Coffee with milk and two lumps of creativity
Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. Anne Morrow Lindbergh
I come from a long line of coffee drinkers. My grandfather preferred coffee to milk in his cereal; my father drinks high-octane espresso before bed when he wants to ‘unwind’; and there’s a different kind of sparkle in my mom’s eyes after she’s had her flavored-latte fix.
It’s only natural that I should follow suit. I chalk it up to being a tortured creative type – only without the torture. A writer without coffee is like a fish without water.
This is why I was thrilled to stumble over a brilliant article by blogger Chuck Norton called ‘Daily Coffee Exhibit: Artists Welcome.’
Put your all into all that you do
According to his article, Norton unleashes his creative prowess every time he contemplates a brew.
His passion for caffeine got me thinking. What if we put such thought and sensory care into all that we do? Here’s what: creativity would flow like honey in the heat of summer, writers would become blessed with more ideas than they know what to do with and fingers would desperately try to keep up with ideas on the keyboard.
What more could a creative person ask for?
Easy ways to check in with your senses
You don’t have to be a caffeine addict to tune in more closely with your senses. Just change your perspective and attention to detail.
The next time you go for a walk, stop in a quiet place to reflect. Check in with all your senses by noticing three things you may have overlooked: three things you can hear, smell, see and feel.
Try to tune in more closely than you normally would. Rather than going for the easy I see trees and flowers, maybe focus on the veins of a leaf. Instead of the pungent and sweet scents of weeds and roses, perhaps you notice the more subtle scents of damp air or rotting roots.
You can always find a way to practice this exercise, whether you’re at home, at work or commuting. Begin to taste food in a new way, and notice the scene around you with more perspective. Even people-watching becomes a deeper and more rewarding experience.
Bringing new sensory experiences into your writing, or any creative venture
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a journalist, a blogger or a budding novelist – you’ll benefit from checking in with your senses. You’ll be able to write with more clarity and beauty. You’ll more easily capture others’ imaginations.
You’ll also surprise yourself by opening a Pandora’s box of curiosity. In my opinion, curiosity is what a writer should most work on honing, even more than technical knowledge and a broader vocabulary. With curiosity, you’ll want to find the perfect word to capture your experience. You’ll strive to learn the best way to arrange your sentences and paragraphs to create powerful stories. Trust your senses and they will inspire your writing.
They may even lead you to a richer life.
Seka, this is great! It’s so true that curiosity is powerful!
Thanks for the kind words too! It means a lot.
Thanks Chuck! You just have no idea how thrilled I was to find your article – entirely justifying my caffeine addiction as part of the creative process. Next time I go for the plunge on the French press, I’ll take a little more time to savor the moment.