“A practice; a regularly repeated exercise of a skill or activity, method or custom improves or maintains one’s proficiency” according to Webster’s Dictionary. Creativity as a wellness practice is important to the overall health of our body, brain and spirit, similar to the practices of a healthy eating, regular exercise and meditation. A study in the Journal of Positive Psychology (Tamlin, Conner, DeYoung & Paul, 2016)_indicated that engaging in a creative activity just once a day can lead to a more positive state of mind. In a TED Talk Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi said “When we are involved in creativity, we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.”_
I recently spoke with Maggie Oman Shannon who maintains a creativity practice both personally and professionally as the Senior Minister of Unity Spiritual Center of San Francisco. She defines creativity as “A life energy that everybody has access to. An energy that is life affirming because by definition you are bringing something into the world. Making something that never existed before and a way of adding one’s voice to the universal chorus”. Maggie has written six books including Crafting Calm: Projects and Practices for Creativity and Contemplation and has a new book release in the fall about creativity practices for work. In addition to writing Maggie has an online radio show “Creative Spirit,” offers weekly creativity sessions, a women’s creative circle and special events including a monthly program “Crafting a Year of Intention” where I will be leading the June 24 event with the topic of “Imagination” and on November 18 on “Release” and making room for something new.
Maggie offers us three ways of building creativity into your personal work space:

Computer Intentions Altar
Create a little altar under your computer monitor of small items or words that remind you of what you are working on accomplishing and things that inspire you.

Mindfulness Beads
String some beads and charms that remind you of your goals. When Maggie was a marketing director for a children’s museum she used beads that were the colors of her marketing collateral and charms with words and symbols that were meaningful for the museum. The beads can be left as a single string with loops at the ends and charms attached to the loops and hung on a bulletin board or door, or worn as a necklace or wrapped around the wrist as a bracelet.

Gratitude Journal for Business
Find a journal in a color that aligns with your organization’s branding, mission your current project and track the wins, the successes you have as time goes by. Stopping to enjoy these moments creates calm, joy and momentum at the same time.

You’ll find Maggie and her many creative outlets at MaggieOmanShannon.com. Next week I’ll share thoughts on creativity and the inner critic.

Kerry Lee, a 25 year Benicia resident, is a Certified Intentional Creativity® Teacher and Coach, leading group workshops, experiential retreats (“Reclaim You: An Experiential Intentional Creativity Weekend for the Senses is May 19-21 in Sonoma, CA), Mobile Social Painting Parties with a Purpose, Customized Corporate Team Building and Corporate Social Responsibility events and teaching essential oil lifestyle and wellness classes. Find her at KerryLeeArt.com / #TheAlchemicalArtist

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