• Valid excuses for no creativity

    I return from a brief vlogging hiatus with a raft of excuses, some more feasible and valid than others. The creative path is winding, and sometimes there are valid reasons for not being creative. In this week’s vlog I try to explain.

    Read more…

  • Completing a creative project

    In a productive moment, I finished a creative project. In a surreal moment, I decided to interview myself about the challenges, practicalities and what exactly that creative project was. In a recorded moment, I present this week’s vlog about completing a creative project.

    Read more…

  • Meandering with purpose for creativity

    There are times when being creative, writing, painting, making music or any creative activity just isn’t working out. At those times it may be that we need a break, or as I like to call it, meandering with purpose. This week’s vlog explores when and why a little meander might be just what we need

    Read more…

  • Mountains as a creative metaphor

    This past week has been hard going. This creative life of mine was all over the place and a bit of a mess. So, in this week’s vlog, it is time to take a look at mountains as a creative metaphor. The next mountain may be higher, but the view will be amazing.

    Read more…

  • Reviewing Creative Goals

    How have we done with our creative goals, habits and routines as the first quarter of the year passes? I confess to what I have achieved and not achieved in Q1 as I review and prepare for Q2. Creative successes and habit failures are in this week’s vlog

    Read more…

  • Creative resources and time

    Everywhere we look there are adverts and influencers offering stuff to make our lives perfect. I have also been seeing a lot of talk about minimising what we have and what we use in our creative lives. This week’s vlog explores this very issue.

    Read more…

  • Lost in IKEA – Creative Field Notes

    Messy desk drawer

    I’ve not been happy with my creative space for a while. I don’t mean to sound whiny about that. I don’t have much room to work with and the space that I do have hasn’t been working. At the same time, I am very, very grateful for the space that I do have and I know that I have blamed the space when a lot of the time it is just me not working.

    Anyway, I decided to fix something I have control over. I would get myself a desk and some additional drawer space to ease the creative piles of stuff that often bring me down. So with a bank account that wasn’t looking forward to it, I hopped in the car and popped along to IKEA. A couple of hours later I returned home with a new desk, several drawers and desk tidy, type things with Swedish names.

    The rest of my Bank Holiday was spent moving things around and building the desk – no royal celebrations for me. And also, which is more unfortunate, I didn’t get much time to be creative and move my projects forward. However, I am here, reporting in and staying accountable.

    Creative Field Notes

    The new music collection has nine tracks pretty much confirmed and one empty slot, although I have several possibilities for that. I also found a missing part of one track by bringing it in from another. Cannibalising your own music is allowed… especially if the new arrangement works. Once all the tracks are pretty much agreed upon in my head, and on paper, it will be time to record and rerecord to give them a coherent sound – a This Temple Eden sound.

    This website still needs love and attention, as do several others that I own, run and use. And as a little tease, this is the current iteration of the new The Creative Minimalist logo.

    The Creative Minimalist logo

    I could make 101 excuses as to why I haven’t blogged yet, but the truth is I just haven’t motivated myself to get going. I will remedy that. I’ll soon be back in the swing of talking about creativity in all its breadth as seen through my little corner of the world.

    The creative and learning habits are going well. I have always believed in lifelong learning so giving a little structure to that part of things is good. However, creative habits have been more of a challenge. I have been able to take the time to do them, but it is the play element that is difficult. I’ll explain a little more in a future post to see if it is something that is ongoing once the habit becomes more ingrained.

    Now, I’d best get on with being creative.


    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

    Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

  • Creative Field Notes at Beltane

    Native Instruments Komplete Knontrol S61 keyboard, plant and window

    Fires have been lit for Beltane, a celebration to mark the beginning of summer. It feels like this past winter has been long. It wasn’t particularly cold but it did feel deep and dark. I usually like the winter. I like all the seasons, each has its own unique aspects and metaphors. This last winter carried a shadow. The summer can dispel that darkness.

    Creative field notes

    I’m working on a new collection of songs to release later this year. My deadline to finish all the recording and mixing is the end of June.

    This website is looking and feeling a little tired. So along with a wider branding project, there will be an update for “The Creative Minimalist dot com“.

    Related to that will be regular vlog updates and other media-related videos here and on my other social profiles. These will share my progress, offer tips and advice, and entertain you along the way.

    I have begun a range of creative and self-improvement habits that I’ll be talking about. These include music, writing and learning activities for each day.

    Accountability

    These creative field notes are a habit that needs to be kept up. It is time to shine a light on them as summer arrives. It finally feels like a creative fire has been lit and the coldness in my bones is being thawed.


    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

    Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

  • Creativity and perfectionism

    I take a look at how perfectionism so easily hinders creativity. I also share what I have been creating recently with my adventures through FAWM. Click above or below to watch...


    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

    Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

  • The importance of a January review

    It’s the end of January so time for a review of how things are going, or not going. How are you doing with your intentions and resolutions? I remind myself how important reviews are in the creative process. (Click above or watch below).


    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

    Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

  • How to take the first creative step in 2023

    A few thoughts on entering 2023 (main or lunar calendar) and taking the first creative step. Events of recent years have left creative people in a weird place, so a simple thought on how to get going in the new year. Here’s the latest vlog. View below or click the link to YouTube.


    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

    Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

  • My journal set up for 2023

    My current 2023 journal set up

    This week’s vlog is all about the journals I am using at the beginning of 2023. This year I am using a mix of paper and digital planners and journals. I’ll revisit this later to see how I am doing, what has worked and what has changed. Click above to watch on YouTube or below to view here.

    Here are links to the software mentioned in the video:
    Things 3 (digital to-do list)
    Day One (digital journal)
    Scrivener (fiction writing software)


    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

    Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest