You know that phase of creative bubbling that looks and often feels completely lacking in creativity and forward motion? I feel it mostly in my diaphragm, but it may be different for everybody. I'm currently a little stuck there--but I'm okay with it. I am doing a lot of reading and personal writing and sort of waiting for the "pop." I am processing lots of ideas, opinions, emotions, and dreams as I search for the seeds of new projects. I personally tend to head straight to books on neural processing, psychology, human development, creative economy, and even poetry to deepen my appreciation for this uncomfortable phase.



Though I do not have any kind of hypochondria and I am not the type to head to WebMD for things that seem to be ailing me, it is amazing to me how badly I want an answer to this creative potential that is lurking like a shadow behind me. That answer may come in the form of a dance, a more directed career path, or an entrepreneurial/community project. I have no idea. It is all part of the process.

Yet as I said earlier, I'm a curious soul who seeks solace in books about human capacity and processing---yes, dry subjects for many of us, but not for me.

In this space and period of waiting I've felt more encouraged since reading large chunks of Five Minds for the Future, by Howard Gardner (originator of the theory of multiple intelligences), The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World, by Lewis Hyde, and Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman.

In Gardner's Five Minds, he makes an argument that for the future good of our society, we need to cultivate: 1)The disciplined mind 2)The synthesizing mind 3)The creating mind 4)The respectful mind 5)The ethical mind. I am happy to report that the practice of dance cultivates at least four, if not all five of these minds. Yet another argument for Making Room for Creativity in education and for advocating in more ways for arts education (Also see Americans For the Arts' Kristen Engebretsen's Intrinsic Benefits of Arts Education).

As for online content, Ian David Moss' Createquity always provides fantastic food for thought, and Rosetta Thurman's Four Kinds of Nonprofit Leaders We Need Now provides similar insights to Gardner's Five Minds. In her four posts she calls for 1) True Believers 2) Ruthless Innovators 3) Ambassadors of Diversity (P.S. go dance for being much more diverse in representation than previously thought) and 4) Courageous Advocates.

Which one are you? How can we find more true believers, be more innovative, increase diversity of information and human capital, and jump-start our advocacy efforts? Even if I am still seeking next steps in my career as a dance artist and creative professional, it is encouraging to see that our young arts leaders on JComm and in the blogosphere are already embracing the kinds of thoughtful leadership that will define the future.

Looking for the cure for "creative bubbling"?

Reading and writing are pretty great antidotes.

That is, until it's time to move.