Uncategorized – Retire, Renew, and Reinvent

Retirees’ Creative Reinvention Day 8: Find Your Creative Touchstones

Yesterday, I shared a quote from Albert Einstein about the power of irrational thinking.

In my search for a resource to support that quote, I ran across How to Become More Creative and Free Your Mind by Chad Grills.

Sure, I’ve heard and tried some of these techniques and strategies, but Grills does such a nice job of reframing these ideas, and adding new notions, that I immediately shared it with two groups and emailed it to three different accounts.

Along with books from Austin Kleon and Steven Pressfield, I would have to classify this post as a ‘creative touchstone’, a go-to resource I can return to for inspiration.

What are your creative touchstones? And if you don’t have any, launch a full-scale hunt right now! [Or at least after coffee and decadent treat.]

Thanks for reading and stay vigilant for opportunities to stretch your thinking.

Retirees’ Creative Reinvention Day 7: Give yourself permission to stray.

stylized photo of Albert Einstein

A favorite quote from Albert Einstein:

“I never made one of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.”

Thanks for reading and stay vigilant for opportunities to stretch your thinking.

Retirees’ Creative Reinvention Day 6: Sometimes, a partner helps.

Black dog looking up at kitchen preparations on counter — When I’m in the kitchen needing to collaborate…okay, bad example.

Finding a fellow painter, photographer, cook, scrapbooker, or writer may be just what you need to launch your creative reinvention.

Educator John Spencer shares his views on this topic here: Ten Things Pixar Can Teach Us About Creativity

My favorite points:

Creativity isn’t a solitary endeavor.
Play matters. [Those creativity partners should encourage fun and wild experimentation.]
People are more important than ideas. He quotes from the book Creativity, Inc: “Ideas come from people. Therefore, people are more important than ideas…”

Do you have a creativity buddy? How do you contribute to each other’s projects and progress? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading and stay vigilant for opportunities to stretch your thinking.

Retirees’ Creative Reinvention Day 5: Structure can help.

diary-614149_1280

If you want to build more personal innovation into your days, give this article How Following a Schedule Improved My Creativity by Srinivas Rao a look.

Three points that resonated with me:

You can rely on consistent effort, but you can’t rely on inspiration.
I was able to put less pressure on myself… I can practice and experiment without worrying about someone judging my work.
It was easier to find motivation.

I realize that structure and scheduling may not appeal to all retirees, but this is a time to experiment with what works for you. Find the sweet spot–the happy medium–between moderate expectations and enjoying the process.

Do you have any tips or tricks that spur your creativity? Share them in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

Retirees’ Creative Reinvention Day 4: Looking for creativity opps? Cook!

Bread TH

It’s not a masterpiece [and I haven’t even tasted it yet], but every cooking project you take on affords you multiple openings for a creative act.

Just think of all the choices I had to enhance this bread’s flavor and appearance.

Knead in some za’atar.
Dot the dough with chunks of fontina.
Try a new slash/score design.

Not convinced life in the kitchen isn’t for creatives?

Check out this post by Aly Juma: Why the Kitchen is the Most Creative Space in Every Home

My favorite excerpts

— “Due to the lack of consequences in the kitchen, you’re able to defeat fear: fear of criticism, fear of inadequacy, and fear of failure.”
— “It’s a space waiting for you to experiment, explore, and discover new flavors, methods, and recipes.”
— “The kitchen provides you with a set of tools, but leaves it up to you on how to use them to get your desired result.”

Deal with variables.

Embrace the tactile.

Design for uniformity

Inspired? What is your next [of many, I hope] creative project?

Let me know in the comments below.

Retirees’ Creative Reinvention Day 3: Suit yourself.

think big painter wall
Just a quick quote for today:

“I’d spent so many years doing things I didn’t really want to do for people I didn’t really like.”
― Claire Cook, Multiple Choice

I’ve been blessed with some great bosses, but certainly there were times when most of us employed-by-others retirees felt as if we were serving others.

Time to serve yourself, especially as a writer, painter, photographer, creator of some type.

I like this article about reinvention. Pay extra attention to stages 3 [Liberation] and 4 [Re-engagement].

Go do something new today.

Retirees’ Creative Reinvention Day 2: Pace yourself.

wall of graffiti — What WOULD a wall of retirees’ graffiti look like?

Okay, so you haven’t ordered scaffolding or a thousand-dollar set of camera lenses or an acre of paint supplies. [At least in my house, they’re measured in acres.]

Good for you.

Take your time. Find your bliss. [Sorry to go all woo-woo on you.]

Jill Badonsky, who promotes “continuous improvement through small steps in any creative endeavor”, should inspire you.

Here is a link to the The Muse Is In: An Owner’s Manual to Your Creativity Goodreads page.

Inspired? What is your next [of many, I hope] creative project?

Let me know in the comments below.