I am so thrilled and excited to have with us today the amazing Jill Badonsky, author of this incredible, delightful, awe inspiring book.
Jill is a creativity coaching pioneer, inspirational humorist, artist, and founder of Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching™, a coaching model that guides individuals by using unprecedented approaches to busting through blocks to creative joy.
She is a nationally recognized workshop leader and author of The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard):10 Guides to Creative Inspiration for Artists, Poets, Lovers and Other Mortals Wanting to Live a Dazzling Existence and the award winning, The Awe-manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder.
Jill is a multimedia artist/illustrator, poet, playwright, and storyteller. She is also a certified Yoga teacher; teaching for over 20 years. She is a corporate drop-out with a background in mental health, marketing, media, instructional design, and creative consulting with national magazines.
Jill writes a monthly column for Creativity Portal, and is chief editor of the monthly The Muse Flash: a newsletter devoted to creativity since 1997. Jill's services operate out of The Muse is In. I sneaked this information from her web site, thanks Jill.
Preface - Creativity "I love creativity so I wrote this manual." Jill Badonsky, don't you just love that!" A taste of what's to come.
Have a look at this quiz, if you answered yes to the first question then this book and interview is definitely for you. Enjoy.
Your book really appeals to me for it’s funky design, fun images, colours and beautifully inspired ‘snippets’ of wisdom, inspiration, fun, permission, guidance, did I say fun. I have picked up this book so many times because I know that I get so much out it, even for 2 mins, 5 minutes etc. Sometimes I pick up your book when I need a break from heavy study, instead of yet another cup of coffee and a snack that I don’t really need. Makes it easy to be with.
I wonder if this was a deliberate plan by the Muses to entice the mortals?
Hi Liz, Thank you for that fanciful question. It was as irresistible as I hope my book is. Yes, indeed the Muse visited me and encouraged me to package practical information in a way that mortals would WANT to read it.
Because mortals are so overwhelmed, distracted, and busy these days, the book was purposely made like an Owner’s Manual for a car not only to make it helpful but for it to be entertaining as well. It is accessible, filled with wobbly illustrations, funny, and intentionally lures mortals into using it to fire-up their creative engines in ways that have worked for thousands of people.
I think one of the most fun parts of The Muse is IN: An Owner’s Manual to Your Creativity is the Daily Care and Maintenance Section. There is a prompt for everyday of the year and it’s often quirky, playful, or seductively engaging. Creativity is made easier with starting points and raw materials that can be modified. The book is filled with such starters so that the essential practice necessary to take creativity deep is encouraged.
As a recovering left brainer, I really did not believe that I was creative or really even knew what creativity really was. And now I am a proud creativity coach! Can a left brainer enjoy this kind creation? If so, in what way?
Liz, The book carefully points out that everyone is creative if they are breathing, whether you consider yourself a right-brained OR a left-brained person. Here is an excerpt from the book:
“Some people think we are either born with creativity or we’re not.
Many people are indeed born with an innate talent. When they cultivate that talent through many, many hours of practice, amazing works of art, literature, music, what-have-you are brought into existence. But really, do you need to BE that person in order to discover the bliss, benefits, and rewards of creativity? No.
“You can develop skill with practice, but the process is what makes life more wonderful. Talented people are not necessarily happy; the ones who are also happy, know how to create joy within themselves.
Passion, curiosity, healing, need, problem-solving, angst, joy, amusement, reckless abandon - these are ALSO drives that result in creativity. Everyone has the ability to be creative in these ways.”
Everyone gets to be creative.”
There is an incredible amount of wisdom and life experiences that the Muses appear to have collaborated with a human being scattered beautifully within the book. How did the human being allow herself to be heard by the Muses? Or How come this collaboration works so well?
Because the mortal who wrote the book, (that would be me) experienced many of the blocks described in the book, the Muse needed to know what worked for her. IN FACT, she experienced blocks WHILE writing the book so the Muse was able to see that Gizmos such as Small Steps, Lowering Expectations, Meditation, and Making Things Fun DO in fact work and that the Optimal Conditions for Creativity such as Patience, Willingness, Solitude, and Courage, when tested driven, resulted in just what the Muse ordered: a finished book.
The Muse also listened carefully in order to create the Troubleshooting Section when Fear, Procrastination, Overwhelm, Perfectionism and Self-Sabotage have a listed of sure-fire solutions.
There appears to be some journeying in this amazing book, travelling in various aspects. Would the Muses consider exploring down under, emerging in their true beauty and vitality to others who may be a little shy? We have neat BBQs down here!
Absolutely! Set a place for me at the table. I’ll bring my harmonica.
Liz, thank you for these fun questions. The Muse was delighted that you asked questions in the spirit of how the book was written. You seem to be clever which is a first cousin to being creative.
2 comments:
Fab interview -- LOVE Jill's new book -- the Muses must be dancing Down Under and all over the place in celebration!
Thanks very much Paula, Just love Jill's answers. The book is gorgeous. The Muses are dancing Down Under and excited, planning and scheming for BBQ and stuff - haha. x
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