Author: Christine

Christine http://www.mombie.com I'm a writer/storyteller/director/creativity & lifestory coach with a black belt in ITF Taekwon-do. I read voraciously and I write like my fingers are on fire. I'm the founder and Co-Chair of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl and I'm the current president of the St. John's Storytelling Festival. I bake a mean chocolate chip cookie.

Invoking Creativity

12 or 13 years ago, I was in Colorado for a convention and I found a great-smelling little shop that sold candles (and other cool stuff.)

I bought one that invoked creativity and brought it home with me, making most of my luggage smell creative in the process.

I burnt that candle sparingly but eventually I had used it up. I was able to find another online (spending a fortune on shipping!) and used that one sparingly until it too was gone.

I kept a little bit of the wax – not nearly enough to melt into a new candle – just because it smelled so great- but I just couldn’t justify the expense of getting another shipped here.

Then, a few years back, I discovered that a local store – The Natural Emporium* – carried them so I have been happily invoking creativity ever since.

Do I actually need outside help to invoke creativity?

No.

Do I enjoy how the smell of this candle puts me in mind of how often I have created things while the candle burned nearby?

Most definitely.

It’s good to for anyone to surround themselves with reminders of the things that are important to them.

It’s especially important for people with ADHD because those visual cues (and olfactory cues in the case) can help keep our plans and wishes top of mind.

Also, I just like it.

A photo of a lit purple candle in a small glass container
My creativity candle sat in the edge while I read on the tub yesterday. Image description: a purple candle in a small glass container sits on the edge of a bathtub with the blue shower curtain in the background. The white label on the candle has the word ‘creativity’ in purple at the top, then an square of rainbow lines with an artist’s palette etched into it. Below the rainbow square is text reading ‘“allow me to explore new dimensions, discover, new thoughts, ideas, and emotions.” and the name of the company – Crystal Journey Candles

*An absolutely delightful place run by a kind and delightfully enthusiastic woman and her low-key and friendly staff.

Making one creative task easier

I started work on a 24 hour Zine this morning.

I knew what I wanted it to be about but I was having trouble starting it.

A small paper booklet of flash fiction
It’s going to be 9 pieces of flash fiction about…you guessed it, ordinary secrets. Image description: a small folded booklet on a wooden table. The booklet has the words “some ordinary secrets a 24 hour flash fiction zine by Christine Hennebury” written on the cover and the blank spaces are filled with horizontal lines and there is a star in each corner.

Finally, after playing around with a few ideas in my head, I realized the problem.

My paper was too big!

I usually make mini-zines and I was trying to work with a regular sized paper just folded in half to make a booklet.

That’s A LOT of space to fill.

So, I cut the page in half and suddenly it seemed a lot easier to work with.

I mean, it makes sense – if you cut any task in half it will make it less daunting, right?

Art Pause

I made this last night and I’m really happy with it.

A smal collage including a photo of a child, a pot of flowers, and the word pause against a purple/blue background.

image description: a small collage on a rectangular piece of paper. The collage includes a black and white photo of a small child with their head leaning back while the wind blows their hair back. They appear to be breathing in the scent of the pot of pink flowers in the next image. At the bottom of the collage is the word pause with each letter written separately on individual small purple squares of paper. The blue/purple background behind the other images has black lines lightly drawn on it.

I don’t buy stuff at my door

Ok, that’s not strictly true.

I will buy chocolates or raffle tickets from neighbourhood kids.

I’m not a monster.

Well, not that kind of monster anyway.

But I’m always baffled by how big companies will send people door to door to try and sell their services.

I guess enough people must buy stuff so it is worth the company’s while but I hate the idea.

Yesterday, I was working when someone knocked at my door. Khalee was going bananas, barking and running around,

I was expecting a friend to be dropping something off so I assumed she was just letting me know it was there and I went down to collect it from the mailbox.

Instead, I see some guy standing in my doorstep with a tablet in hand. He says ‘Sorry, I didn’t see your sign about the barky dog until I had already knocked.’

I’m not a complete jerk so I stepped out (in the rain! ) onto the steps to talk to him. Holding the door open wasn’t an option because Khalee would keep freaking out.

He’s wearing a company lanyard and I say that I already deal with that company. He replies that that’s why he’s here and that he was shipped in from Nova Scotia to talk to existing customers.

That seems weird but big companies do weird stuff sometimes.

Then he starts on his spiel.

“I’m here to get you set up with our home security system, get you a break on your insurance. We’ll put the camera up here…”

Now, this is the worst thing you could possibly do if you are trying to sell me something. If you start your pitch as if I have already made up my mind, I am going to say no.

I mean, I already have a policy against buying anything major at the door – I need time to consider my purchases and that’s not possible at the door- but I will double down on my “No.” if I feel like you are being scammy.

And that kind of spiel may result in sales but it’s scammy and slimy.

It’s a way to reduce people’s resistance, to ease past their objections.

If you just want sales, I guess it’s a helpful technique.

But if you want happy, engaged customers, it’s just gross.

So, I said “No camera. I don’t want one.“ and grabbed the door handle to go back inside.

“How about an alarm system?”

“Got one.”

“With what company?”

“I’m not discussing this. I don’t want to change services. I’m going back inside. Good luck out there.”

And I go back inside.

I felt bad for this young guy. Maybe this is the only job he could get and it was definitely no fun traipsing around in the chilly rain yesterday.

But I am not signing up for a security system at my front door because ai pity him.

I don’t buy stuff at my door.

I definitely don’t buy scammy-feeling stuff at my front door…or ever.

PS – I do believe he was working for the company he said he was working for, it didn’t feel like that kind of scam. It was the technique, not the product, that felt scammy.

Gold Star For Me

As part of my coaching practice, I give out gold stars for effort.

Yes, you read that right.

You get a gold star for the effort you put into your tasks, not just for the result.

I find that so much more rewarding AND it helps people remember that their efforts always matter, no matter how things turn out.

Today has been a bit of a struggle (no crisis, just ordinary hard) but I am putting one foot in front of the other.

Gold star for me!

A drawing of a gold star on a blue background with purple and white embellishments.
A gold star I just drew for myself. Image description: a small drawing of a gold star surrounded by purple and white star outlines against a blue background decorated with white and purple dots. The drawing is resting against a few pens and markers that are spilling out of my pencil case.