Wow, it’s already March, but I’m going to talk about new year resolutions. I don’t do them. I think when it’s time to make a change; it’s time to make a change, regardless of the day of the year. But this year, I ended up adding some new routines to help me through the transition into my next life adventure. The timing perfectly aligned with the New Year.
First, I started reading the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. The first assignment in her program to unlocking your blocked creativity is writing daily pages. Now, I’ve always been crappy at journaling. I’ve tend to start a journal and then stop after a few days when I get lazy or can’t force myself to think of something to write. I’ve heard of the benefit of journaling but it was never enough to motivate me to do it. But this time has been very different. The rules of the daily pages are to write 3 pages of whatever is on my mind. No censoring, no editing, no worrying, no perfection, and no grammar editor whispering in my head. Just let it flow. And if I can’t think of anything to write, I must write. I am writing my 3 pages of morning pages until I find something to write.
Honestly, I’ve had no issue whatsoever finding the words to write. I just dump out everything that is swirling around in my head, and many times that quiet negative-nelly voice hits the page as well. Once the words have been written on the page, I can let them go and let my mind move on to more enjoyable and creative endeavors. These daily morning pages have become my morning meditation. The morning pages also helped me make sense of the transition I wanted to go through and come to terms with moving to Utah. These pages are cathartic and really bring clarity to my thoughts. Yet, these are personal pages so I’m using them to unload my mind and grow my soul. (Plus, I have all those partially filled journals to use for my daily pages :))
Second, I started my Create Daily doodles (#createdaily). These are inspired by my artist friend, Molly. I even bought one of Molly’s illustrations “Make Something Every Day” to remind myself to explore my creativity every day.
I use these doodles to learn how to draw new things and see what ideas are lurking in my brain. They don’t have to look finished or perfect. I am free with these doodles and draw whatever I’m thinking or feeling. Sometimes I’m also try to figure out a shape or form for one of my paintings. But there are no rules to what I draw and no worries about the end result. I do share these doodles because they show the world how I’m starting to explore my creativity. Plus, the doodles make me happy and I want to share the joy. These are a few of my create daily doodles I’ve posted to Instagram to share with the world.
So, since the New Year, I’ve started two new routines that clear my mind and help me explore my creativity. I thought I would have even more time for my creative work when I moved to Utah, but getting settled and starting to work again has definitely taken up some of the hours of my day. But I’m not in a hurry, and the paintings and writings I’m planning will all come to fruition as my journey continues. I’m just glad that I’ve found these daily routines that connect to my creative self since I’m not in complete control of the timeline for my life. I’m learning to go more with the flow, and my daily pages and daily doodles are key to finding that flow.
Crellim Creative 