I am fascinated by the topic of creativity. I read about it, write about it and I am continuously discovering more about the topic.  My interest in creativity has also led to having Dr. Robyn McKay,  Creativity Researcher & Positive Psychologist on my radio show on 3 different occasions in the last 2 months.

In fact in my most recent interview with Dr. McKay I had my creativity coached and identified in a creativity coaching session (given by her).  After all was said and done, I earned the title of creative personality, learned about the hallmarks of the creative personality and how I can enhance my creativity, flow and inspiration on a daily basis.  And so with all this recent discovery into my own creativity and on the topic in general,  the timing couldn’t have been better when Montreal writer Alexa Nazzaro approached me for an interview about my creative process. I gladly accepted and below is the result of the conversation I had with Alexa.

Creativity through Intuition: An Interview with Julie Cusmariu

By Alexa Nazzaro

Ask intuitive healer and life coach Julie Cusmariu how she’d describe her creative process and she has one word, of course: intuitive. Although the word might seem ambiguous for most, Julie should know, given the many creative hats she’s worn under this hefty label. Among these are writer for magazines such as Alive and Aspire, creator of her very own Internet radio show Heart Beat that hits the cyber air waves every Wednesday afternoon, and publisher of a monthly newsletter.

Julie doesn’t get any ideas from the classic discipline of brainstorming. “That’s too structured for me,” she replies with a laugh. Instead, she begins by asking herself some basic questions to help guide her: What does she want to express? What’s important to her at any given moment? These parameters are critical in ensuring that her ideas are always a reflection of sincerity, and not mirroring someone else’s desires. “I don’t care what others think,” she states simply though without arrogance.

Over the years, Julie has noted which conditions are optimal for generating ideas and carrying them through, and they almost all have something to do with her physical environment. She counts solitude up at the top along with silence. She also needs to feel well-rested and nourished. If she can check all of these off her list, her mind is primed for receiving ideas. How does she know which ones to go with? The best ones all affect her the same way. “I feel it,” she responds without hesitation. “It has staying power.” She makes sure to test this staying power; instead of jumping on them right away, they are stored in her very own creative journal – a folder on her laptop – where they can germinate a little, be turned over and examined. If after a while (she doesn’t abide by any prescribed waiting period, though some ideas aren’t acted upon for months), the idea still sticks, then it’s time to run. Between the initial idea and acting upon it have been frequent revisions or add-ons, Julie’s own brand of mental mapping.

Running with an idea leads into what is typically a very intense 2-3 day creativity blitz with very little sleep. “If I’m writing an article, for example, I’ll just sit down and not stop until I’m finished. There will be many changes, there will be many drafts, but the execution part doesn’t last that long.” Julie figures that the number of revisions and drafts between the first and final number around fifteen. Whether it’s for her magazine/newsletter writing or preparing the script for her radio show, she knows she’s reached her final revision when she can’t do anything else to make her message clear. “Once my message is across, it’s done,” she explains with finality.

As with all things, of course, her blitzes can sometimes be interrupted by the feared Creativity Block. Julie has had her fair number of experiences with the obstacle that stops all creators in their tracks, including her current struggle with her monthly newsletter. Inspiration has been waning but she isn’t buckling to the pressure of her original commitment of monthly publication. Her mantra seems to be, if it doesn’t work, don’t force it. Preferring to stop if she has a creative block, she’s taking this time to analyze why the newsletter isn’t cooperating. “If something isn’t working,” she recommends to others, “ask why.” In her case, she is questioning whether the newsletter continues to be in line with her overall identity as a creator. A new issue of the newsletter hasn’t been published for a few months now, which would arguably be called official writer’s block. She considers the term for a few moments and then asks, “Is that what this is now?”

Telling the difference between writer’s block and deeper signs that a work should be abandoned is one of the common pitfalls in the creative world and Julie acknowledges that giving up can be tempting when oftentimes pushing through is the name of the game. How does she know when to do the latter when it’s all too easy to do the former? “You need practice to know the difference,” she says. Her personal strategy is to look closely at the underlying idea of a particular work. If the idea itself continues to resonate with a personal mission she has, if the idea alone, stripped of any attached work, continues to excite her – even just a little – then she knows she has to persevere. Deadlines also help here, although Julie admits forcing certain ideas for the sake of a deadline imposed by someone else has probably not led to her best work. Exerting a degree of discipline, albeit at her own pace, is the best recipe.

Luckily for Julie, she’s never had to worry about the will to create leaving her or stalling. For Julie, creating is a constant compulsion. She is quick however, to point out particular activities that get her creative juices flowing more easily, among them, engaging with other people of a similar mind and talking about the things she loves. She finds this simple act of interacting with others calls inspiration to the surface and contributes greatly to a life where creativity is an urge and not a task. “I don’t do creativity,” Julie sums up. “It does me.” If only we were all so lucky.