Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ March 4, 2013
If you aren’t doing your creative work as often as you’d like, 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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Studio Mothers: Life & Art 
Last week flew by — they all do, but geez, Louise!
Daily writing practice streak: 83 days in a row of logging a minimum of 500 words daily in my WIP. Started getting my words done earlier in the day–this morning I was done by 6:10 am, which felt great.
Last week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages and intention journaling [yes]
* Daily writing practice, trying to move back to morning slot [yes]
* Complete installment of short story for “5PM Friday” weekly accountability group [yes — update only]
* Write blog post [yes]
* Yoga/walk x3 [yes]
* Daily reading [yes]
* Project Life [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]
* Write blog post [T]
* Start working on newsletter [W/Th]
* Yoga/walk x3 [M/W/Th]
* Daily reading
* Project Life [afternoons w/kids]
I woke up not feeling well at all – been sleeping all morning – and the thought of creative intention is almost like a shot of vitamins running through me. I can’t answer right away, but will be back…. great idea, very inspirational.
Last week:
• 20 minutes of free-writing each night after my daughter goes to sleep. I need to keep working at fitting this in.
• Write and edit two posts for my fledgling blog. Done!
• Finish the reading for and then write a craft annotation for my MFA program. Revising it this week.
• Write 12 pages (!) of my WIP for my latest creative writing submission for said MFA program. Done!
• Finish the end of the first draft of another WIP/ YA novel. This story has been so much fun to write, but it’s keeping me from focusing on the project on which I’m actually supposed to be working. Just a few more pages until this draft is done, then I’m lashing myself to the mast and ignoring its siren song. It’s complicated…but I’m getting there.
This week:
• 20 minutes of free-writing each night.
• Working out four days out of the week. Exercising equals energy and clarity.
• Write five pages of WIP for MFA program.
• Ignore other, siren-song WIP altogether.
• Spend Tuesday and Friday revising.
But with a sick kid and conference to attend, we shall see….
I recently started a blog to help hold me accountable for my creative projects! This week:
1. Make throw pillows for our couch (it came with zebra-print ones *shudder* and we have wanted to replace them for years)
2. Take a dance class at the gym
3. Write a blog post each day
4. Finish my philosophy term paper
lol…good luck with the zebra print redux, thousand! Let us know how your intentions play out 🙂
zebra print project update: http://thousandtasks.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/sewing-project-day-4-farewell-to-zebra-print/
Awesome! The pillows are gorgeous — love the fabric you chose. You must be *so* satisfied after living with the zebras for so long 😉
Reblogged this on dremonu.
Just found this blog after much blocked-and-too-busy artist mom angst. I’ve got to get back to a regular practice and feel more balanced. My year-old son is on my lap; I’m writing this one-handed.
After a month of not getting into my studio, I finally did some sketches today. My goal for the week- at least 10 minutes of sketching every day.
He’s too squirmy- I’m done here.