Dear Artist,
I want to share my secret to activating and awakening creativity with you.
It starts with a T, and it is probably not what you think.
My secret is to find ways to trigger myself.
Not trigger like I am mad or upset. I mean trigger muscle memory. Trigger somatic memory. Trigger something in my body, mind, soul, and heart.
Something that tells my whole system:
When this happens, we are about to create.
And it is way easier than you think.
In fact, it needs to be easy. It cannot be complicated.
IN THIS 5-MINUTE VIDEO, YOU WILL LEARN:
How to trigger muscle memory and somatic memory so your whole system knows: we are about to create
How smell, sound, and touch can become portals into creative expression
Why starting small works better than trying to do too much, too fast
How to build a simple ritual that helps you enter a locked-in creative state faster
How to stop waiting for the muse and create an invitation she can’t ignore
HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN CREATIVE TRIGGERS: CHEAT SHEET
The lesson here is not to copy my rituals.
The lesson is to stop waiting for the muse to find you and instead create an invitation for the muse.
1. FIND SOMETHING THAT BRINGS YOU INTO YOUR SENSES
For me, one of those things is sage or palo santo.
Maybe you believe, like I believe, that these sacred Indigenous medicines can clear energy. And if you do not believe that, they smell incredible.
They bring me out of my head and into my senses.
The smell triggers something in my system:
Oh yeah. We are about to create.
2. USE SOUND TO SHIFT YOUR STATE
Another trigger for me is sound.
Binaural beats. Brown noise. Singing bowls. A couple of tracks that I know can shift something in me quickly.
I put the music on, and my system starts to recognize:
When these sounds come, we create.
It does not need to be complicated. It just needs to be something you enjoy enough that, over time, the sound becomes connected to the memory of creating.
3. LET TOUCH BECOME THE PORTAL
For me, it is the feeling of a pen touching paper.
I have a small notebook (see video to fully understand) that sits next to my meditation seat. I secretly believe that when my pen touches this very unique notebook, a portal opens up.
A portal to the infinite.
Is that an entirely made-up belief?
Yes.
But I believe it.
And when you put enough energy behind a belief, it becomes true for you.
So I do not wait until I know what to write. I will literally write anything.
The pen touches the paper.
The portal opens.
And I have already begun.
OPTIONAL JOURNAL PROMPT
I secretly believe that when my pen touches my special notebook a portal opens up.
A portal to the infinite.
What is one belief you could make up that would help you create?
Maybe it is connected to a smell. A sound. A song. A certain pen touching a certain notebook.
Finish this sentence:
When this happens, we create: __________.
IN CLOSING
Find one simple experience that tells your mind, heart, soul, and body:
We are about to create.
Something easy. Something accessible. Something you genuinely enjoy.
The more it becomes connected to the memory of creating, the faster you can enter that locked-in state.
Instead of waiting for the muse to find you, create an invitation for the muse.
The muse loves joy, pleasure, and play. She can’t stay away.
Big love,
D
P.S. COME WRITE WITH ME THIS WEEK
If you’re looking for accountability, structure, and a community of writers to grow with, come join us this Tuesday inside the Artist Morning Writer’s Club.
We start with a short meditation made specifically for writers. It helps open us to the energy of our hearts, minds, and stories.
Then I share an optional writing prompt and open up 66 minutes for us to write.
It is incredible how much people get done in that time.
There is also a growing collection of workshops and community experiences inside our Members’ Library, with plenty of support, accountability, and guidance to help you develop your writing and your writer self.
Come write with us this week.
