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Wha??? Could we actually end world war through laughter?

I just posted this blog on another site of mine... wanted to let y'all know about it here too...

via blog.aliciadattner.com

Did you know animals laugh? They were probably laughing before humans existed!

Want more creativity in your life? Be more like the monkies!

So the creativity coaching work that I do is largely based on the work I've done to get through the blocks to being a comedian, solo performer, and artist.  Here's a little sample of what I've been up to in my creative life.  I'll be performing this show Eat, Pray, Laugh! in San Francisco January 20th, 2010 to February 24th each week with kirtan singer Mirabai.  You can get tickets here.

"Boldness has genius, magic in it." -Goethe

It can be a strange sensation for many artists and performers to promote their work as much as is needed. We often believe our art should speak for itself. Or that it's somehow shameful to "brag" about what we do. For those of you who are not yet famous and have a generally healthy disposition, I suggest you learn to brag about what you do.

Tomorrow I will go out to Phoenixand Scottsdale and promote my show by handing out flyers and talking with people about what I do. I'll do it all week to sell out my five shows. If I find myself with waning enthusiasm, I'll phone a friend to help encourage me.

I often think of my favorite musician to stay inspired. I remind myself that if he hadn't promoted his music, the world wouldn't be such a beautiful place. And I understand that I too must give my gift to the world. Not out of self-serving or indulgence, but out of reverence for the gifts we have been given.

Does it ever seem like you're just not "on your game" and you can't figure out why?  Perhaps you haven't yet found your Creative Groove.  I had a realization recently that changed my whole sense of myself as an artist and creator.  I was feeling discouraged about writing comedy, and not getting that "funny" feeling I get when I something makes me laugh for a while. 

One day, while talking about it with a friend, we started joking and laughing, and I suddenly remembered that I'm funny when I'm with other people!  Things strike me as funny, and I get to share them around people I have fun with--particularly people who I don't feel competitive with or judged by.  That's when I open up, laugh at things, and start to feel the creative juices flowing.  That's also when I pull out my notebook and joke that I'm going to write down what just happened.  My friends laugh, but I really write it all down.  If we "wrote" it together, I ask their permission to talk about it on stage. 

I also know about myself that once I've written notes, I need time on my own to edit, sort things out, and use the other side of my brain to see what else I can fill in.  I also use the time on my own to reflect if what I'm writing about really feels like it's in my "voice" and it's aligned with what I want to say to the world, or if it's really been influenced by that particular group of friends.  Then, I go back to people again--this time an audience--to work on my material next. 

I actually knew how to get into my Creative Groove, but I'd forgotten.  Do you know where to tap into your Creative Groove?  Take some time to answer these questions to help you consider when you feel most creative.  What does your body or heart want to tell you about when it's happiest and most free?  Is it:

Night time? Morning? Afternoon?
Every day, same time?
Big chunks some days? Little bits every day?
Doing it when you don't feel like it and then getting in the groove?
Only when you feel like it?
Do you groove better around people or alone?
Which part of the house? Or maybe a cafe?  Loud cafe or quiet one?
Maybe at a co-working facility?
What foods help you create better?
Are you more creative standing? Walking? Dancing? How about showering?
Do you need to meditate, exercise, eat, sleep, or vent before you're ready to create?

"Would you eat them in a box?  Would you eat them with a fox?"

-Dr. Suess

If feels like Green Eggs and Ham, you're on the right track.  Invest some time getting to know just how you like to work!  You'll be happy you did.

If you've created something like an art exhibition, you can skip to the end of this post.  If, however, your work is a performance, you've got one last step before celebration...  The performance!  This is your pep-talk! 

This is your night! It's the evening you've been working toward for your whole life in fact.  All the preparation you've done from learning your ABC's in kindergarten to eating lots of vegetables to sitting with the creative part of your spirit and letting what's there come out has prepared you for this evening.  I say this to let you know that everything you have done up to now has allowed you to have everything you need to give yourself fully to the artwork. 

You have been put on this planet to manifest this creative work, and no other being can contribute what you are about to offer.  It is a precious gift.  The value and validation of the work will not come in the praise or criticism of the audience, but in the fullness of your expression.  The more vulnerable, honest, and authentic you are as you offer your gift, regardless of how you think other people will like it, the better a gift it is.  Others may recognize it or not, but you will know in the depths of your heart that you have mingled your life with the divine for having given this treasure.

The final part of manifestation really is to receive your heart's thanks, and the appreciation of others for what you've manifested.  Let your gift be an inspiration and a celebration that you have won your game!  Party, dance, sing, laugh, and rejoice!  Really let yourself know how great this is!  Your full celebration of this success will complete the loop and allow you to rest and prepare for your next creative feat.  Congratulations!  I look forward to accompanying you on your next adventure.

"The thing about performance, even if it's only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities."

-Sydney Smith

Take note that as you come close to fruition, you will be likely to find ways to self-sabotage all the great work you've done so far.  Keep in touch with your daily action partner, and keep posted somewhere the purpose why you're doing this to help stay powerful in the face of obstacles.

The creative part:

• Is your work "on track?" Have you been spending the right balance of time creating/editing/planning?
• Have you gotten feedback from people who gave constructive information about your piece without criticism?

The event:

• Have you sent emails?  Put out a press release?  Sent the info to lists and groups and social networks?
• Have you created images or video to let people see a preview so they can get exciting about the event?
• Have you been letting everyone you know and meet how excited you are and how they can participate?
• Have you asked people to support you by helping at the event?
• Have you checked on the venue?  Have you checked on the people putting together any external part of your project?
• Do you have to pay for services?  Let people know about your preferences?  Have someone host or introduce you?  Will other people perform/exhibit/etc at the event?

This is the time to cull all of the work you've done into what feels like a "finished piece".  It's likely that it won't "feel" finished.  Don't worry.  As my friend Brian says, "Better done than good."  You'll always have time to improve upon it or make something even better with all that you've learned from this experience. 

Before you present your material to the public, make sure that you've presented it to a good friend who can give you feedback with enough time to re-vamp anything that needs clarification.

In the final post on actually manifesting your dream, we'll get to the best part: celebration!

"Action that is inspired from aligned thought is joyful action. Action that is offered from a place of contradicted thought is hard work that is not satisfying and does not yield good results. When you really feel like jumping into action, that is a clear sign that your vibration is pure and you are not offering contradicting thoughts to your own desire. When you are having a hard time making yourself do something, or when the action you offer does not produce the results you are seeking, it is always because you are offering thoughts in opposition to your desire."

-Esther Hicks

And now, very gently and clearly, we're going to begin the process of editing.  Many people consider editing to be the most important part of art because this is where we begin to turn toward the idea of our work being received.  Many people consider art incomplete until it is in fact received--that seeing, hearing, or experiencing the work is its last phase of creation, "closing the loop."  I agree with this, but I also feel that for some art works, the maker can also be the best audience.  If we don't please ourselves in our art, we're not doing anyone else any favors!

So here's an exercise to transition yourself temporarily from creator to editor, feeler to thinker: 

Get three actual hats.  Really do this...  Maybe your "creator" hat is big and silly, your "appreciator" hat is beautiful and flowery, and your "editor" hat is like a newspaper editor's? 

Have your "creator" hat on while you're brainstorming, writing, drawing, singing...  After your allotted creating time, take off your creator hat, and put on your "appreciator" hat.  As the appreciator, you will talk to the creator for a few minutes and let her (or him) know how thankful you are to her for being so open and uncensored.  Tell her how it felt (fun? silly? exhilarating?) to be with her, and how happy you are that she has come to play with you.  Tell her that the next step you are going to take is to gather, organize, and edit what she has delivered so you can deliver this gift to the world!  Ask her if she has any requests of how you shape the material.  Ask if she will stay as an observer of the process to help keep the integrity of the work.  When you are done, take your appreciator hat off and put on your editor hat. 

If your creator lives mostly in your second chakra (the pelvis), your appreciator lives mostly in your heart chakra.  Your editor lives in your throat and "third eye" chakras.  Sitting with your back straight so all of your chakras are aligned, begin to look at your work with a warm, clear head.  Look at it as if it's not in fact your work at all, but the work of your best friend.  Begin to sort, clarify, and solidify what's there, seeing the best in it, and looking for places to chip away the extraneous pieces.  Do more cutting than adding.  Finish off your session with a quick flip of the appreciator hat and remind yourself how much great work you've just done and what your purpose in doing this is!

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."

-Albert Einstein