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Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ September 10, 2012

“There are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths.”
~Mark Nepo



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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13 Comments Post a comment
  1. This week I will:
    1. Make a gelatin plate (already done!)
    2. make some prints with it using yoga stencils
    3. figure out what size frames I need, which mat board to order etc… to start framing the work I already have. Begin with work for the house and a gift for a friend.
    4. decide whether or not to rent space in the print studio at ArtSpace Maynard
    5. Continue to work on studio clean-up and organization
    6. make prints on Monday and Wednesday, start a collage of the yoga series.
    7. blog post about the work from Provincetown
    8. begin concept for a blog for a studio art critique group. Needs a name! Figure out if I can make a blog that other members can post images on. Perhaps it could be a facebook group? Not sure yet.

    September 10, 2012
    • Nice, artem6! What an awesome list!

      September 10, 2012
    • i would love to do gelatin prints with you sometime, Deb! I’ve never done anything like that and I remember the ones you did with the kids were so beautiful.

      September 10, 2012
      • that can totally happen…

        September 12, 2012
    • Everything seems so possible on Monday. By Wednesday, it’s a bit of a train wreck. How did I end up in my bedroom storage closet looking for a drying rack and discover all this baby stuff to get rid of? Seriously, a pack&play, crib set with rail bumber and blanket, white toddler bed. How do I find my way back to the studio when my to do list is longer than my day?

      September 12, 2012
      • i know the feeling, every day!

        September 12, 2012
  2. Hit a few unfortunate road blocks last week, which are dragging into the present week, but I’ve done enough complaining on facebook so I’ll leave it alone.

    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 didn’t share story, just word count]
    * Read peer work for Thursday monthly nonfiction group [yes–we had a great meeting]
    * Open Studio Groton projects; fliers and press releases [yes]
    * Yoga/walk/run x3 [yes]
    * Reading [yes]
    * Finish cleaning up art room [no]
    * Begin 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” weekly accountability group
    * Begin refreshing Writers’ Workshop outline for new 5-week session that starts next week [W/Th]
    * Blog post [T/W]
    * Open Studio Groton marketing and development projects [T/W/Th]
    * Yoga/walk/run x3
    * Reading
    * Finish cleaning up art room
    * Begin Project Life catch-up

    September 10, 2012
  3. last week: i snatched a little time while toots watched too much tv and the boys were at school to work on a smidge in my manuscript! a little humor, a little show don’t tell…goal met.

    this week: things are ramping up for the kids, and i am trying to figure out where i fit in it, as i wait for yea or nay on a job. i think bringing laptop to library after pm preschool drop off is a good start, so is exercise during that time. now to alternate days….temp seems to have dropped from 90s finally, will break out the bike more. also trying to organize home more this week. reduce clutter incrementally. so far, cleared the clean laundry chair in my bedroom (you mean my clothes belong in drawers, too? what a concept!), hung pile of earrings on earring tree. i consider those big accomplishments!

    September 10, 2012
  4. Last week, I let a dump truck worth of negative derail me. This week, I am going to re-vamp my photography website and start fresh. Minus, one very horrible client.

    September 10, 2012
    • Applause, freshveggies! Three cheers for dumping toxic client….

      September 10, 2012
  5. After a completely unintentional summer hiatus from creative intention and practice, my goal for this week is to just start someplace. Anyplace. Also returning to the yoga practice, which has been a bit – spotty, shall we say – of late. I am also trying a week without wheat, chocolate, and dairy so am curious to see how this affects me and my practices. Here goes nothin’.

    – Write at least one blog post on my lonely, neglected blog
    – Continue learning how to use my new camera
    – Yoga 3X (practice from 6-7:30 am, Su-Tu-Th)
    – Do first lesson in Organic Parenting ecourse
    – Finish weeding garden and planting fall greens
    – Read book about soil fertility

    That’s all, folks! Have a great week.

    xo
    Jane

    September 10, 2012
  6. Reblogged this on mamas trodde.

    September 12, 2012

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