This will sound like a ridiculous thing for a writer to admit, or indeed anyone who would go so far as to define themselves as a creative person. But I’m gonna say it.
Lately, I have not been feeling creative. At all.
No reading, no writing, no sewing, no drawing.
Basically nothing creative. Or at least, nothing creative in the most conventional sense of the word.
But what I have been feeling is practical. Also, I’m not here for the negativity, so I’m not about to focus on what I haven’t done and tell you what I have done.
I’ve been going to the gym, I’ve been watching my nutrition more closely, I’ve been to IKEA, I’ve rearranged my living room, I’ve researched plants that are easy to keep alive (IYKYK), I built a shelf unit for my bedroom, I’ve listened to my liked songs on Spotify with a rule that I’m not allowed to skip any, I’ve gone on long dog walks.
There was definitely a time when I would’ve berated myself for not writing in particular, but actually I’ve had copywriting client work to do so I have been writing. However, my novel is no closer to being finished, and I’m… dare I say it… ok?
Because it’s not that I’ve not been doing anything; I’ve been doing loads. It just looks a little different right now. I’m feeling a strong urge to take care of myself and my environment in particular.
I forget where I saw the quote but it went to the tune of “writing in itself is often solitary work but it shouldn’t be done in isolation.”
Now, writers in particular may be referring to other writers, editors, readers etc. However I interpret this a little more openly.
By allowing myself some time to focus on jobs around the house for a bit, I feel better at home, I feel proud of myself for accomplishing a task (especially when it’s been on my to-do list for a millenia) Frankly, I fail to see how that wouldn’t contribute to increased energy, higher happiness levels and generally just feeling awesome; which leads me to me being more likely to head to my office and catch up on my thoughts long enough to write this note to you.
It’s all connected, right?
So next time you feel like you haven’t done anything, look again. Because I think you’ve actually been doing loads, you’re just not giving yourself credit for it.
Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash