Eternal Summer of the Creative Mind

Welcome to the final week of the month-long Carnival of Creative Mothers to celebrate the launch of The Rainbow Way: Cultivating Creativity in the Midst of Motherhood by Lucy H. Pearce which has been Amazon.co.uk's Hottest New Release in Motherhood for the past week!

Today's topic is The Creative Process. Do read to the end of this post for a full list of carnival participants. 

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"What advice do you have for people wanting to be creative?"

I have been asked this in interviews twice in the past fortnight. (I know can you believe, I give interviews now! I'm SO much more used to being the interviewer!)

And the question always silences me.

As if because I wrote a whole flipping book on creativity, I had a magic wand up my sleeve, and with a wave of it, and a carefully crafted sentence which I can trot out at will, I can magic your creativity to life.

We are all longing for an eternal summer of the creative mind. For a magic switch to turn on instant tropical summer. And when asked about creativity, most people focus on the height of summer.

But creativity is a cyclical process. It has its seasons. The emergence of the first buds of inspiration as the thaw of the bitter winter of nothingness begins. The unfurling tender leaves as a project emerges. And then the summer, glorious summer when ideas stream from us like honey, and the butterflies gather round and all the world is alive with colour. And then the autumn, wonderful autumn of gathering in the harvest. Which is where I am now, seeing the fruits of my labors ripe and full, and people sinking their teeth in and the juices running down their chins.

But then winter comes once more. Sometimes desolate and bitter, unasked for. But most times simply a time of quiet, rest, retreat, repose, where we can allow the magic of gestation to happen.

I am enjoying this autumn, and am, if truth be told, bone-tired from this birthing, it is the biggest thing I have ever done and I am now looking forward to the gentle rest of mid-winter and seeing what magic may emerge from it.

***STOP PRESS***

• The Rainbow Way is surpassing my dreams - I have had foreign rights inquiries for two major languages which would bring it to over a billion extra readers in the world!
•  It is featured on the front cover of The Mother magazine.
• It has been featured in Leonie Dawson's Top 20 books of 2013 - she says:

"I’m so fucking glad Lucy wrote this book. I know that she wrote it because she was told to. I know it was dictated from the heavens. I know it because I can feel it when I read her words. 

When I got it, I consumed it whole within two days. I just couldn’t stop reading it. It felt like such a balm to my soul. I wish I’d had it at the beginning. I’m so glad it’s here now.
Recommended for: Mothers. Every single one of them. Seriously. I mean it."

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ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY of 

The Rainbow Way direct from the author and receive:

• 10% off - use code TRW10
• exclusive access to a private Facebook group for creative mothers
• a vibrant greetings card and book-mark of one of the author's paintings.

Kindle and paperback editions from Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com Book Depository, Barnes and Noble

Or order from your local bookshop.

• Carnival host and author of The Rainbow Way, Lucy at Dreaming Aloud looks at the common lies we tell ourselves about creativity in The Eternal Summer of the Creative Mind.
• Caitriona at Wholesome Ireland - from start to new beginnings.
• Hannah M. Davis writes about Unleashing Your Authentic Voice. So many of us would love to write a life-changing book. How do you get over the blocks and barriers that hold you back? 
• Sylda from Mind the Baby compares her creative process to a maelstrom of weather warnings.
• In "As an Artist", Lucy Pierce at Soulskin Musings offers a poem about how the creative process beckons her through many of the archetypes of womanhood.
• Jackie Stewart at Flowerspirit.co.uk talks about how creativity is opening up a space for the unknown to reveal itself to you in 'Creativity Flourishes in the Sacred Unknown'.
• Alex at Art of Birth shares some practical tips on how you can unlock your creative goddess within!
• Nicki at justlikeplay shares a love letter to her muse.
• Marija Smits has a conversation with her muse and reflects on the difficulties of catching and creating from the Goddess of Inspiration.
• Zoie at TouchstoneZ reflects on her creative process.
• Licia Berry, Illumined Arts "Creativity and Healing are Ideal Partners". The creation of visual, musical, or expressive arts is the quickest, most effective and painless way to heal.
• Kirstin at Listening to the Squeak - My creative process and how to break creative blocks.
• Ali Baker talks about connecting with the call of the wolf when she cries to us to do so means giving our time and permission to honour the creative process within all of us.
• Mary at The Turquoise Paintbrush reflects on her creative process.
• KatyStuff thinks that projects need time to mature, that is why she is a fabric and craft hoarder. 
• Aimée at Creativeflutters goes into her creative process and looks at what makes things tick or flop in "Spontaneous She - How to Keep Your Muse at Work".
• Kae at The Wilde Womb muses about her common creative blocks as a parent and how she systematically breaks through them.
• Angela at Peach Coglo tries to get comfortable with her own creative process. 
• Biromums write about their creative processes.
• Dawn at The Barefoot Home believes the creative process can't be taught it has to come organically and at its own pace.
• Tara at Aquamarine Art began uncovering her lost inner artist over 5 years ago and shares her experiences and inspirations in "From Spark to Bonfire: The Evolution of A Creative Process."
• Darcel at The Mahogany Way examines her own creative process.
• Sharron at Adventures on the mindful path writes and creates in between (and sometimes while) chasing two little boys and a puppy.  
• Laura at Authentic Parenting reflects on her creative process.
• Georgie at Visual Toast explores what the creative process looks like for her.