Category: creativity

creative process, creativity, determination, dreams, failure, imagination, success, time

Leap: Why It’s a Good Thing to Feel Like You Want to Give Up

Christa Avampato
All isn’t lost. You just need a break.

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” ~ Carl Rogers

Are you thinking of quitting? Throwing in the towel on a dream you’ve worked hard to actualize? Great. You’re exactly where you need to be. You’re just about to have a break through.

Be a softie
There’s a lot of praise for people who persevere, who never show weakness, who remain tough and steadfast in the face of every obstacle. If we constantly put on a brave face, we miss out on an enormously valuable human experience. If we never break down, we never find out what we’re really made of. If we never fall, we never build the strength to get back up and try again. And that muscle of determination is hard-won and invaluable.

You have to give up to move ahead
I’m always inspired by the number of famous breakthroughs that have happened after a nap. In sleep, we surrender the conscious wielding of the mind. We literally let our imaginations run wild, no more barriers, no more little voice that says “oh that’s ridiculous.” In sleep, all possibilities are on the table. If anything is possible in sleep, then it’s no wonder that it’s the perfect breeding ground for breakthroughs.

Carl Rogers’ famous quote about change holds true in the land of imagination as much as it does in every day living. When we accept that we may not be able to crack a challenge that we’ve wrestled with for a long time, then the answer rises up. And that answer is usually so startlingly simple that we often berate ourselves for not seeing it sooner.

But here’s the rub: as we’re pursuing the answer, it’s also pursuing us. Challenges want to be met. Puzzles want to be solved. If we don’t stop, drop, and listen, then we risk chasing one another around forever. So if you’ve given it your all and tried to chase after an answer to no avail, go ahead and give up for a while. Get quiet. Let it go and let inspiration knock on the door when it’s good and ready. That way you’ll be rested enough to welcome it when it arrives.

art, community, creativity, theatre, writing

Leap: The Art of Collaboration and My Interview for PBS Mediashift with Jim Nicola, Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop

Christa Avampato
Once the Musical, a New York Theatre Workshop production, won 8 Tony Awards this year.

I am thrilled to announce that an article I wrote based about the collaboration process at New York Theatre Workshop is now posted on the inspiring PBS site MediaShift. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Jim Nicola, Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop, who made me believe in the magic and power of theatre again. As you may know, I spent the early years of my professional career as a manager of Broadway shows and national tours. I’ve been out of the business since 2004 and until I interviewed Jim, I hadn’t missed the process. Now I’m reconsidering how I might slowly ease back into that wacky and wonderful world of professional theatre.

And with this publication I must thank the editor of MediaShift, Amanda Hirsch, for her continuous support of my writing. I am humbled and honored to now have the chance to work for her on a project that is near and dear to her heart. Amanda and I met because of this blog. She was moving to New York City from DC with her husband, Jordan, and she was searching for people writing about creative living in New York. My blog popped up in her search.

The internet has such a lovely way of tangling together fates and futures. I recently went back to that first introductory email that Amanda sent to me over 3 years ago. True to form, she closed the email with “keep writing.” I’m glad I followed her advice and encouragement.

Let me know what you think of the article on MediaShift!

creativity

Leap: You Need a Personal Mission Statement

Christa Avampato
“What’s your mission?” Image from Pinterest

Every organization, nonprofit and for-profit, has a mission statement. That mission statement succinctly tells the world what the organization does, what it cares about, and why it matters. Every decision, from the monumental to the mundane, draws its inspiration and motivation from that mission. It rallies people together into a cohesive community.

You need one, too. So how do you get one? First, look up. There’s something magical about gazing skyward that helps us to realize our true potential. With your gaze turned up, answer these questions:

1.) What’s the one sentence that underlies everything you do?
2.) What are the actions you take to support your mission?

Now tell the world about it!

Here is my mission statement at Chasing Down the Muse:

I work with people who are and want to be at the very top of their chosen fields.

As a product developer and business strategist, I collaborate with organizations and entrepreneurs to help them create products, services, events, capabilities, and programs that make the world a better place.

As a yoga and meditation teacher, I teach classes and workshops to individuals and groups to enhance performance and creativity, build efficiency and confidence, and reduce stress.

As a writer, I research and write stories to inspire, encourage, and support good people doing good work.

Though I live in New York City, I am not limited by geography and work with people across the globe, virtually and in-person.

Click here to see more information on my work.

creativity, inspiration, meditation, yoga

Leap: Inspiration is Closer Than You Think

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

I spent yesterday morning at United Cerebral Palsy of NY to observe their adapted karate program. I knew it would help me craft the adapted yoga program I’m working on for them. The experience gave me a chance to see another teacher in action as he trained teachers and to see the range of a class of students. I walked away from the sessions with piles of notes, a lot of ideas, and a big task ahead of me. How could this all come together?

I spent the day turning over different options in my mind as I ran errands, walked Phineas, interviewed for several writing roles, and taught yoga. I let the task ahead with UCP sit at the back of mind. Eventually I took pen to paper and blanketed it with a lot of mediocre ideas. And then something amazing happened.

I closed my eyes and asked for help. Everything went quiet. All the chatter fell away, my mind went completely still, and up out of that stillness rose the hint of an idea. I looked closer and found another piece of the idea. And then the gates opened. I scribbled out an entire system of how the program could play out for the students and teachers. To top it all off, I had a very clear image of me teaching the class – what I would say, how students would respond, and how I could adapt the knowledge I have to suit their needs.

I thought it would take weeks to put all of this information together and I was prepared to dedicate that time. However, the answer was there all along. I knew what I needed to do but I couldn’t hear the answer until I dedicated myself to listening for its call. The inspiration we seek isn’t outside; its inside. It’s there right now. Tap in.

creativity

Leap: Don’t Search. Create.

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“Some people say they haven’t yet found themselves. But the self is not something one finds; it is something one creates.” ~ Thomas Szasz, Hungarian psychiatrist

The answers to the questions “Who am I?” and “What should I do?” cannot be found by searching. You make and re-make those answers every day. Everything you ever wanted to know about you and your journey through this life is available to you at every moment. Don’t go out there somewhere to find the answers. They aren’t there.

Go in. Inside of you is a soft and wise voice that already knows every answer you seek. Get quiet and listen. It will always tell you what to create next.

creativity, future

Leap: Now is a Moment of Your Creation

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.” ~ Buddha

You are more than a title. You are far more than a job or a relationship or even a name. Your ability to grow and learn is something without measure. Your capacity to create and inspire is infinite. You need only pick a place and start. It is always possible to begin again and what you begin now does need to be related to anything you’ve ever done. All that is required is the will to do something new.

If you are looking for a blank slate, here it is. Begin to fill it. Take a big wide brush, dip it in the most vibrant paint, and go wild. This life is your chance to build something the world has never seen before and will never see again. Within you there is a great work of art that wants to be set free. So let it be.

creativity, luck, meditation

Leap: Meditate to Prepare for Chance

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“Chance favors the prepared mind.” ~ Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist

If Woody Allen is right and 80% of success is showing up, then the other 20% is how you show up. And not just at an audition, an interview, or a big meeting, but how you show up in life. Your lucky break isn’t somewhere down the road; it’s right now because opportunity is everywhere. Many times it’s up to you to make your own opportunity. And you can.

One interaction can change the entire course of your life and that interaction almost always happens at an unexpected time and in an unexpected place. So how do you prepare so that you can recognize that moment when it arrives and make the most of it? How can you be prepared for chance?

Take 10 minutes, as soon as you wake up, while you’re drifting off to sleep, or right now. Close your eyes. One hand on the belly and one hand on the chest. Just follow your breath. Take it in and imagine that you are extracting opportunity right out of thin air. Exhale it all out and imagine that the strength of your exhale is super-charging your internal batteries. The breath has every answer you need to every challenge you will ever have. It’s all there. Your only job is to get quiet enough to hear its wisdom.

But don’t take my word for it. I’m not asking you to believe a single word that anyone has ever written about meditation. I’m only asking you to give it a try so that you can experience the benefits for yourself.

There’s no trick to meditation. There’s no magic formula and you don’t need an invitation to practice. If you breathe, you have everything you need. Now all you need to do is follow its lead. It will prepare you for everything that is coming.

adventure, choices, commitment, community, creativity, dreams

Leap: Go Out on the Edge

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“You’re not going to have a lot of people you can talk to about this. There is never a crowd on the leading edge.” ~ Abraham Hicks

My friend, Trish, had this quote on her Facebook wall last week and it captures a truth that can be tough for us to hear. Opportunity is glaring at us and growing bigger by the moment. We want to believe that everyone can see what we see and when they don’t we get frustrated, discouraged, and uncomfortable in our own skin. We begin to doubt our own abilities.

Don’t despair. Out on the Edge there is something beautiful and miraculous waiting for you – your kindred spirits. They are a small but mighty crew. They think like you think, believe what you believe, and understand what you understand. They will inspire, encourage, and support you. You are all in the same boat, paddling around looking for each other, and you’ll come together out on the Edge. It is better out there than where you are now. This time, the grass really is greener elsewhere.

But here’s the trick of it: you have to go out there. This is one of the few things that you can’t do virtually. You have to go there fully – mind, body, and soul. The only way to realize the gift of the Edge is to be there. And to make the journey you will have to trust your gut more than you trust the opinions of those around you.

Commit to the Edge and the Edge will commit to you. Now start paddling.

business, creativity, entrepreneurship, work

Leap: Today is the 1 Month Anniversary of My New Life

Christa Avampato

A month ago, I began living a life of my own design. I bid a fond farewell to my corporate job in favor of working for myself. I had planned the leap for over a year and once the final puzzle piece fell into place, I fell in line right along with it.

On the first day of my freelance life, I launched my new creative consulting firm, Chasing Down the Muse, which allows me to focus my energy on the three pieces of my career that I love most – product development, freelance writing, and teaching yoga and meditation to creative professionals.

It’s been an incredible gift to wake up every morning to do work that I love. Everywhere I go, I go with my whole heart. I work many more hours now than I did when I worked for someone else. The income is not as stable (yet) and there have been moments of great elation and some moments of disappointment. And still the feeling I get from calling my own shots and relying on my own sense of judgement to move forward on different leads and opportunities is well worth all of the challenges.

I’ve had a few twinges of “Oh God, can I really do this?” but they pass in a few breaths, which is as big a surprise to me as it is to anyone else. There used to be a small voice inside of me that can only be described as the biggest worrier on Earth. That valid voice has been soothed and replaced with a quiet strength, a calm and resonant voice that now says, “Keep going. Don’t worry. Everything will be amazing.” I like this new voice much better.

creativity, dreams, inspiration, work

Leap: You’ve Waited Long Enough

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

We wait for signs. We keep our eyes peeled, hoping for a clear and directive sign from the Heavens to tell us what to do.

Here’s the sign: the Heavens have already weighed in.

They gave you all of the gifts you need to make your own opportunities. Pull your dreams down out of the sky and plant them firmly under your own two feet. Don’t let anyone or anything deter you. Stay the course set by your heart, roll up your sleeves, and get to work.

No one else is ever going to live your life as well as you can live it, so don’t let them even try. Everything you’ve ever done has been to prepare you for this moment – it’s yours for the taking.

Let’s move some mountains!