What are you hungry for, creativity-wise? If you’re like me, you have plenty of ‘good’ ideas. Maybe you’ve followed one of those genius ideas only to realize you had no gas in the tank to take it very far. It was a ‘smart’ idea, not a ‘heart’ idea.
You have probably heard me talk about creating from devotion, not discipline. Sure, we need structure to bring our ideas to life. But if we are forcing ourselves to do show up, it just won’t happen.
This was my experience last fall, when I committed to a writing project that was not aligned with my soul. I thought that accountability and structure would do the work of making it viable. Instead, it just felt awful. I cycled through a lot of dark forest paths until I found the bright light of my truth:
I cannot do anything that doesn’t come from the heart.
This insight came to me during a reflective writing practice in my Write ON group. Wow, was it powerful. It may sound obvious but I truly felt the difference between the mind’s ideas about what we should do – perhaps driven by cultural expectations – and the heart’s desire – driven by our soul work.
This brings me to a natural experience – hunger. We know when we are hungry, and if we pause to inquire within, we also know what we crave. I believe this is the same for our creative work – it’s a natural impulse.
What are you hungry for now? What do you devote yourself to this year?
After three years of writing and publishing a novel, I’m now hungry for my visual art. I have filled pages in my new artist notebook with what I want. Over the holiday break, I spent time every day painting in my studio and it filled me up and made me hungry for more.
I’ll share more about my Creative Edge for 2026 soon. For now, here’s the first painting I made when I came back to my watercolors. I love these colorful macarons so much. I simply played with my watercolor palette, exploring different color combinations.
Later this week, I will share what’s coming up for us in 2026. A couple of big new things are on the agenda and I can’t wait to share with you!
Hey Cynthia!
Congrats on your novel!!! You always told me that fiction was my niche. I did write 3 novels while I was sick as a dog!!! For several years – ending in a liver transplant at Cleveland Clinic! (Aren’t you from Ohio?) Well, CClinic was an awesome place to go!!! My transplant coordinators were fascinated with my constant writing – AND wanted me to write something for new patients to read – OTHER than their instruction notebook! Finally I figured out what to write – and I’m gonna do it. HOWEVER… I also experienced medical bankruptcy – losing ALL my assets. Obama believed he’d found the answer. Sadly, he didn’t. I lost my sweet condo in Wash Park. Then two pension funds PLUS other investments…lastly my very cool Honda Accord. BUT. You know what? I GOT MY HEALTH BACK!!!
The book I want to write is simply “ How To Get an Organ Transplant in the US.” Very simple, straightforward – AND I had to do all the research myself … DONE! Obviously, I can’t take your course, but I can check in with a couple fellow “writing tutors” I worked with at Comm. College of Denver. AND of course my peeps at Cleveland Clinic!!!
Hi Dana,
I know this book has been on your ‘to-write’ list for a long time! I hope you have fun writing it. I know it will be powerful for its readers.
Glad you are still writing! Nothing is going to stop you!