Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ October 15, 2012
“Good habits are worth being fanatical about.” ~John Irving
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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If you’re an artist or writer with little ones, The Creative Mother’s Guide: Six Creative Practices for the Early Years is the essential survival guide written just for you. Concrete strategies for becoming more creative without adding stress and guilt. Filled with the wisdom of 13 insightful creative mothers; written by a certified creativity coach and mother of five. “Highly recommended.” ~Eric Maisel. 35 pages/$11.98. Available for download here.
Studio Mothers: Life & Art 
I just purchased the book. I wish I found it when my daughter was a baby. Now that she;’s 3 we do creative things together but it still is a struggle. When she was a baby I was wondering what was wrong with me. I was going out of my mind thinking I have lost myself to bottles,laundry, work and no time or energy to paint or make anything. I didn’t feel like myself for a long time. I am glad I am back! I look forward to this book. I also look forward to my goal this week which is to create a drawing that I will make into a piece of jewelry. Should be do-able.
Thank you for purchasing the book, Janine! Let us know if it works for you. It’s so crazy that creative mothers often have such similar experiences, and yet we’re so often isolated, thinking that we’re the only one having those difficulties….know that you’re in very good company! xo
This is so true! I feel fortunate to work part time, and it frees up creative time almost every morning for me (or if I don’t get it then I try after the baby goes to bed in the evenings)… I write everything in, and even then it seems I don’t have enough time, sometimes 😉
Part time can definitely be a blessing, jenni. I don’t know how mamas who have full-time gigs outside the house manage it — I bow down to them in respect. But whatever we do, none of us ever seem to have enough time…this seems to be the way of things, yes? Good for you for making time with a wee one!
Blogging, baking, cooking, exercising, and creating friendships are among my plans this week! Thanks for your post!
Nice, Karin! Come back and say hi….
Thankfully, the issues with my WIP have resolved, and I’m back to banging out the daily word count. Huge relief. And it’s getting fun again, too 🙂
It may be obnoxious, but I’ve started posting my daily word count to facebook. Accountability helps, wherever it comes from.
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 just an update]
* Prepare for Wednesday Writers’ Workshop [yes]
* Blog post [yes]
* Open Studio Groton marketing and development projects [yes]
* Yoga/walk/run x2 [yes]
* Reading
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
* Prepare for Wednesday Writers’ Workshop (last class this session) [T]
* Blog post [T]
* Open Studio Groton marketing and development projects [T]
* Yoga/walk/run x3 [M/W/Sat]
* Reading
Good article. I plan to practice being grateful for what I have. Not just in general, but for everthing, up to and including breathing on my own, hot water, getting around on my own, etc. Everything.