notes from 1000 words

 

Every single time getting back into writing after a break is frustrating.  Every.  Single.  Time.

The Creative Self looks after us if we look out for it.  If we do our work, invest our time in ourselves, in our art, in our imagination, keep our mind clear for stretches of time. just to rest it, balance ourselves with blankness and stimulation, get enough sleep, read, write, think.  If we honor the thing that provides us with so much, it just might help us out one day.  After the rain stops, it shows up...Are you caring for yourself? the intimate, creative self? Are you giving it the nurturing it deserves?  The goal is always to be getting closer to The Creative Self.

I promise! If you can engage in a curious life, only good can come out of it.

(How we take care of ourselves): Read, walk, breathe, think.

Trust yourself. Give yourself grace.  Trust yourself to know that there is value in your interests.  Trust yourself that you being interested in x, gives it value. 

The people doing all the things you want to be doing - for the most part, nobody is doing the work for them.  No one is handing it to them on a plate.  Certainly, some of them have generational wealth or connections or are overachievers, but most of them are worker bees like the rest of us.

I am no longer interested in waiting for the magic bullet, the one almighty answer from the literary gods that dictate the way...The work will evolve as I do. As will how I approach it. It's okay to give yourself over to the not knowing.  The "I'm still figuring my shit out", the "This never gets easier".  There a lot of room for play in those empty spaces between what we know and what we have yet to learn.

There is no expiration date on creation.

I think often of what a painter said to me at a residency: "Work makes more work" (meaning, one thing leads to another)

A writer's time is precious.  Do you know what none of us has the time for right now? Self doubt.

When I am writing, I think of my heart and brain as being tethered by a vital, slender thread that I have to protect.  I am very picky about the voices I let into my head.

Making art of any kind is an act of optimism...Every day I wake up, I write my way into believing in myself and the world around me.

Most of us need to feel comfortable, relaxed and at ease in order to work. Or at least able to trick our brains into feeling that way for a period of time.

I am a person who likes to putter and fuss and think and list.

Here is an understanding I have of writers: 

We all need support.  We all need the time to write.  We all need feedback (even if it's just from one other person).  We all need to read.  We all need a vacation.  We all need to feel valuable or recognized.  We all need to feel safe.

Do not lose faith or heart.  Write these stories.  There is still time to get everything done.