creativenachos.com Blog

Recently, as I strolled by a newsstand, my eyes scanned various magazine and newspaper covers. One magazine claimed to know which shoes I would need in order to have a “Hot” wardrobe. While a newspaper announced that it had cornered the market on the “Hottest” hairstyle I would need for the holidays. Suddenly I found myself thinking about all of those “Hot or Not”, “In or Out” lists floating around in Mainstream America.

Who decides those things anyway?

I have always had this vision of a man with a mousy, brown comb-over putting the lists together. It doesn’t matter that he wears khakis, the ones with little reindeer stitched all over them, an argyle vest, a white shirt with yellowing armpits and white patent leather shoes day in and day out because no one has ever seen him. Once upon a time at a party, some editor overheard someone’s cousin’s uncle’s sister’s friend’s dog sitter say that he’s a recluse who designed an unforgettable outfit for a rock star in 1999. And don’t we sometimes think ‘genius’ when we hear the word recluse? Or is that just me? Either way, this information made said editor seek out the mystery man with said flair for fashion in the hopes that he would consult on everything from “hot” food to “hot” fashion thus intriguing readers and driving sales through the roof.

I have to tell you. I’m over the whole thing.

Part of the reason we sometimes suffer from a lack of creative confidence is because we are bogged down with people telling us what we should and should not wear, eat, see, do, and experience. We are told that certain designers, artists, writers, architects, mathematicians, songwriters, etc., are the best of the best.

Where does that leave us?

List makers, like critics, get up in the morning the same as we do and do a job which is to put their opinion out there. That’s all it is, an opinion. We don’t all need to run out and grab the boots, coat, perfume. We don’t need to conform to another’s idea of what’s best.

We need to listen to what’s inside us. Enjoy it. Love it. Share it with the world.

While TV, movies, newspapers, magazines and the like can often provide valuable information and inspiration, it can also deplete us of our ability to see the beauty and wonder within ourselves. If “plugged in” too long we begin to believe that we don’t have half as much to offer as others AND that what we do have to offer may not be “In” or “Hot”.

Today, I invite you to carve out a small window of time to tune it all out. On your lunch hour or when you have a bit of down time this afternoon, turn off the TV, radio, phone, and computer. Put down the newspapers, magazines, and books.  Spend 15 minutes with that talented person in your life – YOU!

Take a short walk, sit on a bench while the kids play or simply look out the window. Imagine yourself at play. If you didn’t have to worry about time or responsibility, what would you be doing right now? Give yourself room to delve into your imagination.

In the evening, spend 15-30 minutes doing something you love. Dust off that camera and take a picture from a crazy angle. Write a poem about something that means the world to you. Bake those cupcakes even though you have never baked anything in your life. Sketch that new design. Paint something you have always dreamed of painting- with your eyes closed. Write that mathematics theory in purple ink. Share your creations here.

Whatever you do, make sure that it comes from within you. Then celebrate yourself because you are the best at what you do. You are an original and your ideas are “Hot” because they are distinctly yours.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS