Where Do We Go From Here?
Since the beginning of the new year we’ve talked of lulls and discouragement in our creativity and also spurts of new energy precipitated by taking some risks and trying new things; or at least of doing things in a fresh way. Where do we go from here?
Like anything in life, most of our creative life is just that …. life. We endure the ups and downs, the cycles of creativity, but most days are simply days when we need to show up to the proverbial drawing board and put our energy into the task, paper, or canvas in front of us. Julia Cameron (author of The Artist’s Way and my favorite writer on such topics) encourages us to “suit up and show up” on a daily basis, thus relying less on our emotional inclinations and more on our persistent, continual pursuit of a creative life.
I once had a producer that liked to dress up to go into the studio to record a new song. (We are talking dressed-up-for-a-musician kind of apparel, not suit and tie.) It did bring a certain energy, a certain excitement, a certain expectation to the start of a new day of making music and art, and I do think it helped us to take ourselves seriously.
That said (and by someone who does indulge in early morning computer time in her pajamas) I try to face each new day with expectancy and energy invested into the projects at hand. Sometimes that is an empty slate, a blank page, a scattered thought. I choose to give time to staring at that page, picking up that guitar, taking time to follow my loose-end thoughts as they ramble, in the hopes of gleaning a focused idea, a plot line, a novel train of thought, a unique melody … and the creative adventure begins!
Sometimes it just takes one tiny step at a time, like baby steps in the movie “What About Bob”. No need for running shoes, bare feet will do! Will you join me in taking small steps toward creativity today? Share your small step ideas with me in the comment section.
*Image Courtesy of graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net