Creativity, and The Artist's Way

A book that has had a big impact on me was, "The Artist's Way" by Julie Cameron. Two things that she has readers focus on are writing "morning pages," which gets things flowing and helps clear your focus, and taking "artist dates," which get you in touch with your sense of wonder and looking freshly at the world.

The summer that I worked through the book, I did a few different kinds of artist dates: hopping on the metro to a stop I'd never heard of (I was in the DC area at the time), wearing a huge flowery hat to the farmers market (not so normal for me), waking up before dawn, walking to my elementary school, and shooting some hoops as the sun lit up the sky, and hosting a very imaginative party with 3 friends over Italian food.

Even if folks haven't read the book, what are some things other folks do to nourish their inner Creative?

A few years ago I took a set of aptitude tests from the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation (www.jocrf.org).  They said that I possessed several of the "artistic" aptitudes.  However I have never taken an art class nor done much of an artistic nature (though a bit with photography and audio recording/editing).  They strongly suggested that I take some art classes, and I hope to someday.  But I don't have time at the moment.

I would like to exercise my "inner creative" as you describe it, but I struggle with:
- Justifying the time for it
- What to do with the "creations".   My best photographs just sit in a box or hard drive.  I have shared some of my audio recordings on freesound, which gives me some satisfaction, but in the bigger scheme of things, they feel like a waste of time.
- Lack of formal training in arts.  Although I did take a photography class in high school which I really enjoyed, and the teacher was upset with me for not pursuing a photography career.

So in summary to answer your question: "nothing"

Thanks for your response adunca. I guess to me it is less about having a finished product/doing something "purposeful" with what I create, as much as it is about being more in touch with my creative and childlike self. That alone almost feels sacred to me, to use the word that feels most appropriate. It's just "me" being more in contact with "me," and that feels good.

If I were to give doing this a "purpose," I think that practiced moments of creativity yield thinking/living creatively--sort of a shift in perspective. I know they seem unrelated, but I think taking the time to play in the woods/indulge whatever it is that I crave doing yields more "flow" in the rest of my life--such as solution-finding when I encounter a problem, or having a clearer sense of things when I have to make a decision. To me, being more in touch with myself and what feeds me=greater flow in my day to day life, and less struggle, which ultimately does save me time!

Lastly, no formal training required Just willingness.

I'm an artist by profession and also as an amateur (making things for fun).  When I can't work on my own things I like to look at other people's work. 

To adunca - if you feel the urge to create, just do it - a class may help you feel more comfortable with processes, but is not necessary. 

I also have the problem of "what to do with it."  As a sculptor in clay, it is difficult and expensive to produce finished pieces because they must be molded and cast in permanent material, so I have a lot of clay sculptures just sitting around collecting dust.  Sculpting in direct materials is interesting and challenging but has proven too time-consuming.  Lately I'm getting more interesting in "landscape art" in the sense of trying to develop my gardens as designs as much as food-producing spaces. I have a long way to go!