I’ve been moving slowly and yet time has been whirling around me.
It’s been intentional, slowing down, being more deliberate, trying to stick to the creative focuses I have been given.
I always find it interesting how slowing down, not being hurried or busy seems to be revolutionary. In this journey I am learning just how necessary it is for me. There has been this uncovering the past few years where I am realizing so many of the aspects of who I truly am were never in need of correcting.
That doing things little and often provide me with true and sustainable momentum while also providing the most joy in my chosen task. For me, rushing and forcing never works. It’s not sustainable. Pushing and hustling doesn’t work for me either. In most ways it is completely counterintuitive to my own creative process.
Over the course of my creative life I have moved in rhythms that looks something like hustling and pushing followed by avoidance and then beating myself up for said avoidance.
The balance for me lately when those “you should be…” come to mind is responding with, “this is my life.” That little phrase reminds me that I get to do these things, there are no shoulds here.
I also recognize that my creativity needs space. If I don’t make regular time to be creative, then I can’t expect to make much.
Schedules and routines are lovely things I like to think about but I work much with a general list of priorities. I have been playing with a habit tracker and it has been working well. In the past I would focus far too much on what I missed, the boxes not checked, but I have been working on that and having a simplified list of my 3 creative focuses has been helping.
Last night I was lying in bed and thinking about my plans for my Substack. I don’t know about you, my fellow creative, but sometimes the ideas come fast and furious and then before I know it I am facing complete overwhelm at the realization that there are just not enough hours or enough energy. The idea of the three focuses has truly helped me clear out the clutter and find my little and often.
So, I took a breath, focused within and asked, “ok what’s my purpose? What’s my focus?”
Writing is one of my focuses so here I am, working on this week’s Letters for Creatives. While trying to keep focused with a million ideas whirling in my head.
So this weekend, while the snow falls here in the Northeast I am going to be finishing the most recent round of edits for my cozy mystery and recording a creativity session for paid subscriptions. Those are my plans. My ideas are, well, more.
I really want to do some collage. I have been thinking about it for maybe two weeks and I just need to sit down and get collaging. There is just something so therapeautic about tearing up bits of paper and brushing on some glue before sticking them down.
I want to finish my current junk journal. I have only 2 pages left and a few that need some last little bits added to them.
Slow stitching. I am really excited to finish the first page in my slow stitch journal so with any luck I can share the finished page here.
I would love to hear your thoughts about creativity. Are you best when you challenge yourself to make things happen or do you also need to do things gently? Are there any projects you are slowly chipping away at? Please let me know!
Until next time…
-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante
Leave a Reply