Your Creative Intentions: The Monday Post ~ April 7, 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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I’m not sure how I pulled it off, but the house goes on the market tonight. And it looks great. Meanwhile kids with pneumonia and now strep. Way behind with client deadlines. Still choosing house and work over creative projects for the moment.
Last week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages & intention journaling [partial]
* Daily reading [no]
* Project Life update [yes]
* Working from my planner every day [yes]
This week’s creative/well-being intentions:
* Daily morning centering practice w/Morning Pages & intention journaling
* Daily reading
* Working from my planner every day
* Focus on client work this week
My daughter and I will explore Matisse this week together – especially the paper cutouts phase… love the creativity behind them, they are simple and beautiful.
I love this!
And my goals:
– blog post for the week (done)
– journal daily (missed a couple, but picking right back up)
– begin to revise an essay –
– sign up for the online handlettering class on skillshare
– take my son to the art supply store to buy fun things for his upcoming science poster and my new journal project
– stop reading the book that I started but don’t like (done)
Hi Miranda;
I’ve been following you for a while now…thank you for all that you do! I’ve written what I think is an amazing ebook entitled How to Begin to Believe, you can get to it from here http://inspirationenergy.wordpress.com/ and here http://believebegreat.com/
I would love to have it listed as one of the resources that you list on your site. I think it would be a tremendous resource for your readers.
I’d love to hear back from you..take care.
Robin
All my work from teaching to creating different stuff is pure and ongoing creativity. I never have to look for inspiration or ideas because there just too many. I’m working systematically in order of importance because I have 2 full time freelance jobs: medical writing and art teaching and obviously art doing. Time management is everything, and I can draw something while cooking dinner and finish up the painting in the middle of night.
When students ask me how to become creative, I’m always advising to talk less and just start doing that something. I find that people spend too much time for schedules, lists, plans and preparations, they want to be ready for everything, and when they get a chance to try they’re so exhausted that no small bit of inspiration, courage and creative approach is left.
However, I’m pretty much against “Nulla dies sine linea”, especially when somebody is not feeling well or has some other problems. While systematic practicing, exercising and experimenting is great, one should not stop only at small works, small texts, small achievements and rather do something larger even it is not every day. Tiny steps could eventually lead to the goal, but they also dilute the creative energy and take away from the most important things. When the road is too long, we can loose quite a lot of spiritual freshness and strength.
I meet a friend online to have writing time each work. I meant to edit a chapter a day on my finished book but I did do a full chapter on Wed and skipped Thurs all together. This weekend I’ll catch up on editing.
Working, parenting, and activities- I’m sometimes just too tired.
Hope you’re feeling more satisfied with the shorter-session strategy!