Bright Sparks: Creative Practices to Light Your Way

It’s November already, the month of gratitude! Gratitude is connected to higher levels of happiness and creativity. Today I share with you one of the most powerful ways you can express gratitude to your loved ones right now. Sharing your art shares an intimate side of yourself. Deepening the relationship between you and your gift recipient. Sharing your art - whatever state it’s in, doesn’t have to be completed or your masterpiece! - shares your vulnerability and your deepest values. This is one of the greatest expressions of gratitude you can give someone. A true gift. And if you’ve ever felt your art lacks meaning or purpose, sharing your art with someone brings whole new levels of appreciation and excitement for what you do. A marvelous cycle of gratitude on all levels!

Hi, this is Diana Bright Knowledge instance give you one thing that you can do to move your creativity ahead Today. November is about gratitude and giving thanks. And one way that we show gratitude to others is to...

We focused all October on reclaiming your past: your heritage, history, art form, even wisdom from your younger self. It’s a lot! How can you now corral all this rich material to enhance your creativity? Seeing Patterns & Setting Intentions with your Artistic Diary Seeing patterns is one of creativity’s great secrets. Patterns are at the heart of music, fine art, dance, philosophy, sacred geometry, and more. Discerning patterns helps your creativity focus and flourish in the real world. This is inspiration! And from those patterns, you can set intentions. Intentions are really Goals - Goals that come from your heart. The best kind!

Hi, this is Diana. Bright Knowledge instants give you one thing that you can do to move your creativity ahead today. And I'm still in beautiful Cyprus right now, all of October, and believe it or not, this is October here. We have been working on bringing the worlds together. We've been looking at the past, at history, at heritage, at ancestors, at older...

We’ve been working on reclaiming on a grand scale the past this month. And integrating this reclaiming into our present lives so that we are completely in touch with our creativity. Today I’m coming to your from the beautiful island of Cyprus, where I spent my teenage years. Being in this magical place is bringing back my old memories, dreams, desires. It’s putting me back in Beginners Mind, one of the cornerstones of creativity. Reconnect to your younger years Our teenage years - besides the angst we’re happy to leave behind! - are amongst our most formative and passionate. Delving back into those times can unearth hopes and dreams you might have forgotten, plus give you satisfaction of having come a long way. Meet me in Cyprus where I share some of my teenage stories and hope to inspire you to do the same!

Hi, this is Diana. Bright Knowledge instance give you one thing that you can do to move your creativity ahead today. And today I am in beautiful Nicosia, Cyprus. I grew up here ...

🎃October is the month of connecting past-present-future. It connects our worlds, our dimensions, on a grand scale. It helps show us where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we’d like to go. October brings together the human journey! For me, diving into the history of my art(s) deepens my present practices plus inspires me toward future innovation. I was lucky to visit the National Museum of Serbia, recently opened after a 15-year renovation. Containing over 400K arts and crafts, it gave me a deeper connection to the human creative spirit, my ultimate quest of understanding. (Plus, I’m staying in a living history 50s style apartment, which you’ll get a peek at!) Reconnect to the history of your art Connecting to your art’s evolution doesn’t have to be intimidating or dull - just 5 minutes can spark your imagination and motivation! In this short video, I share 3 benefits of knowing about your art’s history, plus a simple strategy for getting started.

Hi, this is Diana. Bright Kno...

October is for celebrating ancestors: All Soul’s Day, Celtic New Year, Day of the Dead are just a few makers of this special time of year.

Today I’m filming from magnificent Belgrade, Serbia. Being surrounded by its rich culture reminds me how heritage powers our creative juices.

Throughout history, our ancestors have been honored as deep wells of wisdom - let’s live this beautiful practice! Reconnect with your ancestors and watch your creativity deepen.

Hi, this is Diana. Bright Knowledge Instants give you one thing you can do today to move your creativity ahead. And right now we are in October. October is a month when the veil is thin between the worlds and we find All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, Day of the Dead, Celtic New Year, Halloween. It's a time when we get to think about how the past and the future come together.

And in a previous Bright Knowledge incident, I spoke about your heritage and how that can be reclaimed to bring your creativity ahead. Today I want to talk ...

Do you often feel we don't have enough time for your art, whatever your art form is? If you use the power of cross-training, your practice time and inspiration soar! All without spending an extra minute of time or ounce of worry 🙂

Learn how to use cross-training in today's Bright Knowledge Instant from Sofia, Bulgaria (I'm cross-training right now!)

Hi, this is Diana. Bright knowledge instants give you one thing you can do today to move your creativity ahead. And today I'm in Sofia, Bulgaria. Sofia is one of my favorite places to be. This is where I got my PhD in music. And it's Bulgarian music that inspired me to learn harp in the first place. When I'm traveling, I consider it a form of cross training, and that's what I want to speak about with you today.

We oftentimes feel like we don't have enough time for our art form. So what if we started using the other things that we're doing in our lives as well to help our art form? When I am traveling, I get a lot of inspiration from my a...

We’ve been focusing on decluttering so that you have more space for your creativity. Today we take it to the ultimate decluttering! How guilt-free breaks support your learning, memorization and artfulness.

Hi, this is Diana. Bright knowledge instants give you one thing you can do today to move your creativity ahead. And today I want to give a quite unusual recommendation. I want to recommend that you take a break and you take a break without guilt. Why is taking a break any good for your creativity? Well, there are four things that I can think of right off the top of my head, and I'm sure you can think of more.

There are great benefits in taking a break. Number one, as my friend Shoshana pointed out, you regain beginner's mind. And this is huge. As creatives, we need to be in touch with beginner's mind all the time, because as Suzuki said, in the mind of the expert, there are few possibilities. In the mind of a beginner, there are many. So when we are in beginner's mind, we are muc...

Last week’s BKI 24 was my favorite space decluttering tip, giving your creativity room to grow. Now let’s learn how to declutter your art so that it becomes even more powerful! We’ve been having a fascinating conversation within BK Harp Circle about “less is more.” It’s amazing: by simplifying our art (removing busyness), we GAIN so much:

• more expression

• better technique

• more room for experimentation

• more room for connection/communication

• more space to listen • more mental space to think

• more peace

• more joy!

Why simplicity is sophisticated When you pare back to essentials, you reach the essence of what you want to say. As creatives, clearly delivering our message (whatever our art form) is beautiful. Simplicity is no compromise; instead, it is profound.

Hi, this is Diana. Bright Knowledge Instants give you one thing that you can do today to move your creativity ahead. Last time, we talked in bright knowledge instant 24 about decluttering and how declutt...

Let’s start our New Creative Year with a fresh creative space! In the Northern Hemisphere we’re in Harvest season, the perfect time ​to make space for the creative bounty waiting to pour out of you. In the ​Southern Hemisphere it’s Spring - think of this as creative spring cleaning time!

While the notion of creativity = messiness is common, de-cluttering actually makes space for your creativity by:

• reducing distractions, so you can focus more

• removing obstacles, so you can progress with ease

• opening your space to new energy flow, new ideas, new inspiration!

• making your space inviting and attractive, meaning you’ll want to be there more often

Decluttering with Joy Tidying up sure doesn’t sound like the most exciting way to spend time. But try this method: I believe you’ll find it a revelation!

(Bonus: it works for your entire house)

Hi, this is Diana Bright Knowledge Instance give you one thing that you can do today to move your creativity ahead. Today I want to...

As creatives, we can always start again, at any point. Let’s think of September as a new creative year for each of us! And there’s no better place to start than YOUR most pressing issues: Please share: What are YOUR big creativity questions right now? Perhaps you’re stuck in a rut and need a jumpstart? Maybe you’re feeling inspired yet struggle to stay disciplined? Are fears diminishing your joy in being creative and sharing your vision? Whatever your challenge, know we’ve all experienced similar things: we want to hear from you. Here’s the beauty: in facing our challenges courageously (with heart, not judgment) we grow! Challenges tell us exactly where to focus our energies next. What would it feel like to reframe challenges as allies? How would “mis-takes” look in this light? Growing together: share YOUR current creativity challenges via email/in the comments.

Hi, this is Diana. And over the past few weeks we've been doing a type of review, sort of getting ready for back to school...