Monday Post ~ March 21, 2011
“You get your intuition back when you make space for it, when you stop the chattering of the rational mind. The rational mind doesn’t nourish you. Rationality squeezes out much that is rich and juicy and fascinating.”
~Anne Lamott
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 
sorry, i dropped out for a bit there. but now that my upstairs is completely overhauled (done, mind you, largely by my hands, including the 4million legos trapped between baseboards and carpet – whoas of motherhood, look how i suffer!), i may actually get more and better writing done. i did have one good session last week.
however, in the past week, i have moved toots out of the parental bedroom (important!), and the boys are back to sharing a room. my room and theirs are utterly clean and rearranged, and i feel great accomplishment (and exhaustion). toots is completely enamored of her own room and being a big girl.
this week, i am loaded with dental appts for the kids and me, but i have my writing group on tuesday morning, and that is all i can promise myself timewise. however, i have recently committed to getting more sleep. honey has been working late nights on projects, and i have that old problem of i don’t want to go to bed without him. but between all the furniture moving
short form:
accomplished last week: one difficult chapter edited, major upstairs ‘spring cleaning’
goals: edit 2 chapters(on the outside) at writing group on tues morning. if i can get away to the library again, one more.
PERFECT PERFECT quote! In the last 72 hours I have released myself from three “woulda shoulda coulda” projects and I am sitting here this morning feeling….well FREE!
One of the projects I need to just let go of is the kids book collaboration b.c. my partner and I are coming from two different places and you know the one with the money holds the power so…
I have freed myself to go back to the “My Creative Peace” project I have been working on for about a year now. I am putting together the pieces of a follow up workbook and I am letting myself breathe in the extra space I have made.
@Cathy: Wow, nice work on the house! You must be thrilled. That kind of re-org is such a boost. Hope you didn’t aggravate any old injuries in the process
@Robin: Good for you! I hope you are enjoying your freedom. I recently said goodbye to something myself — my other blog, about practicing Buddhism in suburbia — I loved it, but simply didn’t have time to post frequently enough. It was hanging on me, though — so I decided to kill it rather than let it sit there, neglected. Sometimes we have to let go of things that have merit in order to make room for other things that have even MORE merit. Yay for you!
My goals last week: Homework, coaching, Project Life, journaling, reading. Also start working on my “nest” projects. Working on my new website.
Outcome: The week was largely swallowed by following the news about Japan and Libya — and by getting sick. I did get some reading done, my homework, coaching, Project Life. I also drafted my first column for Creative Parent Q&A. Have not yet started on the nest project. New site should be up in beta this week. Was also disappointed to learn at my 6-week x-rays that my foot is not healing, and I have at least 4 more weeks in the boot. Not the good news I was hoping for 😦
This week more of same: Homework, coaching, Project Life, journaling, reading. Start working on my “nest” projects. Working on my new website. Very much want to review all of the Creative Mother Assessments that you guys completed — 17 of them so far! — and respond. The good news about not being able to exercise is that I have more time for creative work…..