Hi everyone. Today is day 19 in the #AtoZChallenge and it’s time for my letter S post. I was initially feeling a bit uninspired, so looked to The Year of You for Creatives again. In it were several prompts about sounds and sights influencing your creative work. I decided to expand on the prompts and write about sensory experiences in general.
Most times, I prefer to work on my polymer clay in relative silence. That is, I do speak with my staff, but only about the polymer clay project we’re working on. I also don’t have music on in the background. To be honest, I haven’t even actually tried it. It may be relaxing.
I sometimes do have an essential oil blend in my diffuser. Smells can inspire me, as they give off a relaxing or energizing vibe, which I can then translate into the colors I use for my polymer clay projects.
I also find that I’m inspired by sights. I mean, I cannot actually see colors anymore, but imagining a particular color in my mind’s eye does inspire me.
When I write, I do occasionally have music or a soundscape on in the background and I often have an essential oil blend in my diffuser. Right now, I have a playlist of rainforest sounds on Spotify on. My oil diffuser currently diffuses a blend of bergamot, orange, spearmint and ylang ylang essential oils.
I find that music, soundscapes, colors and smells inspire my writing, particularly my poetry and freewrites. I have a journal in the diary app Day One specifically for freewrites and I love to write stream-of-consciousness style based on a snippet from a song or a sound. I haven’t yet included the songs themselves into my journal, as that works only with Apple Music and I don’t use that.
What sensory experiences inspire your creativity?
A Multitude of Musings 
Definitely music although sometimes I light a candle as well.
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Oh, that sounds good. Do you light a scented candle when you light a candle or a regular one? Thanks for sharing anyway.
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Usually scented. Vanilla, cinnamon, etc.
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Oooh, I love those scents! I cannot have scented candles or wax melts here due to the heat/fire risk, but cinnamon essential oil is delicious. I’ll one day buy vanilla absolute too.
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It sounds like you put together a good environment for your creativity!
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Thanks. Yes, I do try to do that indeed.
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Astrid I really like this post. I have been reading your blog but since my blindness became such that I can only see blackness in front of me I am having difficulty reading other peoples blogs and I am especially missing yours. I did eventually manage to read this post with Voiceoverbut had to wait for my husband to comment on it for me. I want to say how much I admire you and I love to read your posts and to see how you are doing. I think you are an amazing person and such an honest one I shall continue with help to read your blog keep posting Astrid
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Oh, I’m so sorry to hear you’re struggling to read other blogs. Do you have an iPad or iPhone? That way, you can use VoiceOver, which will speak the text from the screen to you. I understand it’s not the same as reading but maybe that’s an option for you? Anyway I’m so glad you commented.
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