CREATIVE LIFE? OR JUST LOST, CONFUSED, AND EMBARRASSED

You live a creative life, whether you know it or not.

Every hour of every day, from start to finish, we all live the creative life.

Those who disagree don’t understand the word creative. Instead, they see images of people who call themselves Creatives, and back away.

You don’t like self expression that includes tattoos and hair color and piercings?

Here’s a tip: don’t get inked, leave your hair to fend for itself, and don’t poke holes in your body. Feeling better?

You’re still a creative even if you don’t bill board yourself for others.

Here’s how it works:

Find something interesting, then do something with it that hasn’t been done before. Or, if it’s been done, you know you can do it better.

Living the creative life is that easy. And that hard.

That’s where the creative excuses come into play.

“I love art and going to museums and seeing the work of the masters. They are so intimidating. I’ll never paint, but I see the beauty.”

I’ve been a museum nerd since my grade school field trip to the Coos County Historical Museum when it was in North Bend next to the huge locomotive.

When I joined the Army after freshman year in college I was stationed in Philadelphia. I had an apartment near the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

I spent lots of time there since it was huge and had a special admission deal.

Pay What You Wish Admission

On the first Sunday of the month (10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) and every Friday night (5:00–8:45 p.m.), pay whatever amount you’d like.

At first it was a nice place to wander around in lovely spaces. Later it turned into a dating bargain. Since I lived a few blocks away, it was the most convenient meeting place.

For an extra scoop of awesome, the movie Rocky used the front steps for his training run and they became known as the ‘Rocky Steps.’

They were my steps first, but who’s keeping score. Calling them the Rocky Steps feels more creative.

Creative Live In Oregon

Based on national news reports last year, being creative in Portland looked like finding a way to change things by street protest.

People raised their voices, threw things, stood up to the power. Some people.

I represented when I loaned a wheel chair to Ellen Urbani. She stood in for more than a few of us.

And got shot.

She joined the protest for Black Lives Matter, for police reform, for social justice on a broken foot and one of the troopers with a gun got her in the other foot.

Keep track of her adventures if you need some inspiration.

My Favorite Creative Artist

I’m a creative blogger for want of a better name. I write, I read, then write some more. Sound exciting? I’ve been cranking on this site for years, finding new ideas to expand on.

Over two thousand posts later I’m still waiting for the blogger burn-out. No sign yet.

One of the guys I see online, on twitter, pumps me up. He’d pump every creative person if they knew about him and followed.

That guy is T.C Boyle.

He talks like a normal person. I don’t know why that should be shocking, but if you look at twitter long enough, it’s a surprise.

He explains things that don’t make sense, and makes sense of them.

The biggest tip for a creative life that I’m doing now? Keep every day the same as the last, except for the creative work. That always changes day to day as the project moves forward.

That was a revelation to me.

Pick a project and move it forward. Ink or no ink, hair do or no hair, piercing or not.

Focus on the work, the creative work.