‘Sshin-nyen haoww!’ Happy Chinese New Year!

The year of Water Tiger is the perfect time to revamp your creative tool box. The Water Tiger apparently is a symbol of adventure, courage, determination, creativity and originality. That’s all the encouragement we need!

But by tool box, I don’t mean a little suitcase we carry around when we go out to paint or write, I mean all the things we need in our artillery.  All the physical stuff you need to really take your creative process seriously.

We all need a creative space, a room of one’s own where we can drift and dream to our heart’s content. You probably already have one but if you don’t, take over a corner of the house, a laundry, garage or a patio even. During lockdown I noticed people coming up with all sorts of inventive solutions to eke out a bit of their own precious space. Across the street from me guy had set up his evening office on the upstairs balcony among the potted plants — a small table, lap top, a low light lamp, some cool jazz playing, a glass of wine. It looked so cosy!

First let’s set up the space. If you have your own creative spot, what can you do to change it up? Do you need another, in a different part of the house?  Do you need a scapbooking table as well as a writer’s desk? Go on a reccie and see what you can commandeer.

This is what we need…

Furniture

Desk — even if just a plank and milk crates. Have more than one desk if you can, or more. You can assign different activities to different desks.

Corkboard —  with ample drawing pins for tacking up old post cards, photos, cuttings, slogans.

Book shelves — fill with all the books that inspire you.

Desk chair — comfortable w straight back, ergonomic if possible.

Arm chair — one you can sling your legs over for comfy lolling (can be in another room).

Lamps — def more than one required. Desk lamp and others, for creating cosy atmos, esp on rainy days and late nights.

Day bed — must have colourful cushions, can be your actual bed, but made to look like a day bed in the daytime.

Things you need on or near the furnture

Artist diary, plain paged scrap books.

Notebooks of different sizes, from very small (pocket sized) to medium.

A roll of paper or a stack of ‘ butchers paper’.

Post it notes, various colours.

Index  cards.

Coloured pens, crayons, watercolours. ink pens, fast rolling black pens.

Old magazines, newspapers, old books.

Scissors, gluestick, blade knife.

Diary or daily planner

There’s probably more but you get the picture…

Ok, so what now?

At the beginning of another year I like to get out a big piece of paper and some coloured pens and do a brainstorming map.

If I am doing it about my current creative project, I will make areas of past, present and future, throwing down ideas, impressions, feelings, fears, obstacles etc — showing what I have achieved so far, where I am now and where I am headed.

But maybe I need to deal with a pressing situation, an obstacle or road block. In that case I will go free form, drawing or painting the feelings of the block, keeping the coloured  pens or paints moving until it transforms unto something else. Then I might come in with a black pen, making notes or diagrams in different parts and finally writing for ten minutes about the it all.

Or I might be in the mood to make a five year plan. To dream up the things I want to manifest in years to come. Again on a big sheet of paper it can be quite free form, using drawings and diagrams, notes and doodles. I can be quite specific  and I can also list my fears and obstacles and how I will deal with them. I used to do this years back when I first started running international creative retreats. It is always incredible when I come across the mind maps I made back then to find that I achieved pretty much most of what I set out to do.

The five year plan is the one I am going to do.  I’ll go year by year then later I’ll transfer this year to my 2022 diary or planner.

Year of the Water Tiger is a time to be quick witted and shine, to be innovative and original and also to flow like the river.

Happy Writing!

Draft Busters Online  begins again Monday Feb 28 at 10 am – 11.30 am.

A four week course to  keep you motivated and working on your drafts. It includes 2 weekly sessions — Motivation Mondays and Feedback Fridays.

Motivation Mondays, 10am -11.30 pmAEST ( 1.5 hrs)

Check in with the group, set goals and timetables for the week, discuss any questions or issues coming up for you in your writing process, plus a meditative writing exercise on a specific area of writing craft: setting, voice, characters, dramatic action, resolution, impact etc.

Feedback Fridays, 3pm – 5.30 pm AEST (2.5 hours )

Read an excerpt from your week’s writing, receive feedback from the group, discuss any issues arising.

Sessions are conducted on Zoom.

When: ongoing, contact Jan for dates and workshop times

Cost:  $320AUD (185 Euros, 160 GBP, $200USD) for  eight workshops. BOOK HERE