Exercise #4 in Stage Two – Starting Out
The action that you took in the last chapter was to create your To Do list of prep items. As if you were preparing for a journey, you created a list of the things that you would need to do to get ready. Well, the time has come to set off on that journey so it’s time to do the things on your list.
Did you decide that you should clear a spot on a desk or set up your own creative space? Do that now. Find your spot and make it yours. You don’t have to find a 300 sq.ft. spare room flooded with natural light (though that does sound lovely). You just need to find some space that you can commit to your creativity. Does your kitchen have one of those bill-paying desks that used to be the trend? Chuck the piles of junk mail and take it over. Is there a closet in your home somewhere that needs to be cleaned out anyway? Clear it out, add a flat surface and bring in a lamp. Look around your space with a critical eye and I bet you will find something that will work. Claim your space.
Perhaps you put on your list to make time on your calendar for creativity. Take a look now and find some moments of time that you can make your own. Fifteen minutes a day will go a long way so don’t give up in despair thinking about trying to find hours. As you think about your days, you may wonder where you could possibly squeeze in time for yourself. Perhaps your days are an endless series of tasks checked off until you collapse into bed exhausted each night. This is exactly what my days were like when I began my journey. I rushed through life, filling it with busyness to try and run from the emptiness I felt. It didn’t work. The emptiness only started to disappear when I began creating again. So, look hard at your to-do list. Is there something there that you don’t want to do, but feel that you “should”? Strike it out. Are there tasks that someone else could actually do? Give it to them. You don’t have to do it all. Do you spend time during your day scrolling through pictures of someone else’s beautiful (and curated) life as a “break”? Does that really serve you? Maybe you’ll get more enjoyment out of creating your own amazing life. Take a hard look at your day and how you are spending your time. Is it really more important than creating joy for yourself?
Was there anything else on your list? Do it and get ready for your adventure.
Want to join others on the journey with you? Come to the Creativity Explorers Club on Facebook.
