Creative Process + Inspiration

From the April 2016 newsletter! Sign-up here to get them in your inbox. 

I want to kick this off with a quick excerpt from an interview I recently did for The Yoke. You can read the whole thing here, but only after you finish this newsletter, OK? :)

You’re a yoga teacher. But you’re also a tech person with startup and design experience. How do all of these things fit together in your head?
For a long time I tried to keep these parts of my brain and life separate. When I first started practicing yoga, I used it as a way to escape the startup and design parts of my life (among other things). But as I’ve evolved in my practice and now teaching, I actively try to bring all of these areas together. It’s all one interconnected life and I use that as inspiration and fuel for creativity.

We all have our own creative processes and methods for bringing ideas to life. Over the years I've refined my process and I apply roughly the same framework to designing yoga classes, writing this newsletter, bringing side projects to life, and in my work with The Design Gym

For anything that I'm working on, having a meditative outlet—usually yoga and/or a bike ride—is just as important in my process as having a clear brief, finding varied types of inspiration, and having a kind attitude towards myself when I get stuck. My practice helps me feel more settled and my thoughts are more fluidly connected instead of sharp shifts between ideas. Bonus: exercise and mediation can actually help to stimulate alpha brainwaves, which are helpful for creative thinking. Science says so

Choosing the focus for the Apartment Studio altar was no different than any other creative project. I landed on the creative direction brief of breathing -- it's what all living beings have in common and it's essential to the practice of yoga. The idea seed was there, but how exactly would I ground this idea so that it was rooted in reality? By letting my imagination wander between the worlds of what was possible and impossible, I arrived at the solution: a living, breathing plant wall.

I'm so excited that this is done and in the space! My super talented neighbor runs a small biz called My Little Greens and she was able to help bring my vision to life. I will try my very best not to kill the plants! 

Has yoga or meditation helped your creative process? I'm curious to know how you all incorporate your practice into writing, art, hobbies, etc.