Allysha I love the exploration here, the inquiry, the vulnerability, the meandering and letting it be as it is. Sprinkled with the amazing insights of Mary Oliver. Sounds like creativity to me. I love "allowing creativity to have her way with me." Sometimes a blank page can be intimidating, yet when approached with no expectation like you did, something happens. A door opens, a portal is revealed, a pathway comes into view. May your days be filled with creativity, crumbs that lead you forward into what is yet to be...
Thank you, Julie, for this beautiful comment. For me, there is great power in setting down those expectations and following those first few lines of poem—“You do not have to be good…” My best writing arises from letting go, though time and again I find myself trying to be “good”.
Love love love your description of the path… the portal… That imagery is so powerful!
I love this, Allysha, and so resonate with all of it! I'm not sure if you remember that a couple years ago I had partnered with Aaron Yeagle on a visionary fiction publishing project. Right as it was getting going, he died. Since then I've had all these fears around writing fiction again. I've realized that some of it actually has to do with unresolved grief for some of my characters who died (which feels utterly silly, but I have a feeling you know how hard it is to write the death of a beloved character). In any case, my attention has been on nonfiction the last three years. But in just these last couple of months, I feel my soul calling me back to fiction. There is a world needing to be put on paper. I know what you mean about allowing Creativity to have her way with me. I'm not quite there yet, but the call is starting to become irresistible. Thank you so much for sharing yourself so vulnerably this way! I really loved this post! 💖💖💖
Ooh, I felt my guts quiver when you said “death of a beloved character”. I know it too well, and still feel it viscerally from time to time, like any other death.
Aaron’s sudden passing was such a blow in so many ways, and I’m sorry to hear that you had something precious torn away from you when that happened. My condolences for the fiction journey you were on at the time, Jenna.
I wish you every blessing for new openings and the new beginnings you sense approaching. There is something precious about the fledgling hours before change becomes ripe. Cherish this moment of becoming, when you can see the lay of the land and get complete with what has been.
Thank you for your beautiful words about this piece. It definitely came through in a torrent that couldn’t be stopped, and it’s so encouraging when that strikes a chord for others. It helps me to trust that these fits of creativity, which are not to be controlled, actually lead somewhere!
I love how vulnerable you are in this essay! I feel like I missed out a lot when I dived into my blogging and YouTube journey back in 2019. I wasn't writing a book, but I was obsessed and hyper-focused, and I know I missed out on a lot because of it. If I were to go back through my raw video footage, you can hear Armand crying in the background because I was too busy filming to be there for him. It was something I needed to do for myself, but I still feel guilty about it. I think when you feel the call to start on the second book, your fears won't matter as much. As for the angry fans, tell them to calm down. I've been waiting for Patrick Rothfuss to publish the final book in his Kingkiller Chronicle. The second one came out in 2011 and he's STILL not done. Look at George R.R. Martin and book 6. Is it ever going to happen? Also, I didn't need to add to my reading list again, but The Big Leap is now on there.
Thank you for this, Sylvia. I often remind myself of George RR Martin when I’m feeling late about the sequel.
I understand the guilt about neglecting life and family when in a state of creative obsession. The struggle is real. I’m glad you know that you had to do what you did. There’s something so vital in following that creative urge. Mary Oliver has another beautiful poem “The Journey” for moments like that. I guess I’ll have to explore that sometime. 💜
'...no way to take time off from my real work—writing, living deeply, exploring the magic of being human.'
I can understand this. When we have such passions and strong interests towards certain things like content creation, we become consumed by them and we're filled with a strong drive to get deeply invested in them.
Yes… even when we’re doing other things, the ideas keep coming! When we are truly called to our work, the mind and heart keep working everywhere we go. 💜
I see myself reflected. It also awakened another truth in me, as much as it is painful and fearful to lose myself to creativity, it is equally painful to stay small and let time go by, pushing the urge of magic away with all my fears. There isn't a simple path forward is there? Or maybe there is, and we are forging a new way?
It is definitely a choice between two uncomfortable choices, but perhaps that’s the gift. If it were comfortable to avoid creativity, we could go on living without it. There’s something in letting go of control that opens a new space—and when we move toward magic, there’s often a deep relaxation just on the other side of the pain. I think when we’re faced with a choice of pains, moving toward the Unknown, rather than the known is where the real magic is. That’s where the scariest and the best stuff lives.
Thanks for this reflection, Danielle. I love the idea that we are forging a new way 💜✨
I'm so excited for you Allysha! When we get out of our own way, magical things happen right? I was recommended The Big Leap when I first started working with my mentor. It keeps coming up, so I'm going to revisit it. This sounds like the beginning of a wonderful adventure on your terms. How beautiful.
I have been in my new home 2 years now. So I am shifting from the creating phase to the maintaining phase. I also don't have deadlines on projects, like a wedding date. So inspiration and activity are toned down. I like to be inspired to do things. And I can be an awful procrastinator. I do find that my morning hours have the most natural inspiration. I can fritter them away scrolling the internet with my morning coffee. Today I remembered this and did get out to some weeding tasks on my front patio. We made it beautiful and now I want to keep it sweet when I come into the house. These are much smaller passions than your book.
One of my goals is to get better at "small steps for a long time."
How do you blend creativity with routine?
When I paint, I have to have the space dedicated to it. Otherwise my creative energy gets eaten up with set up. Also when I paint I have to start with an idea and go where it takes me. I am not a technical enough painter to stick with my mental image. I have to work with what shows up. It often becomes a happy surprise. I was also a better painter when I painted regularly due to taking classes. It was not just the classes. It was keeping the creativity flowing.
Blending creativity with routine is a great question, Cybele! I think you hit the nail on the head in the exploration of your painting habits. For my creative habits, it’s important to make it easy to get into. I have a dedicated crafts table for my journal-making supplies, shelves full of yarn so that I’m prompted to crochet if I feel called, and of course—pens, journals, and my computer lying all over the house for writing. Prioritizing creativity means I’m willing to drop everything when inspiration strikes, and I’ve learned from long experience that it’s all ways worth dropping everything to follow inspiration.
It sounds like you’re tapping into that with your morning routine and seeing space for inspiration to arise. Allowing yourself the grace (and space) to follow your inner urges can bring such joy if you give it priority in your life.
Thanks for sharing, Cybele! Blessings for shifting into a maintenance routine that finds space for Divine inspiration.
I have been writing "tidbits" for years. Nothing of any substance. Within me are a couple of books. I KNOW this because the ideas that will live within them keep coming back, developing further. My lack of bringing them to fruition is a combination of life circumstance (Taking care of both my dad and my Mother in law has consumed me!) and....fear.
Reading your words today, I realize that I just need to jump.
I have a road trip this coming week. I will be working through your recommendation while I drive.
Thank you, as always for your beautiful words. I hope your Saturday is stunning.
Yay! This is amazing to hear, Shelah! There’s so much baggage that can come between us and our raw creative force—especially when we have important things in our lives that we are literally dealing with while words are bubbling up inside us.
I’ve taken to using the notes app on my phone and dictating whatever’s coming through while I’m driving down the road or making my 2 year-old a snack… just so it’s not lost.
So proud of you for taking that leap and embracing the creative force… whatever that looks like for you! Thank you for sharing, Shelah. There’s definitely a timing to things, and it sounds like yours is arriving 💜✨
I just loved experiencing The Big Leap for the first time, but I definitely recommend other works by Gay Hendricks as well. They often cover some of the same ideas and allow you to explore more deeply.
Thanks for the encouragement, Louise. It feels like no matter how many times I rededicate myself to my creativity, there is always a deeper level!
Allysha I love the exploration here, the inquiry, the vulnerability, the meandering and letting it be as it is. Sprinkled with the amazing insights of Mary Oliver. Sounds like creativity to me. I love "allowing creativity to have her way with me." Sometimes a blank page can be intimidating, yet when approached with no expectation like you did, something happens. A door opens, a portal is revealed, a pathway comes into view. May your days be filled with creativity, crumbs that lead you forward into what is yet to be...
Thank you, Julie, for this beautiful comment. For me, there is great power in setting down those expectations and following those first few lines of poem—“You do not have to be good…” My best writing arises from letting go, though time and again I find myself trying to be “good”.
Love love love your description of the path… the portal… That imagery is so powerful!
I love this, Allysha, and so resonate with all of it! I'm not sure if you remember that a couple years ago I had partnered with Aaron Yeagle on a visionary fiction publishing project. Right as it was getting going, he died. Since then I've had all these fears around writing fiction again. I've realized that some of it actually has to do with unresolved grief for some of my characters who died (which feels utterly silly, but I have a feeling you know how hard it is to write the death of a beloved character). In any case, my attention has been on nonfiction the last three years. But in just these last couple of months, I feel my soul calling me back to fiction. There is a world needing to be put on paper. I know what you mean about allowing Creativity to have her way with me. I'm not quite there yet, but the call is starting to become irresistible. Thank you so much for sharing yourself so vulnerably this way! I really loved this post! 💖💖💖
Ooh, I felt my guts quiver when you said “death of a beloved character”. I know it too well, and still feel it viscerally from time to time, like any other death.
Aaron’s sudden passing was such a blow in so many ways, and I’m sorry to hear that you had something precious torn away from you when that happened. My condolences for the fiction journey you were on at the time, Jenna.
I wish you every blessing for new openings and the new beginnings you sense approaching. There is something precious about the fledgling hours before change becomes ripe. Cherish this moment of becoming, when you can see the lay of the land and get complete with what has been.
Thank you for your beautiful words about this piece. It definitely came through in a torrent that couldn’t be stopped, and it’s so encouraging when that strikes a chord for others. It helps me to trust that these fits of creativity, which are not to be controlled, actually lead somewhere!
I love how vulnerable you are in this essay! I feel like I missed out a lot when I dived into my blogging and YouTube journey back in 2019. I wasn't writing a book, but I was obsessed and hyper-focused, and I know I missed out on a lot because of it. If I were to go back through my raw video footage, you can hear Armand crying in the background because I was too busy filming to be there for him. It was something I needed to do for myself, but I still feel guilty about it. I think when you feel the call to start on the second book, your fears won't matter as much. As for the angry fans, tell them to calm down. I've been waiting for Patrick Rothfuss to publish the final book in his Kingkiller Chronicle. The second one came out in 2011 and he's STILL not done. Look at George R.R. Martin and book 6. Is it ever going to happen? Also, I didn't need to add to my reading list again, but The Big Leap is now on there.
Thank you for this, Sylvia. I often remind myself of George RR Martin when I’m feeling late about the sequel.
I understand the guilt about neglecting life and family when in a state of creative obsession. The struggle is real. I’m glad you know that you had to do what you did. There’s something so vital in following that creative urge. Mary Oliver has another beautiful poem “The Journey” for moments like that. I guess I’ll have to explore that sometime. 💜
Also, The Big Leap is amazing! You’ll love it 🌟
'...no way to take time off from my real work—writing, living deeply, exploring the magic of being human.'
I can understand this. When we have such passions and strong interests towards certain things like content creation, we become consumed by them and we're filled with a strong drive to get deeply invested in them.
Yes… even when we’re doing other things, the ideas keep coming! When we are truly called to our work, the mind and heart keep working everywhere we go. 💜
I see myself reflected. It also awakened another truth in me, as much as it is painful and fearful to lose myself to creativity, it is equally painful to stay small and let time go by, pushing the urge of magic away with all my fears. There isn't a simple path forward is there? Or maybe there is, and we are forging a new way?
It is definitely a choice between two uncomfortable choices, but perhaps that’s the gift. If it were comfortable to avoid creativity, we could go on living without it. There’s something in letting go of control that opens a new space—and when we move toward magic, there’s often a deep relaxation just on the other side of the pain. I think when we’re faced with a choice of pains, moving toward the Unknown, rather than the known is where the real magic is. That’s where the scariest and the best stuff lives.
Thanks for this reflection, Danielle. I love the idea that we are forging a new way 💜✨
I'm so excited for you Allysha! When we get out of our own way, magical things happen right? I was recommended The Big Leap when I first started working with my mentor. It keeps coming up, so I'm going to revisit it. This sounds like the beginning of a wonderful adventure on your terms. How beautiful.
I love this examination of creativity.
I have been in my new home 2 years now. So I am shifting from the creating phase to the maintaining phase. I also don't have deadlines on projects, like a wedding date. So inspiration and activity are toned down. I like to be inspired to do things. And I can be an awful procrastinator. I do find that my morning hours have the most natural inspiration. I can fritter them away scrolling the internet with my morning coffee. Today I remembered this and did get out to some weeding tasks on my front patio. We made it beautiful and now I want to keep it sweet when I come into the house. These are much smaller passions than your book.
One of my goals is to get better at "small steps for a long time."
How do you blend creativity with routine?
When I paint, I have to have the space dedicated to it. Otherwise my creative energy gets eaten up with set up. Also when I paint I have to start with an idea and go where it takes me. I am not a technical enough painter to stick with my mental image. I have to work with what shows up. It often becomes a happy surprise. I was also a better painter when I painted regularly due to taking classes. It was not just the classes. It was keeping the creativity flowing.
Blending creativity with routine is a great question, Cybele! I think you hit the nail on the head in the exploration of your painting habits. For my creative habits, it’s important to make it easy to get into. I have a dedicated crafts table for my journal-making supplies, shelves full of yarn so that I’m prompted to crochet if I feel called, and of course—pens, journals, and my computer lying all over the house for writing. Prioritizing creativity means I’m willing to drop everything when inspiration strikes, and I’ve learned from long experience that it’s all ways worth dropping everything to follow inspiration.
It sounds like you’re tapping into that with your morning routine and seeing space for inspiration to arise. Allowing yourself the grace (and space) to follow your inner urges can bring such joy if you give it priority in your life.
Thanks for sharing, Cybele! Blessings for shifting into a maintenance routine that finds space for Divine inspiration.
I have been writing "tidbits" for years. Nothing of any substance. Within me are a couple of books. I KNOW this because the ideas that will live within them keep coming back, developing further. My lack of bringing them to fruition is a combination of life circumstance (Taking care of both my dad and my Mother in law has consumed me!) and....fear.
Reading your words today, I realize that I just need to jump.
I have a road trip this coming week. I will be working through your recommendation while I drive.
Thank you, as always for your beautiful words. I hope your Saturday is stunning.
Yay! This is amazing to hear, Shelah! There’s so much baggage that can come between us and our raw creative force—especially when we have important things in our lives that we are literally dealing with while words are bubbling up inside us.
I’ve taken to using the notes app on my phone and dictating whatever’s coming through while I’m driving down the road or making my 2 year-old a snack… just so it’s not lost.
So proud of you for taking that leap and embracing the creative force… whatever that looks like for you! Thank you for sharing, Shelah. There’s definitely a timing to things, and it sounds like yours is arriving 💜✨
I just loved experiencing The Big Leap for the first time, but I definitely recommend other works by Gay Hendricks as well. They often cover some of the same ideas and allow you to explore more deeply.
Thanks for the encouragement, Louise. It feels like no matter how many times I rededicate myself to my creativity, there is always a deeper level!