This month is one of my favorites, as I’m always inspired to up my gratitude game! This week I wanted to share with you some ways that you can incorporate gratitude into your creative process.
Gratitude Meditation:
I know, I know. I probably just lost half of you after you read that mystical ‘m’ word. But just hear me out! Meditation has been a GAME CHANGER for me when it comes to taking care of my mental and emotional health. And what happens when we take care of our WHOLE selves? That’s right, our creative selves start THRIVING and the juices start flowing!
I use the Calm App to do a meditation every morning after my yoga practice. There are a couple gratitude focused practices in the app that are really effective in taking care of your head and heart space.
I love being able to feel gratitude through my whole mind and body, centering myself on really specific moments or people that I am grateful for.
Thank You Notes:
In our work as musicians, our mom would always have us write thank you notes to every single person we met with and worked with. I’ve adopted that habit as my own now that I’m older, and just bought these cute thank you cards that give me plenty of space to write! More than once we were told how unexpected and thoughtful it was to receive a handwritten note from us!
Back in 2012, we played a showcase for the executives of Walt Disney Records. Although the meeting went great, they weren’t sure what to do with us or how to fit us into the Disney family. After our meeting, we sent them thank you notes for the awesome experience we had.
Fast forward to 2016 when we were asked to contribute a cover to a compilation album of Disney songs called “YouTube Loves Disney”, released by Walt Disney Records. Guess who the executive in charge of the project was? One of those same people we had met with years before.
Coincidence? I think not. Though we’ll never know, sending that label executive a hand written thank you note could have been what made us stand out and may have been the reason she remembered us and wanted to work with us years later when we were suggested for the compilation album.
You never know what kind of opportunities could come your way as a result of expressing genuine gratitude to everyone you work with, especially in the form of a hand written note.
Creative Gratitude:
Before I engage in anything creative, I try to call on a feeling of gratitude. Before starting my work, I offer a prayer and ask for help, and offer gratitude for the blessings that I have. Doing so helps me maintain a sense of gratitude as I create.
When I feel nervous before stepping up to the microphone in the recording studio, I think something like, “Wow. I am so blessed to be able to do this. I am so grateful for my voice and for this chance to use it.”
When I feel frustrated or stuck or realize am demanding perfection of myself while writing or working, I take a deep breath and try to put things in perspective. I say to myself, “I am so grateful for this opportunity to create. What a blessing this is to get to work on this project.”
It’s so much easier to find reasons to be grateful when we actively look for our blessings every single day!
When we take the time to practice gratitude, we open ourselves up to more opportunities to feel grateful.