There are things I need to remind myself of occasionally. And maybe you need to be reminded too. Everything speeds up this time of year. More and more gets packed in. I try to keep up, pedaling faster and faster. By mid December I have an upset stomach, eye twitch, a mild stutter and I’ve lost touch with my imagination – my thoughtful and most creative self. So I’m reminding myself of some things I know are true:
the power of uncertainty
Two great enemies of creativity are inertia and certainty. The fix for inertia is simple, not easy, but very simple – start, move, take a step forward. Certainty is trickier. Our brains are built to be efficient, they categorize, assume, learn, repeat and create habits and rules. It is work to notice – really look at things, consider them outside of their familiar context or history or purpose. Auto pilot is easy and comfortable and I catch myself slipping into it, in little ways and big ways, all the time. I see what I expect to see because…..keep reading
good ideas
Sometimes ideas are like mosquitos – a relentless whisper. Sometimes they are slippery and hard to grasp. Sometimes they flow, tumbling over each other. Sometimes they are lurking in the shadows, maddeningly half revealed and sometimes they are frightening – too big to hold.
Whether they are big or little, scary, silly, sad, strange, embarrassing or brilliant they are in unlimited supply. You can’t run out.
And this is also true…….keep reading
for introverts
On a scale of 1-10 for introversion, 1 being an actual hermit and 10 being the super extroverted end, I would place myself at 3, or maybe 2 and 1/2. I don’t mind it, don’t want to change it and couldn’t if I did. It’s not a condition, it’s not better or worse than the other end of the spectrum, I do like people, I’m not sad or lonesome in any general sense, I’m just wired in such a way that solitude, and lots of it, is where my energy comes from. I would like to be a BETTER introvert though in three ways I’m clear about:
Figuring out……keep reading
the importance of no and what I love about collage
“A ‘no’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.” Gandhi
I say yes when I should say no. I think it’s most often to please or to avoid immediate discomfort, sometimes to avoid taking the time to make a truly thoughtful decision or sometimes for fear of…..keep reading
Thank you so much for your writing today. It feels like you somehow heard me calling for these exact thoughts….I feel calmer, knowing someone out there, understands. I plan to revisit this particular post in the coming days….❤
I get you
I’m twitching and stuttering too
Bloody Christmas but I love it
I bought myself your tiny rag doll pattern ( arrived very quickly thank you)
and over Christmas im.making something for me for once
You have a great blog it’s an amazing achievement xxx
Thanks for this post! I’ve had a creative year taking classes and learning . Now I feel ready to try a year on my own. You have inspired me. You know the biggest thing that holds me back is ” I will start , but I must do this first ( make the bed/ do the dishes / pay the bills, etc.). ” then one thing leads to another and I never get started.
Dear Ann, in this one post you seem to have checked all of my boxes. As an introvert as well, I’ve finally come to accept that ‘socializing’ is energy draining for me, and ‘creating’ is empowering.
Society seems to see introversion as something that needs to be cured, or fixed. Not so.
And, I’ve finally learned how to say No without explaining myself. That one was the toughest.
Thank you, for such thoughtfulness.
warmly,
Beth
siempre aportas preciosas ideas! gracias!