline, you must actually create during this time. ***

 

#2: "Honoring the Creative Process"

Creativity is not about being perfect, it's about engaging your art and learning from your mistakes.

You can't skip the things that don't work. So in a visceral way, understand that mistakes and messes are part of this process, and that over time you will create a body of work; some of it good, some of it bad.

Your current project, as much as you want it to work, represents one piece in a long line of your creative unfolding. There is a wonderful maturity in understanding that many things won't work, and some will. This is honoring the creative process.

 

#3: "Prove To Be an Exception"

In order to have a great life in the arts, you will have to prove to be an exception.

Stand out in a way that is abundant and healthy. It may be exceptional to work for 48 to 72 hours straight (as Picasso was known to do), but it's not healthy.

Prove to be the exception and live a completely healthy life at the same time. Most artists don't help themselves enough. They often don't show up, and then beat themselves up about it.

Be your own best friend and advocate for your Greatest Life in the Arts.

 

#4: "Person. Work. World."

Are the difficulties you are experiencing coming from you, the nature of your work, or the conditions of the world?

Keep these three perspectives in mind as we move forward and learn to resolve issues and navigate roadblocks in ourselves, in the nature and quality of our work, and in the world we are presenting it to.

 

#5: "P. A. T. H."

P - Personal Choice. All choices provoke a little anxiety. In order to make choices, we will need some good anxiety management strategies in place. As we learn to better manage our anxiety, we will get better at making decisions and taking action!

A - Awareness. As a common human trait, we defensively deny what's actually happening in reality. We want to break out of avoiding reality as-it-is, and start doing a better job of being aware. As artists, we want to especially become aware of the way we talk to ourselves. Are our thoughts of service to our health, esteem, and creative productivity?

T - Thoughtful Valuing. We want to live a life of value but we often create a life of "convenient" valuing rather than "thoughtful" valuing. Deeper awareness leads to deeper, more thoughtful and meaning-making values.

H - Human-Sized Actions. As bold as you may be, as large as you may think, there are only human-sized actions to take. You write a word, then you write another word. You paint a brush stroke, and then another brush stroke. There's no way to avoid the simple showing up and the activity of taking the next step. It may be boring and arduous, but we just need to show up and do the next thing. Do one human-sized action after another.

 

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A Preview of the Next 13 Weeks!

Over the next 12 weeks Eric will present to us 12 "keys" to your best creative life. If you haven't checked out these keys, make sure to do so here!

Each week will serve a roadmap to week 14, where you'll put together your newly inspired Artist Plan! :)

 

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Other Cool Stuff
 

Here's some "homework" for you to implement this week. We strongly suggest you take these practices to heart over the next 13 weeks and really give them a fair trial!

 

 

 

1. Get started on your Morning Creativity Practice.
    
2. How will you prove yourself to be the exception to the fact that most artists never fully show up?
    
3. Read the Meaning Key lesson and answer the question: "What helps me ensure the belief that I matter and my efforts matter." (Log in to your en*theos account to download this lesson!)

 

Hope you enjoyed and see you in Week 2!

- The en*theos Team