Welcome back to my series on how to get started with a creative routine.
In step 1, I mentioned the illusion of time.
I’m going to expand on that because it is SO very important when you’re getting started.
Think back on a time when you met someone new and had a crush, or started dating.
If you were really interested, it began taking up a lot of your time and thought, right?
Because you met them, did it give you more time? No, but somehow you made time for them, even if you were already super busy.
You probably had to give up something else in your life in order to make room for them.
Less time with your besties, or less time watching TV, or less time getting your work done.
We always make time for what we love, want and are excited about!
At some point, when you make the decision to get serious about your art, you will need to place your creative time in a high priority slot.
It will need to go from playing with the paints when the mood strikes you, to spending time each day painting.
There is something in your life that you’ll need to give less attention to in order to give more attention to your creativity.
What will it be?
This is your first phase of discipline and responsibility to your work. When you commit to this, things have to change.
It’s like starting a new job. You have to be there at 8 a.m. You can’t stay up until 3 a.m. anymore. You have to rearrange your schedule.
Just as you need to put in the effort to keep a relationship going, you will need to put in the effort to stay focused on your creative work.
Because it is ‘creative’ work and it seems to bubble up whenever it wants to, doesn’t mean that you only wait to be inspired to work.
This is why training your brain to be productive at the very beginning is so important. When you sit at your desk to write, or get out your paints or sit in your favorite chair with special music on to write a poem, you set the intention to be productive – even if you don’t feel inspired beforehand. You’re telling your creative muse that you’re ready.
One of the difficult things you might experience once you begin a routine is in setting boundaries with those you live with and are close to.
Unless you go somewhere to work, you’re probably going to be working from home.
Those you live with are going to need to know that your time “working” is just the same as if you were in an office or workplace somewhere else. It can be hard for them to take your time seriously, when you’re sitting on the couch, or in your bedroom or at the kitchen table. Interruptions and expectations for your time might be frequent because others don’t realize that this is serious work for you – especially if you work in the evenings, or on the weekends.
This means you’ll need to clearly communicate to others that when you are working, you need that time to be respected and not interrupted unless… (and you need to set the parameter for what interruptions are OK).
As with any commitment to a new dream, if others don’t know about it or understand it, they won’t see it as having the importance that you know it has.
You might need help from a spouse or kids in order to carve out some extra time in your day.
I’ve experienced and seen this part of setting up a routine hi-jack a commitment to serious creative work.
Why?
Because we’re afraid to tell those we love that we’ve decided to go for it. We don’t want to rock the boat or seem as if we’re being rude when we can’t go out with friends or we ask a spouse to cook dinner or we tell our kids to leave us alone. Sadly, it can turn into battles we’d rather not deal with, so we put it off.
Don’t wait until you have time to get serious, because trust me, it will never show up.
You have to make the time, and clearly communicate to those around you what you are doing, what you need and to honor the time you will be spending.
If YOU aren’t serious and respecting the time, no one else will either.
This doesn’t mean you become a hermit!
As a creative, you need time to relax, to have fun, to be inspired and to refill your creative juices.
- What needs to change in your schedule?
- What do you need to let those around you know?
- What boundaries do you need to set in order to not be interrupted when you are working?
- What do you need to let go of in order to create a ‘space’ energetically, time-wise and physically, so you can get serious about your work?
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