😎 slow summer creativity + how to make it a priority

Hi Reader, 

How’s your summer going so far? Well, I hope!

It’s really common to have routine changes in the summer, possibly multiple changest.

My schedule this summer is theoretically more open, but that space got filled right up by learning music for 2 new bands I’ve joined, catching up on all of my routine medical appointments, and prepping for my MN album release show on 8/11 (which also included writing 4 new trio arrangements of tunes from Bright Little Worlds, among many other logistical things).

It’s always somewhat tricky to fit in my personal composing practice around all of the other work and personal demands, plus resting enough in order to have the energy to be a person in these continually wild times. 

Given all of that, I always tell myself that doing SOMETHING is always better than nothing.

In theory, the easiest thing would be to cram writing music in between other activities, but that time either gets swallowed up or it feels too hard to focus, so I have been taking as much time as I can for it, usually 30-45 minutes in the morning.

This kept me feeling connected to the creative energy of my composer self and keeps me working on rewarding projects.

You might be feeling low energy, distracted by the latest political news, or leaning into the summer pace, and not making time for important-yet-not-urgent things like creativity.

Maybe you’re taking a conscious break while other things need more attention, and that’s totally fine. But I also want to affirm:

Making a commitment to your creativity doesn't have to mean making a huge commitment.

It just means you make a commitment, which could look like something really small every day, something small every week, or just knowing what your personal creative cravings look like and staying in touch with them.

The point is that you keep going, if it’s important to you!

So how do you actually do that, in busy real life?

Get excited about being available and ready when the muse shows up, which always reminds me of this story from Elizabeth Gilbert’s excellent book Big Magic:

When poet Ruth Stone was a child working in the fields of her family farm, she would “hear a poem coming toward her—hear it rushing across the landscape like a galloping horse. Whenever this happened, she knew exactly what she had to do next: She would ‘run like hell’ toward the house, trying to stay ahead of the poem, hoping to get to a piece of paper and a pencil fast enough to catch it.”

Luckily, now we have more portable ways of recording information, but the more you show up to create, the more likely you’ll bump into the muse when it strikes!

Maybe your creative practice happens in small regular bits of time, like mine. These shorter, more focused bursts, with rest time in between, can help you replenish your energy along the way.

(The creative process may be nonlinear, but your efforts don’t have to be.)

If/when you start to get frustrated with squeezing your project into these tiny time chunks, then you can try to find a bigger block of time to put on the schedule. Even if it’s not possible right away, put it on the calendar!

It’s easy to write off a small amount of time because it seems insignificant, but those small amounts add up to big things!

In 2017, I did 2 100 Day Projects where I wrote 8 measures of music a day (a 15-30 minute commitment, depending on how many notes), and it yielded some of my best work and several new tunes that ended up on my album the next year.

You can also start with a small creative habit and gradually increase it over time.

If music, painting, acting, writing (or insert your practice here) is the thing that makes you feel alive and like your most authentic self, your fulfillment from that is going to ripple out to others.

The more that you can carve out the time for creativity, the more you're showing yourself that it's important, and setting that example for other people in your lives.

It's delightfully contagious when you’re doing things that inspire and fulfill you, living out your purpose as much as possible!

So, what could your bite-size creative practice look like?

If you’re looking for support in keeping your creative joy alive, I’m always here, and currently have a couple openings for new creative coaching clients in September (or possibly even August, if our schedules align!) 

You can always reply with questions, leave me a message via Voxer, or book a call to chat and see if it’s a good fit. 🥰

Are you slowing down this summer? Enjoying a break? Is the pace of summer allowing you a chance to focus on projects that were on the back burner?

I’d love to hear about what you’re up to!

🕸️ Staying on the good side of the internet 🕸️

•  TOO MUCH: How to Move Through Overwhelm About The World and Y(our) Place in It - This free workshop by Andréa Ranae (Thurs. Aug. 1 at 4:30-6pm PDT) looks awesome, I'm signed up! 

• I regret what's in my camera roll - An interesting take on our evolving relationship to photography as record-keeping in the time of social media.
• It's time to admit that Gen Z is right about sleep - I didn't know that Gen Z agreed with me, but I'm definitely already on the prioritizing-sleep train! 🚃 (Yes, more likely to be a privilege of non-parents like myself, but my mental health takes a dive if I don't, so I do my best.)