Category: creativity

adventure, art, creative, creativity, education, health, healthcare

Leap: We All Have to Get High Somehow

Christa Avampato
My friend, Blair, posted this picture on her Facebook wall and it perfectly sums up how I feel about getting more creative outlets to more young people.

“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” ~ Twyla Tharp

We all want to be high. Once we feed the soul, once we know that feeling of being truly alive, we will crave it more and more often. The happy soul is a hungry beast, and eventually it will require your full attention.

It is heartbreaking to see someone, especially a young person, turn to chemical means for that high. My dad suffered with addiction for most of his life, and our family felt those effects in dramatic and tragic ways. What helped me come to terms with my father’s decisions was to feel that high – after running, yoga, writing, or creating a piece of art. It is a delicious feeling. My father didn’t have those outlets so he turned to other means. The same thing is happening with so many Americans today, particularly those still making their way through school.

We ask young people to say no to drugs, alcohol, and other habits that will eventually destroy their health, but we don’t do a sufficient job of recognizing the need to feel that high. We strip schools of art and music programs. We cut physical education. We prioritize testing over emotional and mental development. We’re creating a generation of very good test takers but we are doing a poor job of helping our young generations grow into healthy, happy, productive, and creative adults.

We need to do better. Is art the answer? For some, yes. Is physical activity the answer? For some, yes. Is a creative outlet of some kind that is supported, encouraged, and celebrated by society the answer. Yes, for all of us.

creativity, entrepreneurship, nature, work

Leap: The Seeds and Harvests of a Gardener and an Entrepreneur

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

A gardener’s work falls into 3 main buckets: planning, planting and maintenance, and harvesting the crops. To build Chasing Down the Muse into a viable business, I use a 3 X 3 X 3 system to measure my productivity and plan my to-do list for the week. Each week, I focus on 3 tasks that maintain what I’ve built (writing, reaching out to existing business contacts, growing my skill sets), 3 tasks that plant seeds for possible new business (preparing business pitches, interviewing), and 3 tasks that investigate possible new seeds that I may want to plant (research, exploratory conversations).

It’s a blast to secure new clients, read a piece of my writing that’s been published, and see the cash from my work arrive in my bank account, but I don’t base my success on those things in these early days of my business. I judge my current success based upon the possibilities I plant and nurture. Harvest season will roll around when the time is right. It always does in nature, so why should it be any different in our own lives?

art, creativity, home, inspiration

Leap: Paint Your Space and Get Inspired Thanks to YOLO Colorhouse

Christa Avampato
Image from Yolo Colorhouse

“Color possesses me. I don’t have to pursue it. It will possess me always, I know it. That is the meaning of this happy hour: Color and I are one. I am a painter.” ~ Paul Klee

I went to my friend Amy’s apartment last week. She bought her own place a few years back and has done a lot of renovations. The renovations are amazing – I didn’t even recognize the space! – and the change that inspired me the most was her sense of color. She repainted every room and it gave the space such a lift.

Color changes the way we see the world and our place in it. I’ve shied away from painting because I was never sure how long I’d be here and in New York City landlords usually require that you repaint back to the original color before you move out. That was a roadblock to me until I saw Amy’s place and felt so much different when surrounded by beautifully colored walls. A trip to her home gave me the nudge I needed. So I’ll paint it all back whenever I move – big deal! The inspiration is worth that extra work.

Now that I spend more time at working at home, I really need my space to be a source of pace, sanctuary, and creativity. That’s a tall order for a tiny place but Amy showed me it was possible. I took her advice and ordered 2 gorgeous colors of environmentally safe paint from YOLO Colorhouse, a woman-owned startup based in Portland: Aspire .04 for the walls and Clay .06 for accents.

I’m going to take before and after pictures so I’ll share the color make-over when it’s complete. Want to bring a little more color into your life? Check out YOLO Colorhouse!

career, creative process, creativity, product, product development, work, writer, writing

Leap: Prehype, a Product Innovation Boutique, Helps Corporate Employees Turn Their Day Jobs Into Their Dream Jobs

Christa Avampato
Prehype’s Steven Dean works through the product development process with clients.

I had the extreme pleasure to interview the talented partners at Prehype for a piece I wrote for PBS MediaShift – Collaboration Central. The piece is live and available for your reading inspiration. Hop over and have a look by clicking here. My thanks to the keen editorial mind and eyes of the site’s editor, Amanda Hirsch.

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.