This year I began a blog series on my "daily dozen"--twelve habits that I use as the scaffolding of my life right now. The first four (rest, eating well, exercise, fresh air) are habits of fostering good physical health. The second group of four habits (Bible reading and prayer, spending time with my children, fostering my marriage, and prioritizing ideas) are related to relationships. The last four "daily dozen" habits that I use as the scaffolding of my life during this season have to do with discipline. So far I have written about the habit of doing daily chores and the related (but not the same!) habit of tidying. I realize that chores and tidying up are often considered mundane, but they do bring peace and ease to my days.
The penultimate habit I want to write about today is the habit of creativity. My original plan was to title this "The Habit of Writing," but I realized that's very specific to me, and it makes more sense to give a broader category here: the habit of creativity.
Creativity is an essential aspect of being human. Unfortunately too many of us think creativity is limited to people who get paid for their creations (famous artists, actors, or musicians). That's not true! Life is full of opportunities for creative work.
Creative work isn't just painting, writing, or dancing. It's also acting, flower arranging, entrepreneurship, cooking, dressing, woodworking, composing, sewing, decorating....and so much more. We each have the capacity for creative work in some field or another, and I think most of us have a general idea of what our favorite creative work is. What was the thing you really loved to do as a child? I have a friend who dreamed of being a Broadway star. She still loves to act, dance, and sing. I never swerved from my desire to write...I even wrote an entire book at the age of 12! I think looking back at childhood and thinking of the dreams and pastimes of those years is the best way to determine what types of creative endeavors to pursue now. (You may have many--I used to design clothes and houses! And to this day I love garments and architecture, although I'm neither a clothing designer or an architect.)
Although creative work is often associated with spontaneity, I have found over the years that the best approach to creativity is simply slow-and-steady daily discipline. Numerous books have been written on this topic; for instance, Julia Cameron advocates writing morning pages every day to help any creative person get through a "block" (see The Artist's Way). I have done that in the past, although I don't do it daily now. In The War of Art Steven Pressfield makes the case that commitment to your creative endeavor is ultimately the most important facet of accomplishing creative goals. In The Creative Habit, renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp emphasizes the importance of discipline and habit for any creative person. I'm sure there are many more books out there on this subject, but what it all boils down to is this: if you want to do creative work, you have to work at it. Make it a habit!
What does this look like, in reality?
My first bit of advice is to live in the season you're in and don't wish it away. Find little ways to be creative each day. One thing I like to do, even during a busy spell, is arrange flowers for little bouquets. It can take a while or it can take 5 minutes, and my arrangements are usually the 5-minute variety. You may love to cook and express creativity in meals (I don't! but I LOVE people who do). Sometimes it's flower gardening. It can even be something as simple as making the family calendar look beautiful and artistic, or spending a few extra minutes each day choosing an interesting and creative outfit to wear. My favorite inspiration for this is Edith Schaeffer's classic The Hidden Art of Homemaking, which contains plenty of ways you can exercise your creative side while simply...making home!
{a sweet and fancy Japan-themed snack table}
If you have more time and latitude for creativity, then commit to it more firmly. Discipline yourself to write three morning pages each day, or paint for half an hour every afternoon, or write two pages on your novel each morning before the children wake, etc. The key is commitment, which will get you going, and then habit takes over, and once habit is ingrained, the discipline is in place.
It does take discipline, though. And you will encounter resistance and obstacles. Be prepared for that! Do your best to stick to the discipline no matter what happens. Try it for a week. Then a month.
For me personally, writing is best done either early in the morning or late at night. I try to avoid working on writing during the day, when I should be paying attention to my children and our household responsibilities. Because our current life situation is so challenging (my husband is undergoing cancer treatments), I don't have a super-predictable schedule. But I'm still trying to write for half an hour or an hour most mornings *or* late evenings. I'm trying to include this as part of my scaffolding each day, and when I can't write for whatever reason, I still try to do something that is a little creative. Just to keep the habit going and keep sparking my interest!
I encourage anyone and everyone to make creativity a regular habit, and if you need further inspiration, the books I've referenced here all make a fine place to start (I do have a caveat about Pressfield's book, but it's minor--I mention it here).
I feel it's such an important habit and one that easily gets ignored, particularly when we are busy raising children and managing households. So if you have any tips on making creativity a habit or struggles regarding daily creativity, feel free to share.
Next week I plan to write my very last Daily Dozen post. If you've missed any or want to read the habits posts I've written so far, you may find them here. Viva la habits!
The penultimate habit I want to write about today is the habit of creativity. My original plan was to title this "The Habit of Writing," but I realized that's very specific to me, and it makes more sense to give a broader category here: the habit of creativity.
Creativity is an essential aspect of being human. Unfortunately too many of us think creativity is limited to people who get paid for their creations (famous artists, actors, or musicians). That's not true! Life is full of opportunities for creative work.
Creative work isn't just painting, writing, or dancing. It's also acting, flower arranging, entrepreneurship, cooking, dressing, woodworking, composing, sewing, decorating....and so much more. We each have the capacity for creative work in some field or another, and I think most of us have a general idea of what our favorite creative work is. What was the thing you really loved to do as a child? I have a friend who dreamed of being a Broadway star. She still loves to act, dance, and sing. I never swerved from my desire to write...I even wrote an entire book at the age of 12! I think looking back at childhood and thinking of the dreams and pastimes of those years is the best way to determine what types of creative endeavors to pursue now. (You may have many--I used to design clothes and houses! And to this day I love garments and architecture, although I'm neither a clothing designer or an architect.)
Although creative work is often associated with spontaneity, I have found over the years that the best approach to creativity is simply slow-and-steady daily discipline. Numerous books have been written on this topic; for instance, Julia Cameron advocates writing morning pages every day to help any creative person get through a "block" (see The Artist's Way). I have done that in the past, although I don't do it daily now. In The War of Art Steven Pressfield makes the case that commitment to your creative endeavor is ultimately the most important facet of accomplishing creative goals. In The Creative Habit, renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp emphasizes the importance of discipline and habit for any creative person. I'm sure there are many more books out there on this subject, but what it all boils down to is this: if you want to do creative work, you have to work at it. Make it a habit!
What does this look like, in reality?
My first bit of advice is to live in the season you're in and don't wish it away. Find little ways to be creative each day. One thing I like to do, even during a busy spell, is arrange flowers for little bouquets. It can take a while or it can take 5 minutes, and my arrangements are usually the 5-minute variety. You may love to cook and express creativity in meals (I don't! but I LOVE people who do). Sometimes it's flower gardening. It can even be something as simple as making the family calendar look beautiful and artistic, or spending a few extra minutes each day choosing an interesting and creative outfit to wear. My favorite inspiration for this is Edith Schaeffer's classic The Hidden Art of Homemaking, which contains plenty of ways you can exercise your creative side while simply...making home!
{a sweet and fancy Japan-themed snack table}
If you have more time and latitude for creativity, then commit to it more firmly. Discipline yourself to write three morning pages each day, or paint for half an hour every afternoon, or write two pages on your novel each morning before the children wake, etc. The key is commitment, which will get you going, and then habit takes over, and once habit is ingrained, the discipline is in place.
It does take discipline, though. And you will encounter resistance and obstacles. Be prepared for that! Do your best to stick to the discipline no matter what happens. Try it for a week. Then a month.
For me personally, writing is best done either early in the morning or late at night. I try to avoid working on writing during the day, when I should be paying attention to my children and our household responsibilities. Because our current life situation is so challenging (my husband is undergoing cancer treatments), I don't have a super-predictable schedule. But I'm still trying to write for half an hour or an hour most mornings *or* late evenings. I'm trying to include this as part of my scaffolding each day, and when I can't write for whatever reason, I still try to do something that is a little creative. Just to keep the habit going and keep sparking my interest!
I encourage anyone and everyone to make creativity a regular habit, and if you need further inspiration, the books I've referenced here all make a fine place to start (I do have a caveat about Pressfield's book, but it's minor--I mention it here).
I feel it's such an important habit and one that easily gets ignored, particularly when we are busy raising children and managing households. So if you have any tips on making creativity a habit or struggles regarding daily creativity, feel free to share.
Next week I plan to write my very last Daily Dozen post. If you've missed any or want to read the habits posts I've written so far, you may find them here. Viva la habits!
I love this--I find that if I don't make some things a habit (reading and making, for instance), they get shoved to the wayside because of all the things I *should* be doing, and then I sort of shrivel up inside and become a grouch!
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