Letter No. 30 [your creative well]
Dear Friend,
This year so far (2020…) has been clarifying on multiple levels, but one thing it’s helped me realize is that I’m not very good at keeping my “creative well” filled.
In the beginning of quarantine, the artists I followed on social media were making so many wonderful projects. I felt motivated at first too—so much free time on my hands. And then as time went on, the projects slowed and people were sharing that they were feeling stuck and depressed. I got pretty stuck too and the circumstances definitely affected my creation process and output negatively. I don’t think that was the only reason though—and it’s a valid one, because sometimes things happen in life that we can’t just chug on through—we have to give ourselves time to process them. But I also wasn’t filling my creative well.
I thought I could create, create, create, and we need breaks and inspiration and moments away from what we’re making to make better art.
So I thought I would share the things that I’ve found helpful in the hopes that they might give you ideas for what will fill your creative well.
Make a list of all the places/things/activities that make you happy
Then decide on a day (or half a day, or an hour) every week where you go and do something on this list
Also have a time every day when you take a break from your work and do something that makes you happy
Choose your working hours and stop working after a certain time—I felt especially pressured during the strictest times of quarantine because I felt like this was an opportunity I wouldn’t have again—I felt like I had to fill all my time with work to get as much done before quarantine ended
Choose your work space
My list consists of a lot of nature…hiking, going to the lake, going on walks, stargazing, photographing nature…you get the idea. I also love going to art museums, and libraries and book stores, and farmers markets. I just wrote down everything I could think of that gave me peace or inspired me.
One of my favorite forest walks.
Then I picked the day that worked best for me in the week (Mondays right now), and I now try to do something every Monday from my list.
On a daily basis, I will also take walks or spend time outside to clear my head (and lifting helps with this as well).
Creating outside of your typical medium is also something worth trying—I’ve found this really inspires me and gets me thinking outside-of-the-box.
painting abstract pieces does this for me…I love their unpredictability and how fluid and fast they are to create.
Choosing my work hours is something I’m still trying to find a good balance with (and I suspect is something I’ll struggle with for a while) because I always feel like there’s more I could be doing. I now generally don’t work after dinner though—I use that time to compose and practice piano (or just play), or read. I do whatever I feel like doing, although I still try not to spend my time on social media or streaming movies.
When I finally defined my workspace, it was such a relief and release. I can relax when I’m not in this space, and on the reverse side, I feel ready to work when I’m in it. I know we all can’t afford to have a designated office, or even desk sometimes, but if you can find some corner or nook that you habitually use for work, I find it helps immensely.
If you have any more ideas, please share below. I hope these ideas get you thinking about filling your creative well—I know my entire work flow and creativity have changed in a positive way since I’ve been implementing them.
Tara