Monday Post ~ March 7, 2011
“Creativity is an essential part of being human, a vital force without which we can exist, but not truly live.” —Ann Cashman
What creative work would you like to accomplish this week? Given the specifics of your schedule, decide on a realistic task or a milestone to reach for. Share your goal(s) 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.
Suggestion: When you’re deciding on your creative intentions, it’s a good idea to think about WHEN you’re going to write those 2,000 words or paint that canvas. Try to schedule the time slots in your calendar (if you keep one), understanding that flexibility may be required. If things don’t happen when you wanted them to, that’s OK. Give yourself a gentle push with one hand, but pat yourself kindly on the shoulder with the other if you don’t reach your goal for a given week. Sometimes it’s easier, sometimes it’s harder. Ride whatever you’ve got.
It’s also useful to have a sense of your minimum requirements (come hell or high water I’m going to write 100 words) while keeping a lookout for sudden opportunities to do more. You know, the day that the baby takes a monster nap or your partner takes the kids out to run errands and you find yourself with an unexpected “extra” half hour. Grab that time for yourself. You can catch up on the dishes and the laundry later. If you keep something creative in the back of your mind for those sudden opportunities, you’ll be more likely to use them to your advantage — rather than squandering your precious bonus moments on Facebook or vacuuming out the sofa cushions.
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Studio Mothers: Life & Art 
Last week’s goals: Complete the draft copy for my new website, refine the assessment tool, do my CCA homework, coach my clients, and start working on (or at least thinking about) what I’m doing for the “nest” challenge at Creative Every Day this month. I’d also like to do some focused journaling using a very cool technique outlined in the a teleseminar I took last week. Who knows what else! I’ll be riding this wave for as long as it will carry me.
Outcome: Finished the website copy, did my homework, coached my clients, read during every spare moment, updated Project Life, planned out my “nest” project, journaled, used MindMeister.com to create maps for my 2011 goals. SO COOL. An awesome week; can’t believe how much I accomplished.
This week: We have two birthdays in our house this week, family coming to visit, and my oldest son coming home for spring break — so I don’t want to be overly ambitious. Homework, coaching, Project Life, journaling, reading. Also start working on my “nest” project and do some artwork with the boys. We’ll see if I can get to anything more than that.
Kids outgrow the fuzzy socks from last winter? Give ’em a good washing. Head to your local crafts store (or better yet dollar store) and stock up on googly eyes, pompoms, feathers, etc. Let your creative juices flow and make yourselves an ecclectic array of hand puppets!!
Have fun!!
Goals? Aren’t they those things you envision at the end of your work? What end? Right now I’m in the middle of website development, Etsy Store development making more things in my studio cause my inventory is low and connecting the whole darn thing into a seamless web of beautiful artistic business savvy.
My goal for this week is to not feel so dizzy at the end of a day. Also to have spiraled up a new level in my new endeavors.