Creativity
So, I’m a little late posting this week (“late” according to the deadline I set for myself) due to two things: 1 - Writer’s block 2 - Inspiration for the featured graphic came before I started writing.
I have a couple of drafts I could’ve finished up to post on time but they didn’t feel right this week. I would start typing, erase, type, erase - the electronic version of crumbling up your paper and tossing it - and was making no progress. I took a break and watched the Dr. Christiane Northrup interview with Oprah and at some point she said our relationships with women are important. All of a sudden “goddess gang” flashed into my head. I wasn’t sure how to expand on this in writing so I decided to start on the graphic first.
Even though I believe they are both equally important in regards to my vision, the graphic side always feels more playful. And it felt even more so when I decided to go old school and sketch it out first. I had to pull out my art kit (wee!), grab my Blackwing pencil and Micron pen (double wee!) and even though I was working, I immediately felt like I was procrastinating.
HOW STRANGE THAT MY BRAIN REGISTERED FUN AND IMMEDIATELY RULED OUT THE IDEA THAT I COULD ACTUALLY BE PRODUCTIVE.
So here are some notes to self (and you) to keep in mind while creating:
Note #1: When you’re working on a dream, it doesn't feel like work. But this is ONLY true if you allow yourself to enjoy it! If you're working on a dream that your prior self would be BLOWN AWAY by, then allow yourself to be blown away. While we shouldn’t live in the past, it's OK to revisit for some perspective of where we're at right now.
BE GRATEFUL INSTEAD OF RUINING IT WITH UNNECESSARY STRESS.
Fast forward to today, I finished the graphic and then attempted to start writing but my ideas were jumping all over the place and I felt like I was trying to force a subject based on my cute lil design. So I took a break to eat dinner and came back to my computer to find my fingers typing away bullet points because I didn’t want to forget the ideas that were coming to me.
Note #2: Breaks lead to breakthroughs. Notice I've mentioned taking 2 breaks so far and what immediately came after those breaks were the ideas that I'd been forcing myself to come up with on demand. When you are hitting those walls, think of it as cue to stop what you're doing and allow your brain to do something else. Contrary to how it feels, you may actually be more productive with more breaks.
ON THE FLIP SIDE, INSPIRATION CAN BE A DELICATE THING, SO HONOR IT WHEN IT COMES AND TRY TO STAY RECEPTIVE FOR AS LONG AS IT STAYS.
The idea of writing a post about how I struggled to write and the lessons I learned from that came at the perfect moment. Ideally I would've liked it to come earlier this week but there is NO WAY I could have written this exact piece without facing those blocks. I had to work with inspiration’s timing instead of my own timeline.
Note #3: When something doesn’t go according to plan, you have to trust. Whether it be on a small scale like a blog post or something much greater, the intelligence that shapes our lives is always on time. Yes, the Universe conspires with you to get you to your vision but remember that the plans we lay out to get there aren’t always in line with the Universe’s plans. The Universe has a much bigger perspective so it knows the best way to get us there and the right time to arrive.
KEEP THE VISION, TRUST THE PATH.
All week I'd been looking, reading, watching in hopes to find inspiration but this week, the inspiration came from my own creative experience. I found the flow when I allowed myself to just share instead of overthink. That evolved into sharing the lessons that had presented themselves - because every obstacle is a potential lesson. And if I had to learn the lesson, I thought maybe you might too.
Note #4: Ideas grow stronger when they are shared. When I think about the idea of “supporting your local goddess gang”, the best way we can do that is to share our struggles and the lessons we learn so that we can connect and learn from each other. I may have no idea what you're going through but it's my sincere hope that something resonated with you and is an idea that will help you as you work toward your own vision.
I HOPE THAT BY SHARING MY EXPERIENCES, THAT I AM SOMEHOW SUPPORTING YOU, MY GODDESS GANG.