Your Creative Purpose with Minnie Lamberth

In Bishop Michael Curry's book, Love Is the Way, there's a chapter entitled "Making Do and Making New" in which he tells stories about his grandmother's kitchen. Her expertise in creating delicious soulful meals for her family are based on three ingredients: tradition, imagination, and God. I don't know if the writing projects I've been working on rely on tradition, but the other two ingredients are essential. 

New perspectives can come in the middle of an ordinary life and an ordinary day. And the changes that result can make a big difference -- one small step at a time.  

There are enough opportunities in this present moment, in this very place, right where you are, to be a good neighbor and friend. 

Creative ideas can merge across disciplines--and this is a story of how one set of thoughts went from mixed media to music to writing and back to mixed media based on music. 

Writing is a way to explore the themes that are important to your life--things that you believe or want to challenge. 

Sometimes a new creative work isn't a new work but is a continuation of a lot of ideas that finally found the right format. That was the case for a novella I wrote, and I'll tell you about the process that led to that result. 

Any of us can use creativity to bring joy, beauty and other qualities into our lives. It doesn't have to have a marketplace component. But some of us may also want to pursue a career in the creative field. This episode focuses on three elements to keep in mind as you consider working as a freelancer. 

One thing your creativity will need is your optimism ... your belief that what you are doing has value, that you can figure it out as you go, and that these creative efforts will lead to a worthy outcome, whatever it may be. In this episode, I talk about optimism and two other qualities that have guided my creative life. 

What area of creativity would you like to pursue? What is calling to you in terms of desire, hope, longing? Aligning your outer activities with your inner creator will help you affirm your creative identity. And that can start -- or continue -- at any time. 

When you want to pursue your creative purpose and make a difference in the world, it's a good idea to read the room. Not every offer of help is helpful. Even so, whatever room you're in may still offer opportunity. 

In this episode that celebrates my 20-year-anniversary as a full-time freelance writer, I offer six lessons learned, plus three qualities needed for creative life. 

These two little words -- made up of a total of five letters -- are fairly limitless in their potential. They pack easily, you can take them wherever you go, and they can answer some of the biggest questions you have. You'll want to use them well. 

Linda Lee picked up paintbrushes later in life -- after a long-held interest in photography and while working hard in her professional life in association administration. She's a friend of many years, and I was interested in how she serves as example of pursuing her creative purpose. The first part is the idea itself. The next is the learning process. The growing awareness that creative activity brings its own reward provides fuel to keep going. 

What creative idea do you have waiting in the wings? What type of structure will help you get it done? Choose the time and place that works best for you -- and then show up day after day.

Your stories mean something -- the ones you tell, the ones you remember. They're important in how you sort through the things that matter. If you've told a story about a time when you were afraid, what if it's actually a time when you were very brave? What does that tell you about the callings on your life today?

Observation is part of the toolbox that lets you see what's wrong that you can make right, or lets you see who needs help where you can lend a hand, or lets you find a creative way that you can make a difference in someone else's life.

Having someone get in your business is part of life -- whether bosses, customers or other types of gatekeepers and officials. Collaboration is also part of the creative journey. Sometimes it's a joyful encounter. Other times, the attitude is more like, "Well, if I must." But it's a good thing either way. 

There's something in the human heart that can be powerfully resilient, especially when someone is able to tap into a tangible way to use their difficult experience to make a difference in someone else's life. 

Sometimes in order to produce, to create, and to release your creative project into the world, you just have to do it. You have to go with good enough or about right, or you'll be stuck in perfection. Don't be afraid to make a choice, or even to make a mistake in this choice you make. 

Having too many ideas -- too many plans -- is like having too many ways to not get something done. But a limit sets your focus and removes the things you could do and instead helps you get to the thing you will do. 

We may at any time see something in the distance--a goal, a mission, a creative idea--that we may have a desire to reach, but aren't able to get there by a known path. When that happens, the answer doesn't have to be "it can't be done" but may instead by "let me try different way." In this episode, a lawnmower, sailboat and spaceship are used as examples of creative thinking that solves problems. 

Life is a continuing balance of operating within the authority of governments, workplaces, religious teachings and other structures but also claiming our own creative authority to act on the things that have been nurtured within us. 

You don't always know what is behind a door being opened, or all the things you can move into with a simple prod in that direction. Here's a story about the myriad events that followed an announcement I heard at the end of a church service. 

We often admire the gifts and attributes of others but don't always realize these are things we actually possess ourselves. The story of the Great Stone Face is a helpful reminder. We may hope someone else will make a difference, yet, the truth is, we can make a difference too. Right now. Right where you are. Listen and see if you agree.

It seems, in hindsight, I've always been doing what I do -- just in different applications of my creative purpose. Here's how that worked for someone else far more well known ... a grandmother who began painting in her late 70s and achieved lasting recognition. What lessons can you gain from Grandma Moses? Listen in and find out.  

I love how the hero of this story is a nursery school worker. Listen in and learn how she helped someone see something new in what he already knew.