Set aside the time. The thing about any creative project is, if you don’t set aside the time, if you don’t treat that time as important, then you can’t get your project done.
A lot of times we let other forces exert themselves upon our creative time. Like errands, or work, or other things that we believe to be non-negotiable. We say “I’ll take 30 minutes tomorrow morning!” Then the alarm goes off, the day starts getting away from you and it’s noon before you realize you never took those 30 minutes. Today I encourage you to think about your creative time as non-negotiable. Don’t let it be the thing that always gets bumped for other things. Reserve it—and preserve it—because honestly, that creative time, that time for yourself, is a gift that keeps on giving. You may feel like you “have no time for it” but once you take the time despite that feeling, and then take it again, and again, you begin to feel time opening up to you. There seems to be more of it. Your days get more spacious. This is the phenomenon of self care—and yes, engaging our creativity is 100% self care. When you take it, when you care for your Self, you become bigger. Taking time to nurture your creativity doesn’t just refill your cups, as they say. Over time, if you keep doing it, your cups will get even bigger.
And now, for Name. That. Mood! I could be bored. Watching paint dry. Or, maybe waiting for something, like, the seasons to change. Or I could just be on hold with T-Mobile. What do you think?
—MBF
NaNoWriMo+Mood Music Ep. 4