Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ December 31, 2012
“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.”
~Brad Paisley
As we ring in 2013, there’s no better time to recommit to a regular creativity practice. Regularity — a daily practice, if at all possible — is one of the best ways to stay in touch with how you make meaning. Take stock of 2012 and outline your intentions for 2012. Can a regular creative practice be part of those intentions?
What are your plans for creative practice this week? Given the specifics of your schedule, decide on a realistic intention or practice plan — and ink that time in your calendar. The scheduling part is important, because as you know, if you try to “fit it in” around the edges, it generally won’t happen. An intention as simple as “I will write for 20 minutes every morning after breakfast” or “I will sketch a new still life on Wednesday evening” is what it’s all about.
Share your intentions or goals as a comment to this post, and let us know how things went with your creative plans for last week, if you posted to last week’s Monday Post. We use a broad brush in defining creativity, so don’t be shy. We also often include well-being practices that support creativity, such as exercise and journaling.
Putting your intentions on “paper” helps you get clear on what you want to do — and sharing those intentions with this community is a great way to leverage the motivation of an accountability group. Join us!
:::::::
If you’re an artist or writer with little ones, The Creative Mother’s Guide: Six Creative Practices for the Early Years is the essential survival guide written just for you. Concrete strategies for becoming more creative without adding stress and guilt. Filled with the wisdom of 13 insightful creative mothers; written by a certified creativity coach and mother of five. “Highly recommended.” ~Eric Maisel. 35 pages/$11.98. Available for download here
Studio Mothers: Life & Art 
Funny that you use the phrase “take stock” here. I must started working on an art journal page last night with that exact same phrase. That’s my plan for the year: take stock of what did and did not work in 2012, both personally, professionally, and artfully, and take stock of what I’d like to do differently in 2013. Happy New Year to you!
Wonderful, Kelly! A big happy New Year hug to you xo
As pleasant as Christmas was, I’m THRILLED to have it all packed away. The house is restored. *I* am not quite restored, but maybe that will happen sometime this year!
As I said to my writers’ group, I’m feeling hard core for being on 19-day streak with my writing practice–I haven’t missed a day of writing at least 500 words (even made time for writing practice on Christmas Eve and Christmas day). Same with my daily journaling. So I’ve pretty much proven to myself that I don’t have any excuses. If I can maintain at this time of year, I can maintain at any time of year. Feels good to be going into 2013 with a solid habit.
This week Wednesday is spoken for as I’m driving one of my sons to Woodstock, NY, for a music “camp” (any fans of Animals as Leaders out there?). So need to make up some lost ground on the other days.
Last week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages and intention journaling [yes]
* Daily writing practice [yes]
* Complete installment of short story for “5PM Friday” weekly accountability group [yes, but just update–still not ready to share WIP]
* Yoga x3 [yes]
* Reading [yes]
* If any opportunity, start catching up on Project Life before New Year! [no!]
This week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages and intention journaling
* Daily writing practice
* Complete installment of short story for “5PM Friday” weekly accountability group [daily]
* Write a blog post [T]
* Read peer pieces for Thursday writers’ group
* Yoga x3 [M/Th/Sat]
* Reading [daily]
* If any opportunity, start catching up on Project Life [may not happen until next week after mother-in-law’s departure]
Happy New Year one and all! My writing group wants to hear something about my intentions for this year vis a vis my writing. Good question. Oh, you mean you wanted an answer?
Intentions for the upcoming year:
1. I seem to be writing a book of sorts, but no intention of publishing. I think of this as the work before the work, as it’s highly personal and revolves around the childhood my sister and I survived. Carlos Castaneda wrote about reviewing your life history, so here goes writing a memoir this year.
2. Daily drawing, I have been struggling with this commitment but I hereby recommit, for I know full well that when drawing happens daily, the drawing gets good. It gets very good. What would it be in a year?
3. Ashtanga yoga, 6 days a week. Yes I will.
Okay, it’s New Year’s Eve and a man just showed up at my house with a cooler. Back to work tomorrow.