The Creative Habit by world-renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp is a wonderful book for anyone, particularly creatives. In her book, Tharp includes exercises designed to facilitate self-discovery. One such exercise is a questionnaire designed to help an individual get a handle on their creative identity. According to Tharp “If you understand the strands of your creative DNA, you begin to see how they mutate into common threads throughout your work.”

The interesting thing about creativity is that it is a paradox of sorts. In my opinion creativity costs nothing and yet costs everything; particularly to the creative doing the creating!  It is one thing in business to sell a product devised by an organization, designed to provide some type of service to the customer.  When you are a creative, however, each product or work is like your heart.  And you put it out there…exposed for everyone to see…and admire….and analyze…and review…and scrutinize…and criticize. In the lives of creatives, it easy to see how fear and passion can occupy the same space.

So I have decided to go thru this exercise to continue this journey of finding myself creatively. One should never have the complacency to feel that they have “arrived.”  True creativity involves an ever-evolving process.

And the exposure is somehow liberating…requiring one to be themselves unapologetically…providing a channel for uninhibited discovery and innovation. (Kind of like Ms. Tharp’s  photo. Well…not kind of…more like EXACTLY like her photo!)

This questionnaire includes 33 thought provoking questions. This will be my official Wednesday posts.

Welcome to me.

(Featured Lifeline freehand drawing is “Epiphany”)