I've known Victoria Schade for more than a decade, and I always marvel at her innate creativity. She's always throwing herself into something new--and rocking it.
She writes novels and also nonfiction books and articles. She dances. She podcasts. She creates videos. And she composes ridiculous poems on the fly.
Together we explored creativity and how allowing yourself the joy of doing something just for fun can be a great pick-me-up as well as a source of inspiration and productivity.
Allowing yourself space and time for creativity produces measurable improvement in problem solving, feelings of purpose and accomplishment, and your ability to focus.
What can feel like a waste of time may actually be what you need more than anything else.
So next time you're feeling boxed in by all the "shoulds" and other people's ideas of what is right, appropriate, or worthy, ask yourself, "Who made these rules and why do we have to abide by them?" Carve your own path by trying something new.
Here are two of Victoria's silly poems to brighten your day.
Caninezushi
Caught off guard,
on our daily stroll,
I used twig chopsticks,
to grab a poo-poo roll.
An Ode to Olive's Mouf
i would like you to meet
these four little teef
four in the front
and two underneef
What feeds your soul creatively? Do you sing, dance, write, paint, build model airplanes, garden, doodle, make up stories about strangers, create math problems based on road signs? Share your favorite creative outlets in the comments.
Links worth clicking:
- Victoria on her website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
- Victoria's nonfiction books: Bonding with Your Dog and Secrets of a Dog Trainer
- Victoria's novels: Life on the Leash and Who Rescued Who?
- Scarf the office cat
- SketchNotes
- BollyX Fitness
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Want to keep the discussion going? Listen to this episode on critical thinking with Ginny Price!