The Newsletter of the Creativity Coaching Association

Dear Friends,

The Creativity Coaching Association continues to grow. We are now over 100 members from around the world, including the US, Canada, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. We have over 400 people signed up to this newsletter.

The implication of this is that creativity blossoms everywhere, whether it's winter in the northern hemisphere or summer in the southern climes. Creativity makes the world go round and contributes to the joy of life. Creativity is the key to peace on Earth, and peace in the heart.

CCA wishes you a happy, creative time with your friends, family, and loved ones in this season.

Rick Benzel, Executive Director

A Creative Linguistic Note

Why Yule is “Pretty Jolly” Time for Everyone

by Etta Mology

Given that it is now December, a month loaded with holidays representing various religious traditions, my dear friend Etta explained to me the other day that she has always been fascinated by the evolution of humankind’s celebrations. She was telling me that many holidays are based on ancient pagan or early religious celebrations that go back millennia, which over time have been modified and infused with other meanings and purposes.

Etta said, “Take Yule for example” and I said, “Ok, what about Yule?” Well, my dear friend Etta explained that the word Yule comes from the Old English word geol which is from the Old Norse word, jol, which referred to a heathen winter feast of unknown origin. It seems those old Norse folk sure knew how to have a good time in the cold of winter. There was also an Anglo-Saxon cognate giuli which referred to the Roman two-month winter season of December and January, months of many feasts by which to stay warm and satiated.

As Etta explained, the spread of Christianity eventually incorporated these Norse and Anglo winter festivals, and soon the Old English word geol came to refer specifically to the 12-day Feast of the Nativity which began on December 25. It was not until the 11th century that the word “Christmas” was substituted for this festival, except in northern England where the Norse descendants continued to use their old word. However, the word Yule was later revived in the 19th century to refer to “the Christmas of Merrie England.” And even today, the Scandinavians use the word Yule for the holiday time.

Meanwhile, Etta also explained that Old French borrowed the Norse word jol as the derivation of the French word joli, originally meaning “festive” and which evolved into the modern French word meaning “pretty.” Our English word “jolly” has similar roots.

So Etta says to have yourselves a pretty jolly Yule or Winter Festival — no matter how you celebrate. But do celebrate the winter solstice with and feel free to be heathen about it!!!!

CCA Announces a Creativity Coaching Certification Program

Are you interested in becoming a creativity coach? If yes, the Creativity Coaching Association is now offering a professional online Creativity Coaching Certification Program, through which you can become certified. This certification is earned by fulfilling a wide range of requirements that are conducted over the Internet and by phone. No in-person time is required.

This certification program has been developed to answer the needs of a growing creativity coaching profession. As more and more people enter the profession, it is clear that developing coaching standards provides increased confidence and professionalism among coaches as well assures the public that coaches have mastered their skills.

For more details, please visit our web page for a full explanation of this intriguing program that might have a profound and positive impact on your life.

Is Boredom Actually an Avoidance of Deep Writing?

Contributed by Barbara Millman Cole (bmillmancole@sbcglobal.net)

Is boredom an unconscious signal to the writer that she is not doing her best writing? This idea comes to me from Denise Beck-Clark, writer and psychotherapist, who feels her boredom is actually the result of not writing deeply enough.

I understand what she means. There are times when I feel restless and want to leave the writing. This restlessness is the same as boredom, a physical reaction to not working at the level I know I need to work. Rather than dive deeper, I feel the urge to leave and do something other than the hard work required.

While learning to do psychotherapy, Denise was taught that when the client says she feels bored, it's a red flag to look for something else, because there's really no such thing as boredom.

“Being in at least partial agreement with this idea,” Denise says, “I've asked myself what am I truly experiencing with this writing?” What she discovers is that she is not going deep enough into the subject. “I'm not really facing the ultimate question of what the writing needs. By looking at it this way, I become aware that what the writing needs is more depth, imagination, and, ultimately, better writing.”

But why is she, or any writer who experiences this boredom, not going deep enough?

“It’s easy to fall into the trap of writing as quickly and superficially as possible, just to get it done. This produces writing that is not honorable because it’s only a piece of what it could be,” she says.

This “get it done quickly” explanation makes sense. Though, I think another reason might be anxiety. For me, the difficulty in writing during these restless periods stems from knowing the intenseness of the subject requires a soul-baring effort on my part, which I am not always ready to reveal in my writing. But without describing the raw emotions necessary, the writing has little meaning for the reader. Finding words to portray the exact nuance of that emotion can be excruciating. Yet, by allowing myself to delve deep, I usually find what I am searching for and my stories are richer.

So, if you are feeling restless or bored, ask yourself what your writing requires that you are not supplying. Dive into your imagination. Go deep!

Give the Gift of Inspiration

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Inspiring Creativity has received accolades all around. It was selected as an Alternate of the Month in the North Light Book Club and as a Featured Selection in Writer's Digest Book Club.

This month, you can purchase the book at a discount, and receive it in time to make it a gift for someone special in your life. Show your family, friends, and loved one that a creative life is possible for them too.

To peruse the Table of Contents and download a FREE sample chapter, go to www.cca-press.com.

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Click here to purchase a gift copy today. Make someone happily creative.

Hope You Enjoyed Our Newsletter!

This is the end of the December issue. Send us an email and let us know your thoughts and reactions.

Note: If you are a life coach, executive coach, literary agent, therapist or any other profession involved with creative people, and you are interested in joining the Creativity Coaching Association, please drop me a note at join@creativitycoachingassociation.com for information.