How to Tap Into Your Own Personal ‘Creative Genius’

Writing is such a great opportunity for you to express your “one-of-a-kind” self uniquely, so it’s important to know how you can best access your own personal authentic voice.

There is only one “you”… No one else has had your exact life experiences; the triumphs or the challenges. No one else is living your soul’s journey or has your unique perspective. And no one else has your individual way of expressing your-self.

In order to tap into your very own personal “creative genius”, we are first going to take a look at your big, beautiful brain and how it helps you (and hinders you) creatively.

The LEFT SIDE of your brain is dominated by our Conscious Mind – where our logic and reason comes from, as well as our ability to analyze. It stores a lot of valuable data and information that we can draw from. It’s also where our critical mind resides as well as our censor.

The RIGHT SIDE of your brain is where CREATIVITY comes from and where our imagination is ignited. It’s also where our feelings and intuition stem from. The right side is where we have access to the subconscious mind as well as the “collective UN-conscious.”

The great news about the Collective UN-conscious is that we have access to information that is not limited to our own individual experiences, but to the “all” of humanity”. And if we venture far enough away from our conscious mind, we can dive into the creative ZONE where there is no time, there is no space, there are no worries, there are no judgments, there is only the BLISS of the creative “experience.”

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT…

Your first draft of anything should be where you give the right side of your brain FULL reign. Where you don’t try to control anything and you let it rip! You allow your imagination, intuition, your heart and soul and your own personal “creative genius” to have some FUN. Your first draft is where you allow them to take you on a ride that will DELIGHT and surprise you!

The LAST thing on your mind should be “doing it right” in the first draft. Perfectionism KILLS creativity… Imagine Vincent Van Gogh if he had tried to paint “correctly” — we would be without his “one-of-a-kind” masterpieces. Talk about an authentic voice!

For example, allow these characters you are choosing to explore to have some interaction and dialogue with each other without YOU trying to control it. You will be surprised at some of the brilliant dialogue that comes out of their mouths! Especially since you didn’t say it; they did. As a matter of fact, if you give your characters enough reign, they will start to inform your story. They will tell you what they want to say, where they want to go and what they want to do… Amazing things you wouldn’t have thought of consciously.

If you allow your imagination to SOAR in the first draft, it will make your rewrites much easier and more fun because you are now invested EMOTIONALLY and you have some brilliant gems you can PLAY with. Then, in the rewrites, you can apply more structure and technique, but remain open for the “ah ha” moments. Soon things will start to make sense that might not have before. For example, did you know that M. Night Shyamalan (who wrote and directed The Sixth Sense) didn’t even know that the Bruce Willis character was dead until the 4th or 5th draft? That one element made the movie ten times more impactful!

Okay, I understand that you might be saying, “Sounds great, but easier said than done!” That’s why it’s so important as artists to cultivate and NURTURE the right brain. In fact, there are several ways you can do that.

One of the best ways is DELIGHTING in your five fabulous SENSES!

For example, here are just a few of the thousands of ways you can delight in your senses:

• Savor and be present with delicious food.
• Listen to beautiful uplifting or relaxing music.
• Enjoy the beauty of nature. RELISH the beauty all around you!
• Stop and SMELL the roses (literally).
• Kiss, touch and be affectionate with your loved ones.

Other Great ways to STIMULATE the RIGHT BRAIN:

• Meditate: get out of your conscious mind and into the alpha state.
• Gather with friends you really ENJOY and have some laughs. FUN is a big right brain stimulator!
• Go see terrific movies, read good books, watch entertaining and funny shows – they ALL stimulate and ENHANCE the right brain.
• MOVE your body. Dance, make love, hike, ride a bike!

ENGAGE in Life! How can you expect us to engage in your story, if you aren’t engaged in your own life?!

In upcoming videos/articles, I will be discussing:

• Cultivating story ideas and topics that you feel passionate about!
• Creating compelling characters that we care about (or love to hate)!
• Creating fascinating story arcs that keep your readers hooked!
• Writers block and how to deal with it!

Stay tuned… for more Writing articles. For more information on my Writing Mastermind Groups or private coaching, visit my website or call me at: