| use when we feel unwell or out of sorts in some | | | | weren’t in the past when your creativity |
| way, will seek some kind of medical help, | | | | was in what you considered to be better shape? |
| traditionally from our local doctor or General | | | | What’s the difference that makes the |
| Practitioner. | | | | difference to your creativity? What makes you |
| But who do we turn to when our creativity feels | | | | most happy creatively? |
| sick or unwell? Whether we feel just a bit off our | | | | Often it’s tiny actions repeated over a |
| best or that the illness is terminal and the decline | | | | sustained period that bring most change in our |
| of our creativity inevitable, what can we do? | | | | lives and because they appear to be so small and |
| Where can we go for help when we can’t | | | | almost insignificant, their effects can creep up |
| function creatively in the way we know we can? | | | | almost unnoticed. |
| There’s no “Creativity Doctor” for us | | | | Possible Course of Treatment |
| to make an appointment with. Or is there..? | | | | Now you’ve got as accurate a picture as |
| What we CAN do is take on the role of being our | | | | possible of your creativity as it is right now, and |
| OWN Creativity Doctor. What’s a | | | | the factors that have an effect on it positively |
| Creativity Doctor? Well, they’re just like a | | | | and negatively, you can start to form a solution. |
| regular doctor, only they deal specifically with your | | | | Put simply, what can you do to improve your |
| creative health. | | | | creative health? If there was absolutely nothing |
| The bonus when you choose to be your own | | | | holding you back, what’s the first thing you |
| Creativity Doctor is that you’ve lived with | | | | would do to begin to improve your creative |
| yourself and your various stages of creativity all | | | | health? |
| your life, so you know yourself better than any | | | | Consider all the options available to you. Think |
| doctor could. | | | | about the things you’ve done before that |
| So here are some simple steps you can take to | | | | have been positive and produced favourable |
| help raise your creativity from feeling fragile to | | | | results. Also look at new ideas and activities you |
| fighting fit again: | | | | can get involved with that you expect to have |
| Symptoms | | | | the desired result, an increase in your creative |
| How do you know you’re not at full health | | | | health. |
| creatively? What are the tell-tale signs, what | | | | As well as creative actions, consider also your |
| readings can you take, where’s the | | | | mentality and your belief system around your |
| evidence, what’s the current reality of the | | | | creativity. Whatever we do, we are all ultimately |
| situation? | | | | limited by the beliefs we hold about ourselves. |
| Gather together as much as you can. Look at all | | | | Steadily improving and developing these can bring |
| the creative areas of your life and work out how | | | | amazing benefits in the long term. |
| well they are right now relative to how good | | | | Put the Treatment into Action |
| they’ve been in the past and how great | | | | Enough planning, now we get to the action part. |
| they can be in the future. | | | | Taking into account all the information |
| You may find that your creativity is already in | | | | you’ve gathered, what’s your |
| much better shape than you realised, just you | | | | course of action going to be, to get your |
| weren’t giving yourself enough | | | | creativity back on track? |
| acknowledgment and credit for all the ways your | | | | What’s your first step going to be? When |
| creativity is being used. | | | | are you going to take it? What specific actions |
| Diagnosis | | | | can you put into place and repeat regularly to |
| Make an honest assessment of how your | | | | restore your creativity to optimum health? |
| creativity is right now, taking into account all the | | | | Think also about support systems. Who can help |
| evidence and symptoms. Again look at the parts | | | | you in your course of action? What books can |
| of your creative life you feel aren’t as well | | | | you read, what groups could you join, what |
| as you’d like them to be and consider the | | | | websites and forums could help you? What other |
| factors around them. What’s changed | | | | resources are available to you? |
| recently in your life that’s had a negative | | | | We all feel a little under the weather from time to |
| impact on your creativity? | | | | time. |
| What are you doing, or not doing, now that you | | | | |