Thanks for the great advice. I really like the one about being creative not being an event, because I suffer from that problem more then anything.

Despite numerous comments that I’d ‘never make it’ in the corporate world because I’m too goofy and creative, I’m actually having a great career as a contractor. I’ve found that if you have a strong aptitude for what you do and folks see and understand that you’re totally serious about getting the work done, you can find folks who enjoy humor and and see how much it helps in keeping a team’s spirits up when the work gets overwhelming or tedious. You definitely have to have a good sense of who enjoys it or doesn’t and share accordingly, but I’ve been surprised by how many people in unexpected settings enjoy a small creative touch. I was with my last team for about 16 months, and by the end, we’d punctuate e-mails back and forth with funny clip art when things got rough. When the contract ended, the dept head said she didn’t know who she’d call for e-mail and memo art any more, so on my last day I told her I’d written a special technical procedure for her, which covered inserting clip art into documents.

The other thing I’ve found is how much creative friends can keep each other inspired. My card making group started out with just the common acquaintance with the person who got us together, and a fascination with making patterns and images with rubber stamps, but after 2 years, we’ve become really close friends and look forward to our monthly get-togethers. We bring our samples to show each other, and while we’ve all been influenced and inspired by what other folks are doing, we’ve also really developed and improved our own styles as well. After all those years of studying history, I’ve developed a new appreciation for how much quilting bees or barn raisings must have meant in older communities–there’s something so wonderful about getting together to craft something by hand with great friends.

My husband’s creativity involves restoring old cars and performance modification, which is something he shares with a great group of his friends. It’s been great that we understand that and can give each other space to goof around and play.

Thanks Susie! I’m sure your family will love getting your creative gifts!

HI Mike, Thanks for writing in and for all of your kind words. I’ve never been called “The Bomb,” so thanks for such high praise. And #9 was one I debated writing. By “miserable,” however, I don’t mean grief or phases of misery… I mean cynical, complaining, angry, critical people…most of whom aren’t aware that they’re miserable! But then, I always ponder someone like Spalding Gray, whose work always blew me away… so, on some level, #9 isn’t accurate, and you’re right to disagree. I do think that creativity can shift misery, sometimes just a little bit… and that just a little bit is all you need to make a bigger transformation. As for the Pacific Northwest… next fall is probably going to be when I return! I’ll keep you posted if you’re on the mailing list!

Hi Caren… That’s so great! Thanks!

Thanks Elona. What a great idea to write a blog for teachers. (and to do it for the “joy of it.”) I’ll go check you out!

I came looking for tour dates and stumbled across your blog. I will speak on behalf of the older, Type A, left-brain crowd who only know what blogs and IM are because sometimes that’s the best way to engage our children. : ) BTW, this is the closest I’ve ever come to a fan letter, but as the kids say nowadays, you are “the bomb” and I love your music and enjoyed this blog post.

I am a mild-mannered research scientist by day, but at night (and on weekends) I often pick up a guitar and, over the years, have written several songs. 1, 14 and 16 really resonated with me. I’ve often told friends and family who ask why I don’t perform (except for close friends and family) that my songs are mostly for me (and for them). They’re therapy more than anything else: a way to understand, voice, capture and archive emotions. …and then replay them. I have songs that put me right back on a beach watching a sunset with my wife or, much earlier in our marriage, dancing at midnight by a stream on a warm summer’s evening in the midwest surrounded by winking fireflies.

I will respectfully disagree with 9, at least somewhat. Temporarily miserable people can be very creative and, indeed, I find creativity can be a way to move past the misery. I have a song that was written during the final weeks of my mother’s battle with breast cancer that I think captured — for all of us — what we were feeling. It’s been over a year since her death and I still cry most of the time I sing the final verse. …but I treasure that. In some ways I hope I never am able to sing that song without at least choking up a little bit at the end. Maybe your point applies to more permanently miserable people.

Well, this was a long and very rambling way of procrastinating data analysis (which needs to be done by Monday of course) …and of asking, “When might you be touring in the Pacific Northwest?” : )

Thanks and best wishes,
Mike