By Barbara Neal Varma //
Trick or treat!
Here’s the trick: Pick a thing, any thing, out of your normal routine and give it a try. The treat? Enhanced creativity. Good for the soul and without all the added sugar.
Science says when you try something new, you force your brain to get engaged. This stimulates creative thinking; letting us writers approach our works-in-progress in different and exciting ways.
Of course, this is often easier said than done, especially for folks like me who don’t welcome change with open arms.
Try ordering something other than the tomato soup at Nordie’s Café? No way.
Write in the afternoon or at night instead during my sacred morning time? Can’t make me.
For me, the monsters under the bed are fear of the unknown and fear of failure, two gremlins that have stalked me in the past. But even I can’t deny the kick in creativity that results from testing out some newfangled idea.
When I first started writing, I stuck with my little slice-of-life stories. They were fun, they were safe, and they didn’t require a lot of research time. I sent a few of them to various publications, catching the eye of an editor at Image magazine, a SoCal direct-mailer now out of business.
The editor asked me if I could write some profiles on local celebs or other people of interest. I was excited at the opportunity but nervous, too. Suppose said interesting people didn’t like what I wrote? Suppose the readers found my story boring and bland? Shudder.
I did finally get up the courage to contact some notable individuals and had the extreme fun of interviewing pro dancer Cheryl Burke from Dancing With the Stars, and Judi Sheppard Missett, founder of my beloved Jazzercise, among others.
These days, I’m still not crazy about stepping out of my comfort zone, but I do appreciate the “big magic,” as Elizabeth Gilbert would say, that results when you trick the adult in you to be a kid again and take a risk.
You’d think, then, I’d be more prepared for what happened in Vegas last weekend.
My husband and I had never stayed at The Orleans Hotel before, which is why I was caught unawares when stepping into the shower that first night. Wearing nothing but the emperor’s new clothes, I found myself staring at an in-the-shower window—yes, window. And one with an unobstructed view of the pool area below, eep.
Ohmygod—if I can see out, then anyone can see in!
Now, I know what you’re thinking. That the odds of some boogieman with binoculars scaling four tiers of balconies to get a furtive peek in were slight.
Or perhaps: what a glorious opportunity for modest me to get out of my comfort zone, spark some major creativity, and wash my hair all at the same time. Not even. I ended up taking a fast shower; a shy Alice with her back to the looking glass.
Of course, I told my husband about my scary peek-a-boo predicament and the next morning he pulled back the shower curtain to reveal a covered window. He’d MacGyver’d it by tucking the edges of the towel into the seams of the frame. It worked beautifully throughout our stay, and when we were ready to check out, I suggested he leave the towel up to make a statement.
Maybe it will inspire The Orleans Hotel to get creative and find a new and different way to design their showers with a less frightful motif.
Hey, it worked for the Bates Motel, didn’t it?
BARBARA NEAL VARMA is a contributing writer to Orange Coast Magazine and has appeared in other notable publications, including The Atlantic. Her easy-humor personal essays have proven popular with readers, one gaining numerous hits on Orange Coast Magazine‘s website. (Hello: Desperately Seeking Donny.) You can learn more at BarbaraNealVarma.com.
Great article!
Trying something new is a good idea…yes, a little scary, but worth it.