Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ April 15, 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.
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. If appropriate, use time estimates to containerize your task. (Time estimates can make a daunting project feel more accessible.)
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 
My excitement about spring was premature…still chilly in Massachusetts. I could really use some great weather right about now, but trying to just embrace what *is*.
Aside from kids getting sick toward the end of the week, I’ve been swamped with editorial client work and had no margin for anything “extra.” This week promises to be more of the same. The kids are still sick, and a I get a bonus of a lost day on Thursday — due in court for some fun with my ex-husband. Tomorrow, my mother-in-law returns from a week away. On Friday, my husband departs for a three-day mediation retreat (a birthday gift from me). All told, if the universe is testing my ability to maintain equanimity under pressure, I’m raising the white flag.
On the bright side, today is my second oldest son’s 19th birthday. We celebrated on Saturday — as he remarked the last year of being a “teen.” Wow. He loves being at Berklee (straight A’s for the first time in his life) and declares his major this week.
In other news, on April 7 I went back to veganism (after many years of ovo-lacto vegetarianism) and I’m feeling great about that. I’ve been hard-core gluten-free for a while too, and the combo is right for me at the moment.
Daily writing practice streak: 124 days in a row of logging a minimum of 500 words daily in my WIP. As has been the case for several weeks, in desperate need of editorial sessions — but until I can make time for those, I’m still banging out the daily quota.
I’m going to add something new to my weekly intentions: FUN. Not necessarily directly related to creativity, but an important part of the bigger picture.
Last week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages and intention journaling [yes]
* Daily writing practice [yes]
* One editorial session [no]
* Edit guest blog post [yes re-post, but no editing]
* Yoga/walk x3 [yes]
* Daily reading ]yes]
* Project Life [no — and falling ever more seriously behind!]
This week’s creative/well-being intentions are a repeat:
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages and intention journaling
* Daily writing practice
* One editorial session [M/T/W?]
* Edit guest blog post [T/W]
* Yoga/walk x3 [M/W/Th]
* Daily reading
* Project Life [afternoons w/kids — although highly unlikely]
This week’s FUN:
* Watch Game of Thrones [Sun]
* Watch the Louis CK special (recorded) [one evening w/husband]
* Chill with a dear friend on Saturday while our kids tear the house up
I have a manuscript heading to the publisher in four weeks, I am designing, renovating, and decorating a home built in the 70’s for our growing family, and we are putting our current home on the market in two weeks. This week has been all about gathering ideas!
Gosh, 31todayswoman, that’s IT?? 😉
Very best wishes — come back and let us know how it’s going!