Creating with intention
Artists and creators have a real knack for distraction. Seems there’s always another task competing for our attention, or the minute we sit down to work the phone rings.
What if we looked to set ourselves up for success with containers that support our creative process? Do you need to schedule time to create? Set an alarm? Go for a walk?
Anticipate the demands on your attention and energy. What do you need to feel freer to create?
With all the filters and editing software, it seems we are trying to do away with imperfections. Yet quirks are magnetic. Quirky elements are relatable and endearing — what stops a scroll and captures attention.
This post is an ode to the quirk. A reminder that something is worth doing even if it isn’t exceptional. That art can be created without the goal of perfection. That the greatest entrepreneurial attempts are often imperfect and messy when they begin.
Quirks can be fun and inspiring and a platform for something great.
Just for today, follow the quirks. Embrace them, and look for ways to use quirks in your favor.
Prompt: What quirks have unexpectedly served you? Tweet me @redheadlefthand.
A quick post to remind you that it’s never “too late” to reinvent, create, or switch gears. But you must do so with intention. Start by asking yourself questions about what it is you want to build:
What are you curious about?
What brings you joy?
Which conversations give you energy?
Is there an unfinished dream you keep coming back to?
Who do you admire?
If I can help you sort through any of these questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
I love the promise and hopefulness of a new year. You never know what is around the corner…
There are books, blogs, and courses on how to write. Social media accounts are dedicated to encouraging “non-writers” to commit to daily writing practices, and coaches build followings with promises of completed writing projects. And yes, while there is skill behind knowing how to write well (grammar rules, structure, rhythm) what if all this mystery and magic built up around writing is stopping us from writing in the first place?
What if, instead of waiting for inspiration or the perfect moment, you simply began?
Drop lofty goals and expectations; simply aim to write a line or two of clunky words. Then, type for ten minutes; the day after that commit to writing for fifteen. Next Saturday, you may find yourself writing for one hour. You may have something solid to chip away at and refine one month later.
Sure, set goals that will keep you on track, but don’t let your questions — What should I write about? Where should I write? When should I write? Which writing program should I use? How do I begin? What if it isn’t any good? — get in your way.
There is a writer in you. And there’s a story that no one else can tell in a way that no one else can tell it. Instead of looking outwards, look inwards. That’s where you will find your process.
Starting matters. There’s no barometer, no baseline, no comparison. It’s 1/1, and the scale is tipped. Without the first, there can never be the ninth.
The effect shrinks when you reach 300. 1/725 hits different.
Remember that when you start: The first matters, but it doesn’t matter “the most.”
Take the pressure off and begin.
P.S. You can now find me on Instagram.
Fear stops relationships from growing, businesses from booming, and projects from shipping. But to deal with fear — to dance with it — you have to first recognize the role it plays in your creative process.
Fear is natural. It’s not going anywhere.
It’s much better to learn to see it and confront it so you can put it in its rightful place.
Don’t shy aware from fear. Dance with it, instead.
Tell me what helps you manage your fears @redheadlefthand.