Welcome to week 11 of Creative Summer. I hope you have enjoyed your time thus far and feeling that creative energy surging.
As we move into the final weeks of the summer, it’s a great time to take a few moments and pause to reflect over how things have gone, what could be improved and where to go next.
Summer days are long and dreamy with their warmth, flowers and bird songs. They make me want to disappear into them and stay forever. How delightful that would be.
If only we could!
But we must instead be prepared to move forward towards new projects and challenges.
This is where a moment of reflection can really help. It clears the vision of what we want to create, perhaps moves obstacles, and sets our mind in the right direction.
It’s been a hard summer for me in many ways. I haven’t quite managed to do all I wanted. But I never do! Creative time has to be balanced with being outside on beautiful days.
I haven’t had my usual energy for life this past few months since I had covid. I’m in the category of long-haulers that only improve slowly. Luckily my symptoms were not so bad as others, but I run out of energy much faster than I used to.
It’s just a limitation I have to learn to work with. And that’s another place creativity can help. Anywhere there are limitations in our lives, work, or health. It’s an opportunity for a creative mindset to find solutions that suit you.
I have made some progress on my projects, but I failed at making any kind of daily creative practice. I just didn’t have enough energy some days to feel motivated.
So I’ve finally concentrated on making things easier, making them simple for myself. I have such a tendency to over-complicate and over-think everything. This habit isn’t all bad, but at some point it isn’t especially useful.
As we transition into a new season, my focus will be on making my creative projects and practices simple for myself. Easy to slip into new projects and easy to pick up pens and pencils and write and draw.
I’ve decided I want to get back to sketch book doodles and drawings. They are so simple and can be done with pencils, markers, pastels, or anything else that feels interesting at the moment.
I’m picking up my stories again, right where I left off. My first drafts always end up meandering affairs because I make it up as I go. That’s fine. I open myself up to the flow of ideas this way. There is no need to get frustrated with it.
I’ve got my new video set up ready to go. I’m looking forward to working on them in the weeks ahead!
I’ve finally made steps towards taking regular photos. I really want to use my DSL camera for them, but I can’t always bring it along, so I will learn to make creative use of my phone camera. I need to build the habit of taking photos, then worry about gear and all that.
And most of all, I know I must keep working on my mindset every single day. I must create a mindset for creating. It’s so easy to tell yourself crappy things that make you want to stop! I do it all the time. Part of my over-thinking habit. I have to put my thinking to better use and keep working on that creative mindset!
These are a few of my reflections. What are some of yours? How has your creative summer been and what comes next for you? I’m excited for your new adventures. Feel free to drop a line and let me know how it’s been for you.
And be sure to join in the mastermind newsletter today and keep those creative fires burning brightly!
