Avoiding the Creativity Block

It is week two of three during this summer session of our Extended School Year (ESY). My intern will be running an opening plus two therapeutic music experiences in her groups this week, so I'll be sitting back during about half of the sessions. I need to identify and get started with some individual sessions so she can get started with assessments and treatment planning. Her first month is over, and we are moving into the second phase of her training. I am behind in reviewing things, but should be able to catch up this morning.

I am sitting here, wondering what I will be doing with my groups this week. I'll put up another clue for the Musician of the Month, pay kids for their expected behaviors (that reminds me, I need to go to the Dollar Tree to buy some more fake money for the payments), and pull out some novel TMEs. I'm tired of the typical time filling TMEs that I use at the end of the session when there is only 4 minutes left. Time to break out something new. 

So, what will I do? I have no idea. It's time to start being a bit creative and either make something or compose something.

During the summer, I tend to go from work to home to bed. I don't do much out in the heat and humidity, and I tend to feel very exhausted after working all day. My body does not navigate heat and humidity easily, so I often fall into a reclining position as soon as I can as soon as I get home. I am always tired, and I never seem to be completely rested (though today isn't bad - we'll see what it's like after work today...). As a result, my creativity seems to become a bit dormant.

It becomes a bit of a problem when you feel like you are in a rut, doing the same old thing, day after day. When I start to feel this way, I try my best to shake myself up and get back into a creative mood.

This weekend, I spent WAY too much time watching YouTube bullet journal videos. During my marathon, I happened upon something that I know about, but never really saw how to do - making junk journals. After watching a couple of demonstration videos (or, maybe five or six), I was inspired to try some of my own. So, I made some.

I used some old, used file folders and a bunch of spare papers that I had saved for various reasons. I raided my extensive collection of frou-frou for decorative elements, and I tried out some new materials I've collected from Michaels and the Dollar Tree lately. I made two small journals that I'm going to use as memory book gifts for my current intern and for my next intern who arrives in September.

I reveled in the process of creating just to make something - not having to make something for clients or for publication. (By the way, I'm also working on my next Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) upload and a new way of disseminating sing about songs.) It was fun to dive into my favorite thing to do - paper crafting - and just try things out. Once I was finished, I was finished - my adventures in paper did not lead me into a frenzy of creativity in other areas - but I did feel like I accomplished something good for me.

For me, creativity has to be something that I get some enjoyment from or I just won't engage. So, I go with what interests me. I only do the things that I want to do at any given moment. I also don't equate my creativity with deadlines (if I can help it!). Being creative in a time frame is not something that works really well for me. I also like different options to be available at all times so I can flit from idea to idea as my mind goes the same way.

For this next week, I am going to challenge my creativity in the following ways:
  1. Making marketing materials for my first CMTE course - due to go live on the website on FRIDAY!
  2. Making something for a friend - nothing to necessarily do with music therapy.
  3. Finishing two file folder projects for my clients' use.
  4. Writing one song.
There you go. Set your intention and then follow through...

See you in a week for a review of how I did with my very own creativity challenge!

Happy Monday.

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