How to be Delightfully Delusional: a creative manifesto of sorts
"I'm a Magician" by Zoe Rough-Broglin
Being creative means FLYING BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS. It means not knowing where you’re headed or how on earth you’ll get to where you hope to wind up; making up the rules and drawing the map as you go; honoring your gut instincts and being insanely impulsive; getting lost from time to time; following not what makes perfect sense but what makes your blood flow faster or what makes butterflies dance into your belly.
Being creative means ALWAYS WRITING IN THE PRESENT TENSE. It means becoming a novice in this very moment, and forgetting everything you know; asking your inner critic to take a hike; letting go of all those times you’ve messed up, struggled, been a victim, or embarrassed yourself; giving yourself permission to not look ahead and wonder if you’ll succeed or fail; stepping into the journey and enjoying the ride, like a frontseat dog, squinting its eyes with its face in the wind.
Being creative means GETTING MESSY. It means shaking things up or rocking the boat, and no longer being held captive by your comfort zone; remembering that the only constant is change; trusting that you’ll still be loved within your own sovereignty; finding the beauty in your warts and daring to be imperfect, quirky, “overly” sensitive, and vulnerable; getting a kick out of your mistakes; knowing without a doubt that you will fall flat on your face and that you always have the moxie to get right back up and start again.
Being creative means IGNORING WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING. It means not waiting to be discovered, noticed, or appreciated; recognizing that there’s no such thing as right or wrong; ending the cycle of defining yourself by the opinions or lack of acceptance of others; exercising sassiness; no longer comparing yourself to your neighbor; noticing how well-meant advice feels in your body and letting go of whatever doesn’t demand the fullest expression of who you are.
Being creative means OWNING YOUR EXPERIENCE. It means turning your attention inward; asking for help and support; making your boundaries and limits clear; carving out time and space for yourself; knowing when it’s time to stretch and when it’s time to mellow out; celebrating your strengths and passions; cleaning out the clutter; determining what works, what’s healthy, what’s valuable for YOU; no longer blaming your parents, your boss, your teacher, or the media for telling you what to do or how to be.
Being creative means DREAMING OUTLOUD. It means tuning into what you really want and believing that you can have it, even if it seems farfetched or silly; awakening to your visions, whether they’re BIG, small, or somewhere in between; discovering magic in the ordinary and being grateful for the little things; knowing that life can be taken away in the blink of an eye; scattering meaningful endeavors into your daily to-do list; telling someone you adore them and slowing down long enough to feel it in your bones; always being ready for an adventure; sharing your gifts with the world and allowing the love for what you do to be contagious.
Categories: adventure, gratitude, imperfection, inside out, inspiration, intention, strength, success | 
Tags: action, Creativity, gratitude, Lisa Rough, trust | 
17 Comments »
this is so timely for me and so groovy right on! hey, can I publish as as part of the Comfort Cafe (soon to Savor and Serve?) send me it if so.. love that you are thriving, you are so worthy of it all!
Absolutely, Jen! I’d be honored…. will send it now!
Your support and encouragement is always such a gift to me.
Lis, did you write this just for me? Thank you for these reminders. I need … no, want … to loosen up a bit more today! xoxo
I love this and yes, I’m joining the Delightfully Delusional Club. So great to see your wonderful words and Zoe’s artwork here. You are both magnificent!
Your proud mom
Lisa~ much of this was inspired by our skyping sess yesterday…. I’ve just been loving our Monday connections… they inspire so much food for thought!
Aw Mom, you are magnicent too… and I’m so happy you’ve decided to be delusional with me!
We make a great pair!
Lisa – Thank you for posting this!
This came at such a perfect time for me. I’m starting to make strides in the direction I want my life to take, but as usual, clam up and stop moving when I feel like “I shouldn’t” or will “rock the boat.” What a perfect thing to read at that time (and again when I’m feeling that way in the next month, week, day, hour and minute.)
(PS: Also super comforted by your relationship with your mother. My mother and I have weekend Skype sessions that give me hope, direction and so much inspiration too. Thank you for reminding me that I’m not crazy and there are others who want to embrace and love life just by being themselves.)
Oh, yes, Jennifer… Here’s to getting a little mischievous from time to time and rocking the boat…
It’s sooo worth it. I’d love to hear more about the amazingness you’re up to! Bravo!
Beautiful Lisa! I love this especially:
“…following not what makes perfect sense but what makes your blood flow faster or what makes butterflies dance into your belly”
Here’s to heart thumping butterfly dancing in delightful disillusionment. You always seem to know exactly what I need to hear
xxxK
I followed a re-tweet to find this post and just had to stop and comment….
This is just exactly what I need to read/hear. I need to stop thinking about being creative and step up, let go, and just do it!
thank you
Thanks for visiting, Kate! I’m so happy it touched something in you… here’s tp letting go and beginning the dance!
So wonderful to have you being delusional with me, Karen!
You presence here is always such a treat!
Thanks for sharing, Kate!
Lisa, I’m just catching up with your blog, and I feel like this post was written for me, too. I could feel my chest relax and my heart expand as I read it.
So many phrases spoke directly to me, like “trusting that you’ll still be loved within your own sovereignty” . . . “daring to be imperfect, quirky, “overly” sensitive, and vulnerable” . . . “letting go of whatever doesn’t demand the fullest expression of who you are”. . . “tuning into what you really want and believing that you can have it, even if it seems farfetched or silly” and “and allowing the love for what you do to be contagious.”
A heartfelt thank you!
a heartfelt your welcome, Anne… I’m so glad it moved you so deeply.
xoxo