Creativity

Any change in our routine — holidays, vacations, visits from loved ones — can bring a slump in our creative work. Even when we’re completely into our book or art projects, there’s often an inertia that keeps us from getting back into the groove.

Shifting from one mode to another is a challenge for most creatives. We want to get into the flow, but there are a million things we need to do first. Then, when we’re in the flow, it’s hard to tear ourselves away and return to the ‘real’ world.

I coach all my clients on this. It’s one of the biggest problems we solve together – how to get back into the groove.

Here are three things that help my clients rekindle their dedication to their projects.

Lower the bar. Expecting to jump back in full speed just adds pressure. Let your return be as slow as it needs to, but be firm with yourself about getting back to your writing and creative pursuits. Build up to where you left off, if needed. Start with brief (10 minute) free-writes or similar warm-up exercises. I invite my clients to have a 15-minute ‘date’ with their project, to get back in touch without pressure.

Connect to the love. What do you love about your writing practice, your project? You may take a few moments to jot down what you love about it. If you have already done this writing, take it out and revisit your passion.

Design new support structures. Make appointments with your mastermind partners and set up a meeting with your coach or writing buddies to design structure and accountability that works for you.

Beating yourself up over what’s actually a natural ebb and flow cycle doesn’t help us get on track. Be kind to yourself as you resume your writing or other creative work.

What works for you to get back to the writing or art-making?

I’m plugging away at my Lisbon novel. Like most of us, I always want to do more than I actually do. Sigh.

As a coach, I know how to get things across the finish line. But that doesn’t mean that wrangling focus is easy.

My deadline for a completed draft (that I can send to an editor) is October 14. That’s when I go to Europe to lead Paris Sketchbook and do a reconnaissance trip for Capture the Lisbon Wow. A trip makes for a strong deadline/motivator to keep working.

But that’s months away. I need a shorter deadline for real focus. My commitment for this summer is to make the novel my #1 priority. ‘Summer’ seems endless and long. But when reality check the calendar, I have only nine weeks. This excludes the weeks when I am leading my Vermont and Montana retreats. (We have a few spots in those if you need a break from your routine to uplevel your joy.)

Some weeks have more client meetings than others. Like you, I have to squeeze my passion project into the spaces around paid work. Here’s how I have shifted things to honor my #1 priority:

No new work projects. This is harder than it might seem; I love to tinker with the systems that make my work work. My focus is my clients, my retreats, and my novel. That’s it.

I’ve set aside my non-fiction book for now. It was okay to work on two projects earlier this year. But I am highly motivated to get this novel done and into the world. Hopefully by 2025!

Reduce my subscriptions. I love reading others’ newsletters. The trouble is, I am easily distracted and think I need to know about/do/take on the thing they are talking about. This week I unsubscribed from a lot of newsletters that I don’t really read. It was hard to let go of hearing from people I love, but I can go back when I don’t need such focus.

Put the novel first. On non-client days, I usually write my newsletter and work on my creativity retreats. Now, I start the workday with the novel.

Join a writing challenge. Jami Attenberg has her free #1000wordsofsummer challenge. Can I write 1,000 words a day for two weeks? Indeed I can, and this will add an extra layer of focus. Check it out and join us. 

I’m fortunate to have a flexible schedule. These measures help, and I still have to deal with the insecurities and cluelessness about writing a novel. It helps me a ton to write about this in my author notebook.

I’m sharing more about how to stay focused in my newsletter, Impulses. Get your subscription here.

What are you working on this summer and how is it helping you focus? Share in a comment below.

Many of us have complex relationships with our bodies, and this course is an opportunity to cultivate a new, more harmonious connection with ourselves. Whether navigating a major life change or simply seeking to honor your body as it is, Reclaim Your Body’s Wisdom will guide you toward a deeper understanding and appreciation of yourself.

At Feathered Pipe Ranch near Helena, Montana, this yoga and writing retreat takes place on August 19 – 24, 2023.

Co-led by yoga teacher De West and writing coach Cynthia Morris, this will be a transformative and fun retreat. Experience the transformative power of yoga and writing in Reclaim Your Body’s Wisdom, a unique course that invites you to explore the innate wisdom of your body.

In this retreat, we’ll use yoga, writing, and creativity to access insights that have been hidden from us for years. With plenty of integration time and a relaxed pace, you can stabilize your understanding and solidify the insights you’ll take home with you. As a community, we’ll share laughter and lightness throughout, and you’ll have the chance to let your body flow at our dance party!

By the end of the course, you’ll leave with:

• a new language for communicating with your body,
• a deep awareness of how your senses guide your truth, and
• a recognition of yourself on a more authentic level.

Join us on this transformative journey towards self-discovery and embrace the wisdom of your body. Spaces are limited. Reserve your spot here.

Escape the busyness of daily life and reconnect with yourself in the serene Montana Rocky Mountains. Surrounded by the scent of pine trees and refreshing breezes, you’ll savor the delicious organic food the ranch has to offer and enjoy plenty of solo time.

Meals at the Ranch are delicious, homemade, mostly organic, and locally sourced. Gluten-free and dairy-free options are abundant. Beyond that, the kitchen is skilled with customizing special diets. You can also book a massage with one of the outstanding bodyworkers, take a hot tub, hike a mountain path, or jump in the lake in the warm afternoons. Take a hike through the forest, swim in the lake, or relax in a hammock as you access a new sacredness of being in your perfectly imperfect body.

Optional evening activities could include meditation circle, fun writing games,  Q&A, Dance Party, evening hikes (weather dependent), restorative yoga, Bonfire connection, and stargazing! *some nights will be free nights as well.

This retreat is the reset you’ve been craving, and you’ll leave feeling wiser, refreshed, and ready for whatever life invites you to do next. All bodies and genders are welcome; no prior writing or yoga experience is necessary. Bring a friend along, and you’ll both save $100.

Spaces are limited. Reserve your spot here.

Being a writer or an artist requires a lot from us. Yet it’s not all about discipline and focus and whatever it takes to finish projects. What are ephemeral necessities

These are the things artists and writers have in their lives on a regular. They include: 

• slowing down
• noticing feelings
• describing their inner world in words or images
• engaging and celebrating all the senses
• being open – to surprises, synchronicities, suggestions.

These are the hard-to-articulate ephemeral necessities things that make up a writer. All these pieces contribute to how and what we write. 

I cultivate ephemeral necessities when I get out of my routine. Travel really fluffs up my creative energy. So many of may values and themes are honored when I leave the comfort of home. 

What ephemeral necessities do you feel need a ‘fluffing up’? On my creativity retreats, all these things and more get their due. 

We particularly lean into the invisible requirements of creativity in Meet Your Writer in Paris. You’ll get access to the things that make your writer sing inside and out. 

The early registration discount for Meet Your Writer in Paris ended yesterday, but I am leaving it open for one more day. Find all the details here and reserve your spot to meet your writer in Paris. 

What ephemeral necessities do you cultivate regularly? Leave a comment below!