Deep down, we all know how to be happy.

We have enough self awareness to know what feels good, what feels right. We know what type of creating makes us feel excited, stimulated, powerful, alive.

The difficulty comes NOT in knowing just how delicious the recipe for our happy creative life can be.

We’ve had enough of a taste at various times in our creative life, however fleetingly, and however few and far between these occasions may have been, to know how wonderful it CAN be.

The hardest part is knowing which ingredients to use and what quantity of each we need.

So to give you a little more clarity about YOUR own unique recipe for a happy and fruitful creative life, here are 5 of the essential ingredients we ALL need:

1. Recognition and Appreciation. We all need to be recognised and appreciated as creative artists, to feel our work - and our very creative existence - has a purpose.

This begins with ourselves. How completely have you accepted that you’re a creative person, and that creativity plays a crucial part in your life? Isn’t it time you “came out of the closet” to yourself and the rest of the world?

2. Support. Though sometimes it’s of benefit to create away from outside distractions, none of us can create for a sustained period in complete isolation.

The support of others, someone to tell us we’re doing great and we’re on the right track, is invaluable to us as creative people. What kind of support network do you have in your creative life?

3. Stability and Routine. Though many of us visibly flinch at the idea that as creative people we should have routines and systems in place to be able to be creative, the fact is they work.

The only way to produce consistent, rewarding and fulfilling creative work is to create regularly. And we can only do this with routines in place, systems that work for us. What creative routines and system do you have that work for you? How can you make them even more effective?

4. Connection To Others. For many the fundamental purpose of creating ANYTHING is to connect with others, to communicate with the world. Our art, our creative work, is our unique and precious way of doing this.

If we’re creating in a vacuum though, we’re missing out on a huge and rewarding part of the creative life. In what ways is your creative work out there in the world connecting with, touching and inspiring people? And how can you directly communicate and share more with other creative people?

5. Development and Evolution. We simply can’t have a happy creative life if we produce the same piece of work over and over again. Creative development is essential to having a rewarding creative life.

The root of all personal creative development is being brave and bold enough to experiment, and willing to evolve and change. In what ways do you experiment, take risks and scribble outside the lines in your creative life? How can you do this more?

Finding a delicious recipe for a happy creative life is an ongoing process.

By having these 5 elements in place, we’re off to a excellent start.

Finding the right type and amount of each that works best for you can only be found through experimenting, being brave and being open.

Open yourself to the possibility that a life of happiness and creativity is something that’s not only achievable, but it’s something you already know how to do, if only you’d give yourself the chance and the permission.

Want to learn more about how to be more creative in your life? Just sign up to “Create Create!” - Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin’s free twice monthly ezine - today, and get your FREE copy of the “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook. Head on over now to http://www.CoachCreative.com