The Deep and Mysterious Thoughts of Me (Brain Spill)

Sometimes I just like writing words. I have never just sat down to a blank page and tried not to think, but just write the first words that come to my head. This post will probably never be actually available to the public, but I thought it would be kind of fun to try!

I wonder if anyone else has ever done one of these before. You see, I believe people's brains are way more random than we realize. We only sort through the nonsense to speak semi understandable sentences. I'm closing my eyes to write this sentence for some random reason. I wonder if I've messed up at all. I even had an apostrophe in there, hahaha. Oh, look! My eyes are open now, and I didn't type anything wrong! Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah, random brains.

I find that if I just lie down and sit in the quiet of my bedroom, in a comfortable position with my eyes closed, head leaning back on a pillow, my mind cycles through a ton of crap! I'm always thinking about stuff I wish I had accomplished that day or maybe things that I'm currently stressing about or even things that have happened way in the past.

But, if I INSTEAD try to NOT think, I feel somewhat free. I'm not trying to make sense of all the thoughts that go through my head. They stop trying to organize into patterns and shapes which lead to me having some sort of opinion of the groups they are forming. Instead... they start floating. The thoughts don't try to organize at all. They are like small clouds that float around very slowly every so often bumping into each other causing a new cloud to form.

It's almost like the happy thoughts start to emerge because the clouds aren't trying to form a storm like they always do. They are free, letting the thoughts that are more shy and less aggressive peep through and float to the front. Instead of my brain forcing them to form groups and me grabbing around from one thought to another, I'm just laying my head down watching the little, white, poofy clouds float by me as I observe them peacefully and let them float away without another though to them.

Of course, this can lead to many random thoughts that I see which make absolutely no sense, but it's okay because they don't need to. In those peaceful moments, it's okay to just let them be. I might just think of chocolate milk or maybe a Christmas tree. Almost every time penguins will make their way around, though I'm not sure why when someone asks me to think of something random one of the first things that comes to mind is penguins... They are cute though. I can think of so much. Singing, whistling, parks, tire swings, snow, daisies... Really, I just lie with my head on the pillow letting my mind work the way it WANTS to, and not the way I'm always telling it to for a while.

I think I should do it more often. I feel like I can be too hard on myself and my brain, which is in fact me, because you are what you think. I wonder how different people would be if they stopped telling themselves so many things every single second and just let their brain do what it wants in the quiet. Maybe some think I'm talking about daydreaming, but I'm not really. Even daydreams are directed purposefully to pretend and play out possible experiences that you think would be enjoyable. No, I'm talking about free, light, thought. Floating.

Maybe, people would fall asleep. I know that can happen to me. But, doesn't that mean you're relaxing? If you are relaxed enough to fall asleep, it must be good for you to give your brain a rest like this every so often.

Anyway, I had no idea what this post was going to be about when I started it. Even the title was a brain spill. I just kind of wrote what was coming to me without stopping to think. This is probably one of the strangest posts anyone could ever read, though I'm not sure. I haven't gone back and read any of what I wrote and I'm not really thinking about it. I would LOVE to read some posts like this from other people. I don't think I have many out there that read my posts, but if you've made it this far, I'd love to see a post from you like this, no matter how random and weird you think it might be, if only to try out the exercise and see how it makes you feel. You just have to make sure and keep typing. Don't stop and try to think. I might do more of these and add "Brain Spill" into the title each time I write one. Do you know I love it when people smile?

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day!

My Loves

So, this post doesn't really have to do with being creative really. I just kind of felt like sharing some of my loves. I'm curious if "creative" people have similar likes and loves. I'm going to skip over the obvious answers which include my husband, family, a wonderful home, and other things that I am very grateful for. I'll just stick with the little things in life that I enjoy. Also, I believe people are more creative when they are in a good mood and are focusing on the positive, so here I am to go to my happy place! These are in no particular order, rather I'm just writing them down as they pop into my head.

#1 - CANDLES

There's just something about candles that puts me in the most wonderful mood! They really help create an atmosphere that makes me happy. Candles make me feel romantic, inspired, thoughtful, calm, contemplative, cozy, and just happy in general. I light candles around my house all the time. I like all different kinds including tea lights, scented candles, crackling candles, etc. If you've never tried writing with a candle burning near you, I would recommend it!

#2 - SCARVES

There's just something about picking out a cute scarf with a pattern you love to express how you're feeling that day! I love them and would be perfectly fine with having a nice dedicated space for them in a nice big closet, despite the fact I only wear them in the fall and winter. They make me happy. I can't really think of any good solid logical reasons for it, I just do.

#3 - PILLOWS

My husband always laughs at me because I'm always saying, "You can NEVER have too many pillows!" Cozy=Happy. That's it!

#4 - CHEESECAKE

Yum, yum, yum, yum! This is my favorite dessert in the whole world. I never turn it down, and every flavor I have tried I love. There is cheesecake in my happy place.

#5 - PLAID

I really love the down-to-earth, country feel, and I believe plaid plays a part in that. I just love the pattern, and it makes me happy! It might be crazy to say, but I love plaid everything. Plaid tops, plaid skirts, plaid scarves, plaid shoes, plaid blankets, anything! One day I hope to have a Christmas tree with plaid country decorations on it.

So, these are just a few of the many small things in life that make me just a little happier. I very curious as to what some of your loves are! Maybe you can write a blog post dedicated to some of them or comment below? I hope you all have a wonderful day and stay focused on the little things we are blessed with that make us happy.

Christmas Candy, Scribbling, and Youtube

Hello everyone!

So, I'm back from an insanely long holiday hiatus. I had family visiting all through the months of December and January, and I'm just now getting back into the swing of things! So, here I am, ten pounds heavier from all the amazing holiday food and lack of exercise and ready to engage my lovely creativity again!

My writing has been going well and I'm making progress. It was slow around Christmas, but there's one thing that has helped me tremendously and I really want to share it with you guys!

I've joined a website called "Scribophile" and it's the most amazing thing ever! It's a site for writers to post their work and get critiques from other writers who are also Scribophile members. The thing that makes this site work so wonderfully, is it's karma point system. Basically, you can't post work unless you have a certain about of "karma points" which you earn by critiquing other writer's works. This ensures that people are always reading and critiquing people's work so they can post more of their own!

It's a great system and the community is friendly, encouraging, quirky, professional, and fun! It has helped me improve my writing in ways I thought I'd only be able to if I went somewhere to take writing classes.

It was free for me to sign up, and I was allowed to post two written works. I got my first critiques in a VERY short amount of time because there is a special place on the main page for new members to post their first piece to ensure getting critiques quickly. I was so happy with the feedback I was getting, that I went ahead and purchased the Scribophile membership which is not very expensive and am so happy I did!

This is truly a great resource for anyone that wishes to get other people's honest input on your short stories, novel, poems, etc. for those who have dreams of publishing.

Here's the link for those who would like to take a look at the website. Just click on the word below.

Scribophile

Also! To continue to add to the many creative endeavors I start, I have started adding videos to my Youtube channel! It's been very fun, and my husband has joined me in a couple of them, making for some very funny and entertaining videos. I've got some songs on there in addition to the vlog videos. It's really been a blast and it's another avenue that I can take to express myself creatively!

If you guys are bored and happen to want to watch a funny video with my husband and I completing the "Not My Arms Challenge", here is the link to break up your regular internet surfing routine!

"Not My Arms Challenge"

Do any of you have experience with Scribophile or posting videos on your Youtube channel? Let me know!

I hope you all had a wonderful time over the holidays and continue to be creative!