Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ August 5, 2013
Commit to a regular creativity practice. Regularity — a daily practice, if possible — is key to staying 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, which 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!
:::::::
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.
Returned late Saturday from two glorious weeks in Greece visiting family. Thoroughly sunned, salted, sailed, swam, and relaxed. I partially polished a scene from my WIP but after the first few days gave up on trying to squeeze my daily word count into our full days; I had to spend a couple of hours each morning working — and between the work and vacation agenda, I decided that the quota was stressful more than helpful. But now it’s back to business.
Also finished two books while away — hope to get through a few more before summer is over.
This week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages & intention journaling
* Daily writing practice
* Walk x2 [still reducing expectations due to injury — which worsened during vacation swimming/walking]
* Daily reading
Didn’t do too much last week–BUT this week I have discovered the Daily Paper Prompts on Daisy Yellow’s website and I have joined the Facebook group. Yesterday I got caught up, did the first four prompts, and shared them on the group page. I will do the DPP each day this week, through the end of September. I will also continue to train for a 5K with the C25K app–I already have more energy to be creative! My first 5K will the the vibrant and fun Color Dash at the end of September! Feeling GOOD!
So great, Susan! Community and inspiration all in one. Tammy is awesome 😀
per last week, started rewriting 500 words per day on Aug 1, missed yesterday as it was family day. I aim to write 1k today, 500 each day till friday, then a friend is visiting so the weekend will be busy. Also got a brilliant new idea that i’m mulling over in the mean time. Thanks for the place to be accountable!
Go you, Heather!
I love this reference to painting your bliss! We’re in the midst of a little painting here at the house, and I’m trying to remember that this nesting, this creating a creative space, should be blissful. I digress. This week: continue to work on my new blog, which just moved over to http://withalittlepractice.wordpress.com, by posting two posts this week. Write each morning, at least one page (I started this practice last month, and it is amazing — I feel like I’ve accomplished something each day), and this: Leet this busy week be busy. Don’t try to do or be too much. Keep a pen handy. And breathe.
Lovely, K! How’s it going?
Well, painting is done (for now) but the work of bliss-making continues!