So that statements are one of the most powerful practices I have in my creative tool kit.  I first heard about this practice from acting coach Jen Waldman.  Jen challenges us to use so that statements in goal setting, however I will yes and… her and add that there are many more ways to integrate so that statements into your creative process.

So that statements are a way to set an intention and attach meaning and purpose to your work.  I encourage my students to use them anytime they are creating something for someone and anytime they are working in front of others.

Back in April, I wrote a post about the benefits of creating and using a WIN WALL. We use a collective group Win Wall in the studio, but this year I started my own personal Win Wall so that I can see physical proof and reminder of my progress. As I begin to assess 2025 in order to set up 2026, I intend to use the posts on my wall to take stock of where I found the most success in 2025 and link which efforts led to successes and which did not. Here is what I plan to do:

One of my favorite habits from Twyla’s book The Creative Habit, is what she describes as building a bridge to the next day.  She advises us to take on a new posture for the end of each day and instead of creating until you have nothing left to give, quit a little early when you still have some juice left in the tank, a few ideas left unexplored.  Ask yourself what is that idea, that impulse, that expression that you are leaving in the tank? Define it and write it down on a notecard as you finish your work and then don’t think about it the rest of the day.  Sleep on it and then awaken refreshed and anew and revisit your note.

Every creative brings with them a unique blend of traits, perspectives, skills, and passions.  Defining them for yourself and others is a generous act that can connect you with other individuals and projects where you can add creative value.

In the studio, we spend time in explorations and exercises that help us define what I call our “creative special sauce statement”.  A compelling special sauce statement should communicate not just what you do, but how and why you do it in a way that only you can.

Spark files are genius and I can’t believe no one told me about them until I first heard of a similar concept in Twyla Tharp’s book, “The Creative Habit”.  Twyla starts “…every dance with a box.  I write the project name on the box, and as the piece progresses I fill it up with every item that went into the making of the dance.  This means notebooks, news clippings, CDs, videotapes of me working alone in my studio, videos of the dancers rehearsing, books and photographs and pieces of art that may have inspired me.  The box documents the active research on every project…One of the biggest fears for a creative person is that some brilliant idea will get lost because you didn’t write it down and put it in a safe place.  I don’t worry about that because I know where to find it.  It’s all in the box.”  Twyla’s use of the box is project specific; it’s the place she goes to both fill up and check out with creative inspiration and ideas.

I first heard about Reflection Scripts from acting coach Jen Waldman on her podcast with leadership coach Pete Shepherd.  On that podcast Jen and Pete state, “Essentially a reflection script is a creative way to either write or talk or just spend time thinking about and reflecting on a project, or an audition, or an interview, or a podcast, or like, a piece of work that you have done.”  They suggest starting with a simple framework of 3 questions, 1. How do I generally feel about what just happened?  2. What went well? 3. What went less well?  I naturally engaged in this practice without having a name for it for as far back as I can remember.  However, I only recently realized how key this practice is for developing discernment when it comes to feedback.