Creative First Aid During the Holidays

Some people thrive on the hectic pace and high sensory stimulation the holiday season brings. The buzz brought on by party-shopping-concert-glitz overload jumpstarts their creative circuits and they find themselves sprouting ideas like a lawn produces dandelions. I have a friend who writes more stories during December than her total during the other 11 months of the year.

I'm not one of these people. Most years I'm tempted to shelve all pending projects (even the ones with deadlines) until January 2. But because of said deadlines, I can't. Over the years I've found a few tactics that work for me. Maybe they'll work for you too.

• Set aside daily time to get away from the audio, visual and social noise. I find that going for a solo walks in the rainy twilight helps me clear my mind. Even if you don't love rain you can eventually get used to walking in it if it's not too heavy.
• Take an evening to just read in bed. If you have young kids, they might enjoy reading in bed with you. Choose a book that doesn't tax your brain too much.
• Begin each day (or as many as possible) with 15-20 minutes of silence. Just sipping your first cup of coffee in peace can clear a small space in your mind that will allow you to process information later. Thirteen years ago when I had a full house, a day care business at home and numerous school-parent commitments, getting up at 5 so I could have an entire hour to myself saved my sanity.
  
• Depending on what your creative outlet is, try playing around without any goals in mind. If you're an artist, doodle. If you write, spend a day writing just for fun. See if any usable ideas eventually surface.

Keep in mind that different people need different approaches. Super-social extroverts energize themselves and consequently renew their creative juices by playing with others. Quieter types often prefer to play alone, at least for while. Experiment to find out what works for you.