Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ February 10, 2014
A regular creative practice — a daily practice, if possible — is key to staying in touch with how you make meaning. Key to living, not postponing. (Let’s all agree to give up on “someday.”)
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:
– 2 blog posts minimum. (done!)
– refining ideas for my second draft of my ms, to be rewritten during camp NaNo.(ideas growing)
This week:
– 2 blog posts minimum.
– prep for friends to come over!
Glad to have your update, Heather!
This week will be a bit tough with a house full of germs and 2 little ones needing mommy close at all time. But this is my tentative list :
– Finish piecing together my February block for my quilting Block of the month club.
– Build a birdhouse with my daughter to hang in our yard.
– Keep up with my daily blog as best I can.
– Put together my weekly “Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt” block.
– Write to a friend for my 52 letters project.
– Make a few Baked goods as nice healthy homemade treats for my kids ad hubby.
– Get through 100 pages of my book club novel (Must be done Feb. 28)
Wow… I didn’t realize how much I had on my plate! Better get going then. LOL!
What a cozy list, quilty! Best wishes for a swift return to a healthy household.
Did a lot of important things last week, but not many of them were related to my list of intentions. Will work on those this week, instead.
On the plus side, I got my tax planner DONE yesterday. Boo-yah!
Last week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily sitting [not daily]
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages & intention journaling [yes]
* Daily reading [yes]
* Practicing mindfulness in my work day as well as with my family [yes]
* One page of art journaling [no]
* Project Life update [no]
* Finish the back panel of the sweater I’m knitting [no]
This week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily sitting
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages & intention journaling
* Daily reading
* Practicing mindfulness in my work day as well as with my family
* One page of art journaling
* Project Life update
* Finish the back panel of the sweater I’m knitting
hi all,
last week’s hurrahs
* two red pen drawings accepted into red show
* NAA used a detail of my work as promotion for the show on their website
* daily riding on my excersise bike
this week intention let’s see
* order matt sleeves for the accumulating pen drawings in my drawing book
* complete blue gel pen and graphite drawing
* finish novel for mother/daughter book club offered at free library
Sounds like you had a great week, Maureen! How did things unfold with your next set of intentions?
just what I need today! self-discipline has always been difficult for me. Maybe I am just not wired that way.
I think we’re programmed to be contrary, Anne — as soon as we tell ourselves we “have” to do something, even if it’s something we want to do, our inner rebel appears and the resistance sets in. Maybe a little bit of reverse psychology would help?? 🙂
yes I agree thank u
Launching my crowd sourcing and working in publishing site on book production!
Making a tin of valentine cookies for a kindergarten party, running the party.
Trying to maintain sanity, with a few other big things going on.
Launched! please boost signal: http://www.pubslush.com/books/id/1631
Thank you!!
Where was this post when I needed it? I love it. Now let’s see…
Daily goals: Spend at least 30mins a day on Blog, 30 mins on writing, an hour or so for house keeping, an hour on Freelance work, and some time for Facebook Pages!
Weekly: At least 2 blog posts a week!
I think I need to work on the details.
Excellent, Katie! How’s it going? The details are often key — getting those intentions onto your schedule, for example. Right?
I love this idea, and it’s always in the back of my head. IN fact when my sister in law had her first child, I remember giving her a book that focused on loosing touch with herself and her identity, and here I am with my first, and STRUGGLING with want to give give give to my son, and, my husband, but wanting to do something for myself, to keep my identity and love for myself!
It’s all too easy to lose that sense of self — good to have you here!
So, my goal for this week, is to make more mommy friends, love myself with painting my fingernails, AND coming up with a rough draft of ideas for 2 more children’s books to add to my starter of a series! Thanks for the boost 🙂
Great set of intentions, freefeather! How did things go?
Well, I haven’t yet painted my fingernails, but on Monday, I was so inspired by you, I did a session of Pilates, brainstormed on some ideas for what I want to convey in my children’s books (I have only written one story, but want to have a series within a year of at least 5, to read to my son), and made one new mommy friend! Thanks again for the boost 🙂
Well, I haven’t yet painted my fingernails, but on Monday, I was so inspired by you, I did a session of Pilates, brainstormed on some ideas for what I want to convey in my children’s books (I have only written one story, but want to have a series within a year of at least 5, to read to my son), and made one new mommy friend! Thanks again for the boost 🙂
Wow! What an awesome comment, freefeather! So glad to hear about your wave of inspiration — hope you get another one! xoxo
Thanks for the reminder — and for the fodder for writing. After time away from blogging and writing (though not from my journals — I have continued to scribble in those all along), I’m back to writing regularly. Which is, of course, what I want.
How are things going, Kris?
Pretty well, actually. I took a little “breather” of sorts this winter and as spring returns, I am feeling reinvigorated and — probably MOST significantly — hopeful. So fun to be back in the conversation!