Your Creative Autobiography

As many of you know, on my other blog http://illuminatedminds.blogspot.com/, I am writing about my adventures and insights with the book The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. In the book she has a questionnaire called Your Creative Autobiography. Twyla says:

"I devised this questionnaire because it forces us to go back to our
origins, our earliest memories, our first causes. We change through life, but we cannot deny our sources, and this test is one way to recall those roots.

The better you know yourself, the more you will know when you are playing to your strengths and when you are sticking your neck out. Venturing out of your comfort zone may be dangerous, yet you do it anyway because our ability to grow is directly proportional to an ability to entertain the uncomfortable."

Twyla says "if even one answer tells you something new about yourself you are one step closer to understanding your creative DNA."

It is important to answer the questions quickly, instinctively and honestly. I was surprised by some of the things that I realized about myself as I answered the questions. I am listing the questions here in the hope that you may get one step closer to understanding your creative DNA.

Your Creative Autobiography (taken from The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp)

1. What is the first creative moment you remember?
2. Was anyone there to witness or appreciate it?
3. What is the best idea you've ever had?
4. What made it great in your mind?
5. What is the dumbest idea?
6. What made it stupid?
7. Can you connect the dots that led you to this idea?
8. What is your creative ambition?
9. What are the obstacles to this ambition?
10. What are the vital steps to achieving this ambition?
11. How do you begin your day?
12. What are your habits? What patterns do you repeat?
13. Describe your first successful creative act?
14. Describe your second successful creative act?
15. Compare them?
16. What are your attitudes toward: money, power, praise, rivals, work, play?
17. Which artists do you admire most?
18. Why are they your role models?
19. What do you and your role models have in common?
20. Does anyone in your life regularly inspire you?
21. Who is your muse?
22. Define muse.
23. When confronted with superior intelligence or talent, how do you respond?
24. When faced with stupidity, hostility, intransigence, laziness, or indifference in others, how do you respond?
25. When faced with impending success or the threat of failure, how do you respond?
26. When you work, do you love the process or the result?
27. At what moments do you feel your reach exceeds your grasp?
28. What is your ideal creative activity?
29. What is your greatest fear?
30. What is the likelihood of either of the answers to the previous two questions happening?
31. Which of your answers would you most like to change?
32. What is your idea of mastery?
33. What is your greatest dream?

I"m sitting outside. It's a beautiful day. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining; it's just a beautiful morning. It's a bit chilly but it feels good. I've got my coffee and my notebook and my boys (my dogs Simon and Joey), things are good, really good. I love this new morning routine of getting up early and spending time outside before my day really begins.

It gives me a chance to collect my thoughts, think of what I want to create today, how I want to think and what I want to do. It gives me a deliberate, happy start to my day. I like starting my day deliberately instead of reacting to whatever comes up.

I appreciate my life so much - my body for keeping me healthy, strong and energetic; my home for giving me and the boys a beautiful haven to live out our life experience; the flow of money in my life and the ease I'm now feeling about my finances; being part of a loving and supportive family; the health and well-being of my family and friends; and the inner knowing that I can be, do and have whatever I desire in my life.

Life is good!