Reflective writing has become an integral part of my personal creative practice and I encourage students and clients to create their own simple method of capturing ideas, insights, and information so they can live extraordinary lives.
There’s no right way to archive your creative process, just what works for you. If you’re just getting started, keep it simple and try establishing the habit of capturing your intentions and thoughts in short bursts at the start and end of class, sessions, or days.
Consider using my prompts as impulses or others that resonate with you. Just start, then allow the process to evolve as you go!
Research supports the efficacy of notetaking in supporting learning and creativity, and it is a practice that prolific artists recommend, now how do we actually generate insights through quick daily dance logging?
Dance Art & Archiving
In the presentation at the SIBMAS Symposium 2025, “Erasing the Gap: the Artist as Their Own Archivist,” Aline Braun shared a variety of ways that choreographers can and do archive their practice of generating dances and developing as an artist.
Aline’s findings echo my own efforts in movement research, choreography, and artistic growth, as well as the desire to support my students and clients to develop their own systems of notetaking, journaling and archiving.
Drawing on Rapid Logging from Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journal Method in a type of interstitial journaling using short phrases, no need for full sentences or paragraphs, and bullet points and David Allen’s GTD Getting Things Done method’s Inbox (Captain’s Log) and Interstitial Journaling as well as online creators and my coaching training, my Dancer’s Daily Log now looks like this:
Dancer’s Daily Log
At least once per day, but ideally at brief, regular intervals, jot down responses about your intention and acknowledgments. That’s it, keep it short, or go wild when you have the time (many more ideas and prompts below).
Start-of-day Intentions
Before class or rehearsal:
- What am I bringing to the party today/what do I contribute?
- What do I wish to take away or learn?
End-of-day Acknowledgements
After class/rehearsal/session:
- What did I create/learn/generate?
- What takeaways did I gain?
- What are my targets for next session and in-between?
Resources for Further Exploration
- How (and Why) to Take Dance Notes – Class, Rehearsal, Performance Writing to Grow & Create
- Reflective Practice Through Journaling
- Goal-Setting for Dancers
- Learning from Mistakes and Failure
- Fine Feedback Workshop – How to Give & Receive Constructive Criticism & Promote Dance in the Process
- Bullet Journaling for Order and Inspiration
- Artful Archiving
- My Creative Morning Ritual
Questions for Reflection
- What have you learned today?
- Which kinds of notes do you take?
- What do you struggle to remember?
- How might writing contribute to your artistic process?
- What are you creating?
Try out these note-taking approaches for yourself and let me know what works for you. Thanks for reading and practicing together in spirit or in fact!
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Back regularly with more fun with ballet, mindful movement, & creativity. Take good care until then,
Blythe Stephens, MFA, Bliss Catalyst
they/them or she/her
Creator of A Blythe Coach: dance through your difficulties
and take leaps of faith into a joyful, fulfilling life