Back when I lived in China, I found relief through cooking. But now I live in a part of Thailand where it is always too hot to spend time in the kitchen. Always.

I love to art journal. I discovered it less than a year ago and I absolutely LOVE this medium for creativity. So much fun.

Still on vaca, but wanted to throw that out there. 🙂

Which is hard, because, as a writer, EVERYTHING is material!

But more often than not, my creative outlets involve non-writing activities. Cooking, baking, knitting, crocheting, quilting. It sounds like I'm a little old granny, but I think I've always gravitated to those things since no one else in my family did any homespun things. As a kid, a lot of my friends had moms who baked cookies, but I knew since I didn't have a mom, if I wanted home made anything, I had to learn to make it myself.

I've also had a life-long fascination of making something from nothing. So this year I'm getting into gardening a little – I have a mini kitchen garden than appears to be thriving, and just planted s small hosta garden in an ugly, unused area along the driveway.

I really do pity people who have no creative outlets. There's such satisfaction in knowing you made something.

Twice a week, Shane Arthur, the creator of Creative Copy Challenge, takes 10 random words or phrases and you have to use all 10 in some creative copy-sky's the limit. I started being the unofficial welcomer (is that a word?) and used all 10 in my welcome. I also started a Death & the Detective series that I use the 10 once a week.

I only get there on the weekend, due to work, but it is such fun to do something totally non-business & the community is the best!

I did an email interview with Shane a while back if you are interested http://simplystatedbusiness.com/2010/05/24/how-to-create-a-community-with-creativity/

But, come join us-there's some great creativity going on-everyone is welcome & it's fabulous for stirring up the creativity.

"I"m writing the books because I want to make money on them" — I hope that's not the only reason, because a book is far too big a commitment to just do it for the cash.

Fiction, short stories, plays, poetry — yes, they pay differently than the business writing, and over a longer period of time. But, even when you do them as a break from the business writing, still keep an eye on the business aspect. Don't sell yourself short on them, and remember that, without the passion behind it, it won't sell.

While business writing can be full of technical perfection and bells and whistles, fiction, short stories, and poetry need the passion in order to succeed on any level.

Write whatever you want as your break, and then, later, go back with the businesswoman's eye and decide where to place it.