March in Review: 3 ways I’m maximizing the creative process and how you can, too

Hello, friends. It’s been a while since I’ve written last. I recognize that. I could choke it up to a down server. Certainly, life happened, too. I’m still writing, at work, on behalf of two organizations in my service work, and on Goodreads. Instead of focusing on the past, I’m making lessons out of life, on and offline.

The public nature of this website is helping me see what I’m comfortable sharing and when. I want to be transparent. I’m currently comfortable sharing personal projects and lessons here, but I am not sharing specific stories from the last few months (yet). I’d rather focus on lessons.

So, this post will act as a review of 3 lessons I’ve learned about creativity. Each will provide a takeaway for you. While each lesson is introspective, my thoughts can be proactive for you, to help you take next steps in your projects.

It’s always been the core goal of this website to get creatively-minded people moving and working on their own personal projects, so I hope you find this post helpful!

Lesson 1: It’s not enough to just think about your work. You must actually do something.
Takeaway: Translate your thoughts to your chosen platform.

Before starting this website, most of my personal work lived inside my head. Occasionally, my thoughts landed on post-it notes, texts to myself, and half-filled diaries. These scratchy scribbles were messy. I believed writing the thoughts down was enough: my ideas still swirled, often when I slept. When I began linking the thoughts together, and the words became cohesive pieces, the haphazard thoughts filled all sorts of spaces.

I can’t work like that anymore. Not everyone has a website to host their thoughts, nor does everyone want one. But I recognize the value of my chosen medium: it’s a consistent space. So what’s your space? Do you need help finding one? Let me know in the comments!

So, now that I have a website, and before my words are published to this very website, I translate them onto a journal. I use the Clear Habit Journal (a gift from my best friend, Cynthia, thank you!) because its dot grid gives me freedom to create structure, and author James Clear himself is a revolutionary thinker on habits. From this journal, the notes are compiled to Google Docs, often taking two drafts in my Drive. The final draft is published to the website. I look at the words differently each time, due in part to the medium changing and my ideas shifting. My goal is to create consistent content on this website, at least once a week, so these pages will be home for my (polished, edited) thoughts.

So, whatever your form, you need a medium for its message. Why does this matter so much? Because by translating your thoughts to an external location, your ideas become art. When your private introspection is put to the page, dance floor, or to the screen, you have created something for the world. Even if it’s “just” writing a dream journal every morning, or practicing your moves to an audience of one, or using your smartphone to film, the art now takes up space. You’re creating something, for yourself and the world.

That’s how art works: the private becomes public. Think of your message as an extension of your mission.

Lesson 2: Time is finite, so schedule your creativity.
Takeaway: Give yourself consistent time to work on your projects.

As you’ve seen from Lesson 1, my work takes time, and I am sure it’s true for you, too. As the work itself shifts, my goals for the piece change, too. I like to say art lives, breathes, and changes. So, how do you give art space to breathe and take a life of its own? You work on the drafts. And, if possible, you do this consistently.

Some artists believe they need just the right space to start working. As if the ideas will flow because the utensil is just right, the environment is welcoming. Certainly, the physical space can affect the head space. And if you’re a writer, you’ll need a notepad or laptop.

If you’re too dependent on all your chosen conditions being met, you may never actually get anything done.

I have tons of happy places that are conducive to good thoughts, but they don’t actually make the good work happen. An introvert to my core, places like coffee shops and libraries are conducive to my learning, but that just means I’m more likely to learn, not actually learn. If I was dependent on baristas’ creative juice, I’d have periods of caffeine-boosted work, then absences of work.

Instead of being dependent on the place, I rely on the physical time. I set a schedule to provide structure and time for writing. For the last few weeks, my friend Andrea and I meet every week, for a good life talk on the same day, often discussing our work and life projects, passion for the outdoors, and next steps before we meet again. It’s amazing to have this time together! Explore Andrea’s awesome blog on adventuring here.

So, how can you create routine for your creative work? Instead of thinking how you can take advantage of “pockets” of time, if the work you’re doing is valuable to you, you will create time for it. Maybe you can add creating for half an hour to your morning routine before work (maybe you need to even start a morning routine without the snooze button?). Or perhaps instead of decompressing after your job with some social media scrolling, you take this time to create.

This is valuable because you’re not only using time better, you’re consistently creating or giving yourself the time to do so. You’re flexing the creativity muscle, and conditioning yourself to see the value (and reward) of this new structure. So, give yourself a schedule. I can help you create a routine, too. Reach out to me!

Lesson 3: Communities of creativity exist, but it starts with me.
Takeaway: Find people, online or off, who resonate with your values and projects.

Creating can be a very lonely process. Even when you finally produce something, you may think it doesn’t “belong” in the world. You can be your audience, certainly. But sometimes, you want views, money, or even just conversation about your work. Those external motives matter.

In an increasingly connected world, communities of creatives do exist, but you have to find them. There are all sorts of niches, and tons of places for chatter, but the places will only help you if you’re proactive. I sincerely hope you have people in your life, online or off, that give you some sense of connection.

If you don’t reach out to people, whether they’re in your life physically, virtually or both, they probably won’t know that you’re seeking the community they could provide.

First, don’t feel bad! Say, you’re looking for a fellow creative, and you see an artist who has put their work out there. Take this as a message to reach out. Because they’ve put their work on the physical or digital landscape, it’s your cue to try to connect to them. Second, because art at its core is about humanity because it’s an extension of the self, the person, organization, or community you reach out to will probably be happy to hear from a fellow artist.

But don’t stop there. When you find someone doing good work that resonates with you? See if you can set up a 15-minute conversation with them. My advice: see how they present themselves to the public (social media, website, office, etc). Then, when you connect, have 3 core questions to ask, including asking if there’s a tangible next step, like an in-person meeting or public event.

By putting myself out there, online and off, I am making connections for a variety of my goals. In fact, Andrea’s nature-filled Instagram reconnected us! For another example, my friend Krista and I are currently editing her research paper so she can propose it to a psychology journal. We also rock-climb once a month together. With these two experiences, we have gleaned an understanding of each other’s goals, to create, learn, and move. We’re structuring a weekly meeting over the summer for her upcoming special education project.

Both of these relationships are mutually beneficial, because we’re gaining 1:1 experience, working and creating together. It’s very hard to find people who resonate with many of your projects, so please hold onto the people who do!

It is my hope that this website will inspire community, and I am currently exploring other platforms to extend this goal. I’m considering a podcast, vlog, or meetup, to go with my free counseling project for the year. If this 1:1 project intrigues you, learn more or apply to this 19 for 2019 project here. So, if you’re seeking community for your creativity, I hope you find home here.