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creative isn’t lucrative or has
       no practical value, despite the
       fact that it may be the one thing
       that gets us up in the morning.
           A song might be stuck in

       your head that you dreamt about the  night                        – and then watch as those steps add up
       before, or a story might inspire you to play a           to larger ventures. You won’t be disappointed.
       role-playing game with your friends. Think                   Since this is my first-year anniversary for

       about how you respond to your own stimuli.               writing “Quarter Note,” I’d like to give a big
       How often do your creative urges get pushed to           thank you to Phyllis Harmon for allowing me
       the side because of needing to be responsible for        to share my own wit and wisdom in this column
       yourself or others? And what would happen if             which I will continue writing for the foreseeable
       you allowed that creativity free reign?                  future. Among other things, it has allowed me

            Giving yourself permission to respond to            greater reign in figuring out how best to create
       things that bring you joy, let alone enhance             professional essays which I hope to eventually
       your creativity, has often been seen as                  submit to other nationally recognized periodicals

       counterproductive in a culture that emphasizes           such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and
       long hours at work with the end goal of being            more. Another round of thanks goes out to all
       better off financially. In Toastmasters, while           of you who read this column. Since this month’s
       we encourage public speaking as a professional           essay is entitled “Call and Response,” I’d love
       outlet, we also recognize that being creative is its     to hear back from my audience on what essays

       own reward. In our educational program, there            or subjects you’d like me to cover for the next
       are quite a few options on how to proceed with an        year. Voices! exists because of the participation of
       assignment, from the Icebreaker speech all the           everyone in District 7 Toastmasters, and I look

       way up to creating a successful leadership project.      forward to providing continuing professional
       You’re not stuck in one mold, and thus you can           and creative support to our community through
       create your own journey to greater professional          my column.
       and personal fulfillment in the process. You need
       only give yourself permission to do so. Start                           See you next month!

       with small creative steps – writing in a journal
       or drawing doodles in a sketch pad, for example




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