Developing a Creative Practice
It’s important that we allow ourselves the freedom to do whatever we want, even if it’s nothing at all
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A while back, I was in good habits. I allowed myself the first chunk of time after COVID hit hard to loaf around. Then, I told myself that I had to make use of all the time I now had, all the time I had been telling myself I needed for years. I was focused on productivity, productivity, productivity. I swear that word was created with shame at it’s foundation. But what I was I trying to even produce? It’s all too easy to make yourself feel productive and then at the end of the day have nothing to show for it. I had no end goal, I just didn’t want to feel like I was wasting my days and squandering all of this time.
More recently, I fell back into the loafing. But, “like all good fruit, the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin,” no?
One of the greatest gifts I’ve given to myself this year is developing a creative practice for myself. Admittedly, as I said above, I’ve recently fallen out of practice, but ebbs and flows, and all that. If i’m not working, and thus have no reason to produce work, then there is no use in putting pressure on myself to be productive for the sake of feeling productive. It’s important that we allow ourselves the freedom to do whatever we want, even if it’s nothing at all.
I’ve found that having a daily creative practice does wonders for my mood, my motivation, my presence, and my practical creativity. My biggest problem as a creative person is that I’ve always seen myself working in a creative field, always been told I should do this or that with my creativity, so any creative effort on my part has always been with closely followed by the thought of how I can monetize the project. But in reality, we all have the capacity to be creative. It is human nature to create, and those creations will not always be our work. They will not always make us money. Creation can help us in myriad other ways. So, I wanted to share some ways to develop your own creative practice to improve your own life.
Find a creative space
Find a space where you can be quiet and calm. A small corner of a room. Your favorite chair. A blanket laid out in the backyard. Whatever makes your feel safe and inspired. Decorate however you like. Candles, flowers, postcards. Have fun.
Stretch and/or meditate
I find that this step helps me to get in the right headspace for writing and also to establish an inner connection for introspection. It’s also beneficial because I usually do this first thing in the morning and a good downward dog or pigeon pose is exactly what I need.
Decision time
Now it’s time to decide on a creative action. It can be anything you enjoy— writing, dancing, painting, drawing. Anything that you can do freely. If you’re an artist, think of this as an opportunity to fine-tune your skills in a way that won’t be subject to anyone else’s scrutiny. If you aren’t an artist, take this time to explore something you’ve always thought about trying. And remember, it’s not about being “good” at it.
Have at it!
No thinking, no judgment. Just allow yourself to freely create. Whether you’re drawing, painting, writing, dancing, or whatever, try your best to do it however your mind tells you to in the moment. Stream of consciousness creation allows you to get in touch with your most basic creative instinct. What is important is the freedom, and the action of creating, not perfection.
Doing this daily, or at regular intervals (once, twice, or three times a week, even) will strengthen your sense of creativity. And it can be beneficial to other parts of your life as well. You'll be able to constructively work through your emotions, think through a problem and come up with creative solutions, or develop a new artistic skill, all while having some fun self-care time.
Last Thing
If you’re looking for more ideas and info on developing a creative practice, this post by Charlotte Ziob is great place to start. And, as always, I can’t recommend The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron enough.