"我们无法总能选择生活为我们播放的音乐，但我们可以选择如何与之共舞。" ——佚名
在人生中，我们能控制的东西不多，但可以控制自己的反应。
这可能是一个陈词滥调，但的确如此，我亲身体验到，在艺术创作与发挥上，这个提醒是多么重要。
我相信艺术是神圣的，当创作处于流动状态时，有种远远超出身体的东西来创造完整的作品。对我来说，我相信有某种更高层次的存在形式，而上帝就在我创作的每一件作品背后。我希望读者从我的书和文章中，能够感受到灵性、爱和意图。
For you, there might be another entity that you feel when you’re in the flow and creating your work, but whatever you call it, there is something very powerful about bringing something forth that never existed before—a story, a painting, a craft, a dance, a melody.
艺术是个人的东西
这也是为什么我们的作品总是成为相当个人的东西。
既然我们的作品是个人的，在创作过程中本来就有起伏。这也是为什么一件成品是一种爱的伟大行为。当怀疑和不确定的时刻笼罩着作品时，坚持一个创作就显示出伟大的力量、奉献精神，最终展示出个性。
以前我自己有个习惯，希望在写作的过程中过于自律和控制。我会努力追求完美，这很好，但如果它要以真正欣赏你的创作和作品背后的用心作为代价，这并不好。
在整个过程中，重要的是要提醒自己，有时我们可能不喜欢当下正在播放的音乐，但在找到我们所想表达的东西的过程中，它几乎总是起关键作用。
在作品创作的某一点上，你不可避免地必须放下，并相信这个过程。当我这样做时，我发现一切都会变得顺利。我还学会了让自己处于更放松的状态，比崩溃状态更好，可以说，由此得出了这个结论。
如果在此过程中，某个时刻令自己过于沮丧，我觉得这会影响到工作和我们对未来的态度以及项目的完成。这种消极情绪也会带到未来的作品当中。
选择自己的舞步
我还相信，当我们的努力必须从自己的个人工作过渡到合作空间，如与编辑、合作者、营销人员、成品制作者和任何类型的调整者合作时，在创意项目中出现问题时的应对舞步变得非常重要。
关键是要学会随着工作的进展而舞动，并始终让工作保持积极的能量。
正是在这一点上，我们必须用更开放的视野，从各个角度看待工作。
This collaborative contribution is what brings our works to life, but it does sometimes have blocks along the way, and may drift away, at times, from your initial vision. As I mentioned before, the key is learning to dance as the work moves, and to always keep positive energy around your work.
最后，我还学会了必须始终对作品表示宽容，也就是说，如果有些事情没有按照计划进行，比如有些东西原本可以修复或改变，或有些东西错过了，但现在要改已经太晚了，那么，仍然热爱作品是非常重要的。为了它带给你的旅程，为这一路上的过程，为你在其中激情迸发的想法，为作品必然影响到的生活，以及为如何更清晰地进入下一个项目它所带来的指引，热爱你的作品吧。
这些都是我受到的启发。在整个过程中，我并不是一开始就向自己展示这种优雅和成熟，我还是会被自己的情绪纠缠，但拥有这种观点和提醒帮了我。"我们无法总能选择生活为我们播放的音乐，但我们可以选择我们如何与之共舞，"这句话就是个完美的加强音。
8 tips for fellow creators
Now, here are some tips for my fellow creators out there that I continue to implement myself, because creativity really is sacred. It is sensitive. It is personal, and it is also absolutely beautiful when it is surrounded by love throughout the entire process and beyond.
- Stay loose. Put in the dedication and work, but when you’ve reached your limit, do not force your creativity. Show yourself some grace, and take a walk or do some kind of physical activity or chore that frees your mind for more ideas to come in.
- Visualize a heart around your project, especially when the going gets tough and confusing.
- Trust that your work is protected, and in the end, it will be greater than you could have imagined.
- Engage positively with problems. Step away when you feel yourself becoming emotional or irrational. There is a reason why the phrase “sleep on it” is used so often—I’m still trying to master this one.
- If there is something that cannot be fixed within your finished product, show yourself grace. You can do this by making a list of everything that you love about the work, what it taught you, what you learned that you can bring into the process for your next project, and what you hope your readers, viewers and listeners gain from the work you’ve created—what your heartful intention for the piece was right from the beginning, or what came to be with the project that you are proud of.
- Think about all the wonderful people who collaborated with you on this project and the love, care and vision that they put into this work (a great journaling subject).
- Compliment yourself along the way, and at the completion of your work, about the problems you’ve solved and the creative vision you have gained (a great journaling subject).
- Collect compliments—this has helped me so many times! Mariah Carey has a room dedicated to her fans that I believe she named “The Butterfly Room,” where she has all the mementos that they have made and given to her, and cards and notes about how her music has impacted them. This is so important. We all need an uplift from time to time. Put together a box, an album or something else in which you can store the compliments you have received for your work and your unique being. This will help you remember that you are special and have a clear purpose in this life, because you do!
但凡需要，你可以多看看这份清单，尤其是在感到沮丧的时候。
祝愿你的创意工作取得绝对的成功！愿你继续用独特的灵魂和精神保佑这个世界。
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图1 Pexels 来自 Pixabay 2 图片由 Pexels 来自 Pixabay 3 图片由 Merlin Lightpainting 来自 Pixabay
