Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ January 21, 2013
“Sometimes life is hard. Things go wrong — and in life, and in love, and in business, and in friendship, and in health, and in all the other ways in which life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do: Make good art. I’m serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by a mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Someone on the internet thinks what you’re doing is stupid, or evil, or it’s all been done before? Make good art.”
~Neil Gaiman
Now is the time to recommit to a regular creativity practice. Regularity — a daily practice, if possible — is one of the best ways to stay in touch with how you make meaning. Can a regular creative practice be part of your intentions for 2013?
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 leverages 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 
The overall theme this month is to finish my 5 year plan, roughly, break it down into the 1 year plan, which can then be broken down into months. Buy or make a monthly calendar, and use post-its to post my daily tasks, which will match up with my weekly/monthly/yearly goals.
Doesn’t that sound sickeningly organized?
Okay, last week I’m pretty sure I said that I would:
1. buy the calendar
2. continue working on the memoir
3. finish a new Elegy plate and
4. make some prints from it
5. finish the brainstorming part of the plan and start the process of turning it into concrete goals. What I have to understand about that is that it’s going to be a work in process, and the goals might change a lot. I also have to remember that I have big goals, big plans, and it gets frustrating when I can’t seem to make a lot of progress. But some progress is infinitely better than no progress.
I didn’t do 1 or 5 last week, but I did work on 2,3 & 4. I wasn’t happy with the test print so I have to carve into the plate some more, and honestly, I think it might take a third plate. This weeks goals:
1. buy a new plate for Elegy- go to Quill and Press
2. Work on the brainstorming for the 5 year plan, finish up that part
3. Order or make the calendar, why is this part hard?
4. Submit work for the FAWC call for art, that’s easy because all I have to do is email jpegs from the week in P-town in August
5. Make a plan for what I’m going to submit for the CAA members juried show, Elegy or a few from the yoga series? Consider using pieces that are done or nearly done.
6. Continue working on memoir, find a working title? Developing the over-all arc of the story
7. Post for the yoga blog
8. Continue working on a sequence and a workshop description for classes/new workshops
this week:
-8 hours of painting time (hopefully, the bulk of that on tuesday)
-finish the four small started paintings …
-start (at least) two large collages ….
-download and edit the photos taken of art last week and do at least ONE blog post (this one has been harder to get going on this new year .. no blog posts since november… darn.)
on track from last week. in process of writing good query letter and sending out first agency submission today, if i feel i edited the letter well enough. having trouble with my usual ‘cram everything into one sentence’ issue.
good news dept: my poem from a couple of weeks ago on my blog was requested for submission to my fellowship’s newsletter.
this week is full of half school days, due to exams, and end of week, crazy three day road trip to boston to take k to his berklee audition! (2 road days, one audition day). so maybe get at least one more submission letter out before trip. got walloped with cold from hell over end of last week and couldn’t string a thought together, let alone write well. slowing down my expectations. it’s ok, life happens.
As I predicted, the little boys have been sick and housebound for EIGHT DAYS. Good thing I like being cocooned at home….We *think* that both of them will be back in school tomorrow. I think I had it too, just not as badly. I’ve been feeling much better since Tuesday.
Daily writing practice streak: up to 40 days in a row of logging at least 500 words daily in my WIP.
This week: More of same (minus the infirmary, hopefully) and preparing for my daughter’s 17th birthday on Sunday….Both of the college boys are back at school.
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 [no]
* Write a blog post [yes]
* Yoga x2 [yes]
* Reading [yes]
* Another installment of Project Life catch-up [yes]
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 [daily]
* Work on Creative Times newsletter [M/T]
* Write a blog post [T]
* Yoga x3 [M/W/Sat]
* Reading [daily]
* Another installment of Project Life catch-up
this quote is just so good!
I’m not a mom – I’m still a newly wed, but I am somewhat creative. Especially lately, I’ve really felt creative energy flowing in my mind. But right now, it all still feels so jumbled and cluttered. I’m wondering about getting suggestions for how to start narrowing in on exactly how I’m creative and how to actually get it out, articulate it, and develop it. Ideas?
Hi Anna! Great to hear from you. What kinds of media are you attracted to? If you found yourself with an extra couple of hours in your day and had no responsibilities to think about, how would you use your time? What kinds of creative work makes you feel good? Are there things you’d like to learn more about?
Writing! Sometimes music – lyrics especially capture me – but mostly writing, reading other people’s blogs and articles. I also have come to really enjoy cooking lately 🙂
I posted your question to our facebook page — we already have few supportive answers from the community: http://www.facebook.com/studiomothers
I’m so excited to discover this space for creative mothers! I had made a creative resolution before I stumbled here on a google search. My goal is to make one observation about my garden each day for six months during the kids’ nap time. The observation can be either a photograph, a sketch or in words. So far so good! I just posted today’s on my blog. Hopefully I will get at least one blog post a week out of this practice.
Wonderful to have you here, Rebecca! Your creative resolution is beautiful. That will make for a wonderful practice. And I love your rosemary sketch! You really captured the essence of the herb’s leaves. xo
Love the Gaiman quote!
Okay: Goals for the week:
* Write two pages (poems, lyrics, or prose – not “just” journaling) daily.
* Make a date with my music collaborator for our next rehearsal.
* Get videos from last *2* performances up on line (my webpage and youtube).
That’s a lot for a week when I also have homework due soon, but good goals!!!
I put stuff on my calendar!