Grace isn’t a word we hear very often, and perhaps even less often when it’s placed alongside creativity.
We’re more likely to talk about imagination, originality, courage or discipline than how we treat ourselves when an idea falters, the work feels awkward or creativity refuses to arrive on demand.
Last month I shared what was unfolding midway through Artful August, an idea Susan Zheng and I felt had merit and decided to bring to life: 31 days of intentional creativity. Thirty-three people from different parts of the world signed up, each choosing their own creative commitment. Artful August reminded us that we are all creative. It also revealed something else: creativity may be personal, but it doesn’t have to be solitary.
“I loved having the opportunity to get to know everyone before we dived into the nitty gritty nerdery. It helps to understand what motivated them to get involved, what they hope to achieve and how we can best work together.”
In July, I wrote about an idea that Susan Zheng and I decided to say “yes, and” to. That idea was Artful August, 31 days of intentional creativity.
Have you ever become so absorbed in making, writing, gardening, solving a problem or learning something that you lost track of time?
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi used the term flow to describe this state of deep concentration and involvement in an activity.