Five Tales of Focus & Flow

I’m trying to hide my hands. I wonder, How exactly do I type, if I don’t want the Starbucks-sipping, friendly-old-couple the next bench over to see my sloppy, million-dollar-red fingernail job? No vampire at fault here;  just my two-year old earlier this morning, in a moment of Pre-Creativity flow. I couldn’t stop her. I didn’t [...]

Creativity’s Nectar, Part 8: Creativity Becomes Autotelic

Creative, life-sustaining work brings a deep joy. It isn’t about will-power or relaxing or whim-following. It is about optimal experience and flow.  Every day for 8 days, I’m writing about the elements of flow. Yesterday I wrote about Constant Feedback. It is 1:00 a.m. and I’m in flow. In my hand, a perfect croissant, more [...]

Creativity’s Nectar, Part 7: Constant Feedback

Creative, life-sustaining work brings a deep joy. It isn’t about will-power or relaxing or whim-following. It is about optimal experience and flow.  Every day for 8 days, I’m writing about the elements of flow. Yesterday I wrote No Fear of Failure in Flow. Just another impossible love story: Thomas, master of the house, and Sally, [...]

Creativity’s Nectar, Part 6: No Fear of Failure

Creative, life-sustaining work brings a deep joy. It isn’t about will-power or relaxing or whim-following. It is about optimal experience and flow.  Every day for 8 days, I’m writing about the elements of flow. Yesterday I wrote about Forgetting Self, Time and Surroundings while in Flow. Time spent fearing failure is not only less time [...]

Creativity’s Nectar, Part 5: Forgetting Self, Time and Surroundings

Creative, life-sustaining work brings a deep joy. It isn’t about will-power or relaxing or whim-following. It is about optimal experience and flow.  Every day for 8 days, I’m writing about the elements of flow. Yesterday I wrote about Avoiding Distractions. In Flow, emotions are harnessed for a greater good.  Entropy of mind, body and environment [...]

Creativity’s Nectar, Part 4: The Merging of Action and Awareness

Creative, life-sustaining work brings a deep joy. It isn’t about will-power or relaxing or whim-following. It is about optimal experience and flow.  Every day for 8 days, I’m writing about the elements of flow. Yesterday I wrote about the Balance Between Challenges and Skills. Slogging through the marshes of uninspired work, an idea hits.  Saint [...]

Creativity’s Nectar, Part 3: Balance between Challenges and Skills

Creative, life-sustaining work brings a deep joy. It isn’t about will-power or relaxing or whim-following. It is about optimal experience and flow.  Every day for 8 days, I’m writing about the elements of flow. Yesterday I wrote about the Exclusion of Distractions from Consciousness. Creative work is hard and challenging enough to be worth pursuing.  [...]

Creativity’s Nectar-Part 2: Distractions are Excluded from Conciousness

Creative, life-sustaining work brings a deep joy. It isn’t about will-power or relaxing or whim-following. It is about optimal experience and flow.  Every day for 8 days, I’m writing about the elements of flow. Yesterday I wrote about the importance of Clear Goals and Feedback. We finally got good lemons. Yesterday my husband mixed an [...]

Creativity’s Nectar: Introduction

Creative, life-sustaining work brings a deep joy. It isn’t about will-power or relaxing or whim-following. It is about optimal experience and flow.  Every day for the next 8 days, I’m writing about the elements of flow. No one expects the San Francisco Marathon to be flat, but mile 13 is a serious neck-extender or head-bower [...]