Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ February 17, 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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crazy week last week!!!
* Daily Reading (40 pages): yes
* Daily Writing (750 words): yes
* Daily Quiet Time (meditate 15min at 4am): yes
*Daily Thinking about productivity: yes
This Week:
*Daily Reading (40 pages)
*Daily Writing (750 words)
*Daily Quiet Time (meditate 20min at 4am)
*Daily self-assessment for productivity and goals
::: yay! First to comment! how’ve you been? 🙂
Good for you!! How are you doing in the sleep department??
Not so good at all.. I only sleep for 2-4 a hours!
You poor thing. Just the thought of going back to those sleepless nights gives me hives!! Sending waves of empathy your way…..
Reblogged this on Read and Write and commented:
my monday booster! life-inspiring as ever, Miranda! 🙂
I started scheduling my creativity last spring, with a commitment to work on my novel for just 5 minutes after the kids went to bed. It has evolved into at least two hours an evening, plus a few lunch hours and weekends. Scheduling really is the key!
So great to hear, Ashley! It’s amazing what a few minutes can morph into over time. Bravo!!
Thanks! It’s so much fun to finally be able to let my creative side out again!
I have begun the process of divestment, in preparation for listing our house in April. I see this undertaking as a personal challenge — just how much stuff can I get rid of? It’s addicting.
I also took some time to rework my morning practice routine. I have it worked out on paper, but not yet fully implemented. Will be working my way back to a 5:00 wakeup — but won’t begin in earnest until after this vacation week.
Last week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily sitting [yes]
* 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 [yes]
* 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
* One page of art journaling
* Project Life update
* Finish the back panel of the sweater I’m knitting
Hi, I’m new around here. My creative intentions for this week are:
*write 500 words a day
*read a chapter of fiction a day
*read a chapter of non-fiction a day
*finish a critique for a friend
*two blog posts
*daily art work with my children
Great to see you here, Jessica! Here’s to an awesome week 😀
168 hours a week… it’s all how you use it. I think too many people let TV, online meandering and diversionary “busy work” keep us from writing, drawing, reading, exercising, cooking…whatever thepreferred creative activity. It is a little alarming to use the 168 hour spreadsheet and see how much time is lost. (http://lauravanderkam.com/books/168-hours/manage-your-time/) But it does focus you on using your time wisely.
So true, rkb66d. I love Laura Vanderkam. Her audiobook inspired me to use an app to track my time — I started using ATracker Pro on my iPhone. I found that tracking what I was doing not only made me more “honest” about where I was wasting my time (buh-bye, Words With Friends), it also made me more focused, as I stuck with doing whatever it was I’d started logging. I don’t use it every day now, but when I lose focus, there’s nothing like the intensity that tracking your time can bring!
168 hrs!! wow haven’t thought of a week like that. I have run across people who defend their tv watching or screen time as how they unwind or relax. it maybe for some people but I have always seen it as either escape or pure entertainment. I do way too much of the escape screen time myself.
**hurrahs***
ordered clear plastic bags for matted prints
worked on pen drawings
decided not to enter an art show that would take me in direction not of my choosing even though I was asked if I was submitting by the art center director!! extra hurrah!
had photo of art work used on whyy advertisement for february 14th “First” show in email blast.
**goals**
daily pen drawings
daily stationary bike riding
daily stretching
quilt group attendance wed.
iron fabric for meeting with quilters
put thread on all my bobbins
Hurrah indeed, Maureen!
Nothing wrong with screen time, so long as it’s truly recreation, as you point out. For me, the television isn’t a source of rejuvenation. I’ll watch Game of Thrones when the new season starts, but I don’t watch anything else. Movies with my husband on occasion, sure, and Patriots football games. Part of my issue is that I have an allergy to commercials — I truly loathe them. Any commercial breaks MUST be muted or I start to freak out. Doesn’t make for the most relaxing viewing experience, ha ha.
I am currently participating in a 30-day challenge in which I write 3 pages per day in my writing notebook using free writing technique. I have been doing very well so far, and would like to continue this practice and also complete/refine the blog post I started today and post it this weekend.
Awesome, Kiya! 😀