Monday Post ~ June 25, 2012
“Creativity is a force moving through us, and only through practice do we learn how to cooperate with it. The ‘process’ is like a muscle. It needs to be exercised in order to function effortlessly.” — Shaun McNiff
This is the moment to deepen, or commit to, your 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.
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!
:::::
Studio Mothers: Life & Art 
about two months ago, i tried to post a blog entry and google said i had used up my photo space … so i needed to pay … and make a decision about how much for how long … or switch to word press …. or maybe start my own website … so many choices and decisions.
so i did nothing.
haven’t posted on my blog since.
darn.
this week…yes, this week i say, i will sort out my blog problem AND i will do some posts … perhaps even a dozen or more posts … because i have a back log of two months worth of artsy or fun things to write about ….
so yes, that’s what i’ll do … get back on track with my blog …
it really does help to announce to the world your intentions … there is a substantially increased likelihood that i will get this done simply because i have told the world right here …. thanks, miranda.
Thank you, Elizabeth! You’re one of the creative “rocks” here at Studio Mothers….Best wishes for the week xo
My goal is to begin getting up at 5:30 so I can have at least an hour to write every day before work. And on weekends I want to spend at least two hours every morning writing. And less dilly-dallying around at the beginning of each writing session! Just jump right in, fearlessly.
Nice, Kestrel! Let us know how it goes 🙂
How’s it going with your early morning writing practice, Kestrel?
It’s been tough this week, actually–I just started my first real adult job, and even though I have had time to write before work, I have been too agitated thinking about work and paying off my loans–I can’t sink into the childlike unconscious where the writer lives, because I feel like I have to be being a “responsible adult.” If anyone has tips for how they keep the spark alive with a job going on as well, I’d be grateful. (Thanks for asking!!)
Keep up the daily writing practice if at all possible, Kestrel — this will be your rock. Allow yourself a dip in productivity during this time of transition — but before too long you’ll be back at the page during your morning routine. Make sure you go to bed early enough to get up for your writing practice. By writing every day, you’ll feel less resentful about the “adult job” intruding on your writing time.
Try not to let all of the worries get to you — it is what it is. No reason to waste a perfectly good writing opportunity by fretting over things you can’t control in that moment. If possible, take 10 minutes for journaling before your writing practice. Journal about your feelings of stress and use the page to remind yourself that you’re on the right track and everything is going to be fine. Meditation is great for stress relief as well, and boosts creativity.
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed! So pleased to have found you! I love this Creative Intention idea. Thank you. In this crazy last week of June, as my kids finish up at school, I commit to three blog postings, starting with “Owning Delicious,” a post I’ve been thinking about for a while now…
Yay, Sally! Great to see you on the Monday Post!
boys are now off to their dad’s for a month, negotiations of writing time begun with grandma to watch toots, will be heading to library tomorrow to start work on draft 4. hoping for 2-3 days a week to escape to the library until the 19th. starts tomorrow. in the meantime, have about 3 blog posts to sort out pics for and write…
Awesome, Cathy! Enjoy your month…you know how fast it goes.
Now that the summer schedule is in full effect at our house, things are a little upside-down. I’ve started staying up later and sleeping in, which is not at all my usual routine — not sure what’s up with that! Working on getting back to my earlier morning practice, as it feels odd to be going through my routine when the kids are already up.
Last week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/journaling [yes, but later in morning]
* Write guest article for CCA newsletter [yes]
* Writing practice: Complete installment of nonfiction project for “5PM Friday” accountability group [no–but lots of futzing with new e-book!]
* Send out review copies of e-book to featured artists/writers [yes]
* One blog post [yes]
* Yoga/walk/run x4 [x3]
* Gardening [yes]
* Reading [yes]
This week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/journaling
* Writing practice: Complete installment of nonfiction project for “5PM Friday” accountability group [W/F]
* Complete cover and interior design for e-book [T/W]
* One blog post [wed]
* Yoga/walk/run x3
* Reading
I like this idea of a weekly check with yourself. I actually have a “secret” blog called Sunday Check-in. Each week I make a schedule for my writing sessions and look back at the previous week. I write about what worked well, what didn’t, and why. I brainstorm ways to overcome those complications in the future and tweak the schedule accordingly.
This week I’m planning on daily 15-minute sessions in my Daily Writing Practice notebook, along with four sessions on my current short story. I hope to make some major progress on my story, since I dropped the ball last week :S
Good luck to everyone in their creative endeavors this week!
Your secret blog sounds like a fabulous tool, Kiya! You already have the beneficial practice of setting weekly intentions and then following up. Great to see you at the Monday Post 🙂
I’ll post on my blog every day which is how I’m strengthening a habit of intentional creativity. Now, ‘experts’ say it takes 60 days to create a habit, instead of 21 days. Anyway, I’ve found the time and focus to post for 24 days in a row. It’s kind of my way of sneaking up on what I really want to create.
Awesome, riverpearl — 24 days is a heck of a streak!
This is great advice! This is what I’m all about over at andylogan.wordpress.com. My goals this week are to finish a current IQ light for a friend, begin drawing my characters for the anti-phonetic alphabet, and to continue my good exercising habits. Oh! And I keep forgetting to take more photos. : )
Great to see you at the Monday Post, Andy — and I’m curious about your anti-phonetic alphabet characters!
I’ll be sure to drop you a link when I make some more headway, Miranda. Only some preliminary sketches are done so far, including one “G is for gnome”. The gnome is right cheery!
How goes it, Andy??
This week I am finishing my DIY project of recovering the director’s chair, I bought the fabric and made the pattern tonight. Tomorrow I am sewing the backing and pinning the seat fabric, Wednesday I am sewing seat, and by Thursday it should be completely ready for me to perfect the stencil to paint penguins on the back! Thats just my main project of the week, I have like 4 more in the background 🙂 PS. Loving your blog, its very inspiring 🙂
Thank you, Christina — what a cool project! Share a photo with us when it’s done 😀