Cultivating a Creative Life with Dance Photography and Beyond

"(Creativity) it's about how we make and weave meaning and richness into our days." ~ Dr. Deborah J. Cohan

"Rather than burdening ourselves with yet another expectation, let us instead view creativity as a devotional practice for reconnecting with our first Love." ~All That Is Made

Creativity, generally doesn't just happen unless you have built a foundation that nurtures it in your daily life. Yes, I create almost every day through my photography, whether it is an actual shoot or editing previous sessions. But sometimes that can become mundane and draining if I am not cultivating creativity in other areas of my life to draw on.

There are 4 areas that I try and maintain creative inspiration, practice and growth:

~Heart Creativity: Bible, beautiful devotionals, journaling, writing, inspirational materials, basically things that speak to and change the heart

~Active Creativity: painting, sketching, pottery, trying new techniques, mixed media journaling, photography

~Life Creativity: cooking, homemaking, family time, friend connections, traveling, art/creative dates, encouraging those in my life to create

~Physical Creativity: wearing my joy, candles with amazing smells, walks, habits, sitting and taking time to soak in my surroundings

By being intentional in these areas I have a foundation to pull from when I am doing dry, a foundation to fall back on when I need rest and rejuvenation, and a foundation to stand on when I need reassurance and confidence to keep going.

When if comes to my dance photography or any of the other styles I do, I can extract from this well of inspiration and balance that I have nurtured when I am feeling like I have nothing left or when I am stuck. It can become an anchor for my creative process.

What habits could you start today in one of these areas to start building a foundation for a creative life?