Shall we get back to it?

COVID19 restrictions have done a lot of harm to me and my family.  There's no way to regain the lost time, lost energy, experiences or friendships but I plan to be more dedicated to my interests.  And sharing them here on my blog.  Please note that blogger email subscriptions no longer work (according to blogger) so it's up to you to stay up to date with the bloggers you follow.   

So how to stay creative?  I found inspiration from athletes who are dedicated to their sport in an article from the July/August 2021 issue of Rural Route.  Their tips on how to start and maintain a creative routine (in their case a workout routine) make a lot of sense to me so here's the points I found most helpful (with my own additions):

FIND HEALTHY MOTIVATORS

If you're having trouble getting motivated, try rewarding yourself.  For example, if I finish the needlefelting beach kit, I'll treat myself to buying more fiber.  If I do the polar bear head from the "look inside" page of that book on Amazon (and it's a good book), I'll buy the book to finish the project.  Perhaps like me, you also need to rebuild a healthy association with your art (because starting and working on a project seems so daunting and the voices in my head demand perfection every time) by using treats (just like training a dog).

SCHEDULE TIME TO BE CREATIVE

Be realistic:  you have things you have to do every day (like work, exercise, taking care of family).  But your creativity also deserves to be part of your firm schedule.  Map out your day and include creative time.  Be flexible but plan to stick to your schedule 80% of the time.  Creative time should be as important to keep as having dinner or walking the dog.  If it's not scheduled and you have to decide on taking time every time, it's hard to get it into your busy day and too easy to shrug it off until "maybe later".  It shouldn't be the last thing you get to do after everything else is done.  

YOUR APPROACH OR HOW YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR CREATIVITY

Take every experience as a learning experience.  You're allowed to make duds, stuff you throw away.  When you make a dud, it does not define who you are as an artist.  Ignore the voices in your head. Take 15 minutes to fume and feel crappy, and then move on.  You are not defined by one failure OR by your best work, you are the sum of many projects and your consistent performance over time.  You really are your own worst critic so ease off and believe that you've got what it takes.  

DON'T JUMP AHEAD

This is a big one for me.  Making nice things, creating beautiful art, is hard.  It takes practice, experience, a building of skills and more practice, practice, practice.  If it was easy, everyone would be painting Mona Lisas, creating Steiff Teddys and needlefelting like Mikaela Bartlett.  If you jump ahead of your skill level, you will probably be disappointed so take the time to learn and add skills and experiences.  If you find yourself stuck, put that project aside and make something you know well and stroke your self-esteem. From that happy place, you'll know you can do it and you'll take on that challenging project with renewed gusto.

TAKE A BREAK

Sometimes you just don't feel like it.  That's okay, so long as you don't let that become a habit.  Skip a scheduled time and take time to think, work out a problem, mull over the step that doesn't inspire you, etc...

EXPECT DISAPPOINTMENT

Runners have a rule of thirds:  1/3 of the time you will feel amazing, 1/3 of the time will be neutral and 1/3 of the time you will be disappointed.  It's worth coming back for those amazing times when creating gives you a natural high that can't be beat and the disappointing times are when you learn.  It should all make you feel alive as you push yourself to create those images and dreams in your head, motivating you with the hoped-for thrill of satisfaction.  Yeah, but sometimes it'll suck.      

COMMUNITY

This is a hard one for me:  I've had no luck.  But finding a community of like-minded and like-skilled folks can be a huge help to staying motivated.  Find people who will accept you as you are, and who will push you to do more without scrutinizing you.  Having fellow artists along for the ride is a lovely motivator, or so I'm told.  Good luck with that one.  

May you find your inspiration, hold on to your motivation and have fun creating your dreams!