Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ October 28, 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!
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Studio Mothers: Life & Art 
Last week I found myself increasingly displeased with my workday habits. I did get things done, but I mostly felt distracted and that I wasn’t working efficiently. I have a few ideas about how to improve that situation, which is the primary focus of this week. Making sure that my work habits are strong is key to having time for my creative work.
Last week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages & intention journaling [yes]
* Daily reading [yes — lots]
* Start working on next section of WIP [no]
This week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages & intention journaling
* Daily reading
* Start working on next section of WIP — November’s writers’ group meeting is on deck…..
* Make improvements in workday focus and output
you hit the nail on the head with your opening sentence, m.
this week’s goals: today, finish hand edits between laundry load switches. I was waiting on artwork before uploading my manuscript to lulu’s self-pub fundraiser site. i grew impatient – my son did a mock up of the cover idea i discussed with the artist, and i will upload that image as a preview of what is to come. the rest of this week is just going to be digitally entering the hand edits i made and getting the book up for fundraising, and halloween prep for some more creativity…i may not have been as consistent with my hand edits, as i’d like, but i have been making costumes, cookies and pumpkin muffins, pics, and having room mother fun. 🙂
I know the habits feeling. I worked 7 days in a row, and am expecting another 6. I need creativity…
Last week:
– kept knitting the gift baby blanket
– continued reading to my heart’s content – actually analyzing what I would or would not fix in the writing.
This week:
– figure out when to start NaNo, as I’ll be out of town on work until saturday.
– look up instructions for new knitting project.
Awesome, Heather! I’m getting itchy for needlework myself, but I’m kind of stuck in the sweater I was working on years ago. I’m thinking about learning to crochet. Is that a good idea, do you think, or would I be better served trying to improve my knitting skills??
I’ve been told by my mother in law that crochet is easier.
I feel discipline is important to creativity. As a painter I have a goal of painting something each day. However, if I am engaged in viewing art, drawing or another creative activity including taking a walk and observing nature I count that as effort in the same direction.
I quite agree. Filling the creative well is vital.
I will be continuing with morning pages as well as walking with my dogs in the morning. A change will be to make my daughter’s lunch the night before. This is a simple way to make my morning back into productive soul & creative time. I’m also looking at November (starting this week? Eeps!) as a month of creative completion.
Awesome, Julie! (I know….it’s a little scary to think that November starts TOMORROW.)
This past weekend I had intended on starting a new piece. It didn’t happen! However, I did go to the art gallery and see the Ai Weiwei and David Bowie exhibits so I was absorbing something (right?). Feeling guilty, but more importantly feeling motivated, I got down to it last night and started creating. Sadly my day job gets in the way of me working on it during the day but I will get back to it tonight.
Intention this week: finish this piece by Saturday night.
No guilt, artsy! Hope you had some more windows this week. xo
Reblogged this on For Your Family and commented:
The Monday post- on a Tuesday! Why not?!
Tonight, with no soccer practice to get to, the girls and I WILL go for a walk before dinner.
And after, I’m going to turn off the TV, pull out paper and crayons, pencils, markers, toss them in the middle of the room, and see what we come up with.
Wonderful, Eli! (Things sure seem different when fall sports end, don’t they??)
Definitely – it’s a time to relax and repair. I’m glad my girls are soccer-only. By the time the bruises heal and the aches go away, they’re ready to start another season.
Reblogged this on victorialittle and commented:
To tell a story is to share an experience…open up and offer your own insights…Commit to a regular creativity practice. Regularity — a daily practice, if possible — is key to staying in touch with how you make meaning.
Thanks for sharing, Victoria!