Mary Beth Maziarz - Kick-Ass Creativity: An Energy Makeover for Artists, Explorers, and Creative Professionals

Copyright 2010 by Mary Beth Maziarz.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work in any form whatsoever, without permission in writing from the publisher, except for brief passages in connection with a review.

Cover design by Laura Beers

Cover illustration Solzick Meister/ImageZoo

Text design by Maxine Ressler

Production Editor: Michele Kimble

Copy Editor: Amy Rost

Proofreader: Susan Hobbs

Typset in Adobe Garamond Pro, Copperplate, and Futura BT

Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.

Charlottesville, VA 22906

www.hrpub.com

ISBN: 978-1-57174-621-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

Printed on acid-free paper in Canada

TCP

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Mark and Daisy, the two loves of my life

DEFINITION: KICK-ASS (KIKAS)

adjective

1. having a strong effect on someone or something; forceful; powerful
2. exceptionally good; spectacular, impressive, etc.

Webster's New World College Dictionary

This book is in your hands because you are ready to take your art and creativity to a new level, a greater place in your life. This is exciting and significant. You are already further along in your creative journey than you were just moments ago! Get ready and hold on tight, 'cause it's gonna be a rockin' trip. We're going to have fun. You're going to be shocked at what you can accomplish and how quickly the sense of forward motion will start feeling like a regular part of your art and life.

You may have suspected that there's more to your abilities and creative impact than you've been able to demonstrate, which is why there's that nagging ache to devote more time, more page, more thought to the sparks of inspiration that touch you. You know you have contributions to make, innovations to birth, light to shine. You sense there's a kick-ass artist / adventurer / discoverer inside of you, and it's dying to get out. I agree! Let's not waste a single second. Let's set that sucker free! There's amazing work to be done, inventions to be released, delight to find in both process and result. You are a big, wild, fantastic powerhouse with important work to do! And in case you're concerned, please trust that you already have everything you need to get exactly where you want to go. (You've actually had it all alongremember those wise words from Glenda the Good Witch of Oz?) It may be that you just need a little reminding, a little guidance here and there, to nudge you onto the gorgeous currents of the creative jet stream that's right there waiting for you. Let's build enough momentum to lift you off the ground and up into the big creative flow where you can really fly.

Positive forward movement will help pull you out of areas of inertia and unproductive habit. You'll break out of patterns that have kept you from really hitting your stride. There's a place in the mosaic of artistic possibility where we can all say, Yes! Here I am! I'm bustin' loose! I see fear over there, and responsibilities and inexperience over there, and sure, eighteen other reasons I could decide to wait a little longer before leaping into real progress with my creative work, but I'm not waiting anymore! The underlying message of this place is clear: it's time.

We'll be delving deep into lots of questions about you. Who are you? What do you want? Where are you in your artistic journey? Where would you like to really pump things up in your life and process?

You may be a painter, photographer, dancer, writer, actor, or musician. Or perhaps you're a graphic designer, advertising exec, innovative marketer, or architect. Maybe you love to scrapbook, make your own greeting cards, write the family holiday letter, or crochet beautiful blankets for gifts. Or you might assemble gorgeous meals, build cool things that solve problems around your household, or be the go-to person at work when someone needs just the right wording for something. These all count (as do the hundreds of other examples of artistry not listed here).

Maybe you're not sure where to even start or where a creative breakthrough might take you, but you just have a feeling that it's time to begin.

And it isthe time is now for all of us. Your life is a work of art. Living is a creative act. We are all creating every day, in all kinds of wayswe merely forget to witness the resonance of our creations as the rhythms of life become regular. Add in the typical responsibilities and distractions of modern life, and creativity starts to feel like a special, decadent dessert instead of our daily bread. It happens gradually, quietly, as our choices become habits, and saving time starts taking precedence over saving our artistic inclinations. Then suddenly, without warning or note, we are flatliningliving, but not alive. This is not the kick-ass life we've glimpsed for ourselves in our most free and imaginative moments. We can do better.

So here we are. This is probably not the first book on creativity that you've read, which is goodthere's a lot to discuss about creating! There are incredibly valuable books and programs out there that can help us through the step-by-step basics of creating, finding inspiration, recovering our creative spirits, and getting past the fear and anxiety of doing the work. We'll touch on these topics, but to be honest, it would feel repetitive (and derivative) to go into them in depth here. Instead, this book is about taking things to the next level, about bravely looking further into ourselves and our spirits, disrupting the status quo, and feeling thrilled with the results of our efforts. We'll move from where we are now to where we want to be with as much speed, fun, and ease as possible. We're going to reach down deep and pull up the part of us that is fearless. We'll uncover and illuminate that powerhouse within us that is pulsing with great ideas, chomping at the bit to create and make a big damn mark on this world! Yeah!

So let's let go, get free, lift out of the shoulds and indecision and start moving. Our spirits are at stake. Empowered creativity feeds the soul in specific, revitalizing ways, filling us with animation and direction. Your efforts will make a difference in your whole life (and the lives of those around you). There will be shifting. The tectonic plates that hold your life in place may move around a bit. But things will all shake out in great new ways. The personal contentment that comes with creative fulfillment allows us to extend terrific generosity of spirit and resources to those around us, making for more harmonious relationships and a more peaceful world. We serve the planet (and our neighborhoods, kids, and partners) by answering our creative urges. You owe it to yourself and to those you loveto heed the call of your art! It's practically a moral imperative to get your creative juices flowing.

And besides, you'll soon see that you're not just creative, you're kick-ass creative. Please forgive the base language, but it's true: inside you is one bold mother, all right, undaunted and generous, glowing with excitement and power in all the stages of the creative birthing process. Your brilliant ideas are waiting for you to act! And you can do it! You'll find all the tools you need right here (well, you actually already have them, but I'll help remind you how to use them). You're ready.