Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ August 27, 2012
“Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and the pupil are located in the same individual.”
~Arthur Koestler
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!
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Studio Mothers: Life & Art 
I’m back from a week’s holiday during which time I gave myself permission not to blog at all. What a great way to recharge! When I got home last night, I was brimming with possibilities. This week, I commit to three blog posts, and daily journal writing.
So great to have a good break like that. Hope you’re having a wonderful, writerly week!
A surprise week of mega-productivity: The little boys were supposed to stay with Grandma for two nights, but had such a great time that they stayed for five nights instead!
In addition extra-long morning writing practice sessions, I was able to get totally caught up with editorial client work; attend three long meetings; have two calls with coaching clients; plow through a ton of work for Open Studio Groton; finish a slew of domestic items; enjoy a one-on-one dinner out with my second oldest (leaving for college this coming weekend); go to the salon with my daughter to get our hair done; exercise three times; spend the afternoon with a friend; finish reading a book; watch two movies; and go out with my husband to celebrate our tenth anniversary. A pretty amazing week, don’t you think??
On the back-to-school front, four of the five will be back in school by the end of the week — my youngest doesn’t start until after Labor Day. So this week will be centered around easing back into the school routine.
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” accountability group [yes]
* Open Studio Groton projects; setting up fall workshops [yes]
* Yoga/walk/run x3 [yes]
* Reading [yes]
If the stars align:
* Weeding/gardening [assigned to an older son looking for $]
* Project Life catch-up [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” accountability group
* Open Studio Groton projects; finish setting up fall workshops
* Yoga/walk/run x3
* Reading
* Clean up art room
Great posts, ladies–this is inspiring! I completed my first triathlon this weekend (for fun) and am SO relieved to free up time and energy in my schedule for other things. This week I’m focusing on adding more “joy breaks” into my day (A tip from the book, “Time Management for Unmanageable People). I also want to try:
1) Exercise (get started in yoga again) x 5 days
2) Check into submission guidelines for Somerset or other artsy mags
3) Edit my novel 15 mins x 5 days
4) Enlarge photos of my son for Grandparents Day gifts
5) Try to fix my Vision Statement banner which is not coming together as planned
6) Blog post–1 minimum
Have a great week, everyone!
-Joy
Wow, Joy — congratulations on completing your first triathlon!! Excellent intentions list. Let us know how it goes 😀
I intend to get back into writing…it’s been a while and I am very rusty!
Awesome, justlyd! A few minutes a day will do it, while you’re easing back in….don’t let high pressure derail your excellent intention…come back and give us an update!
Let’s see, last week I didn’t finish setting up my new Facebook page, still empty and doesn’t have any of my work on there yet! And this week I had plans to get started on my new craft room setup, but now I am leaving Wednesday for 5 days, seeing my brother off on Sunday. He is being deployed to Afghanistan for 8 months! So now this week, I have plans to make/write him a card for him to take with him. And then while there, in Ft Bragg, I hope to get some work done making hemp bracelets!
Wow, Christina. Sending all best wishes for your bother’s safe tour of duty. Good luck this week. xo
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