Clearing Space for
Creativity
© Fiona Robyn – All Rights Reserved
Like most people I
have many responsibilities in addition to being a writer,
and sometimes (OK often) it’s hard to find the time to
focus on my writing. Whenever I feel short of time, the
writing seems to be the first thing to go. My creativity
is easily squashed, easily squeezed
out.
Something I’ve
learnt over the years is how important it is to clear
space for my writing. There’s always a huge list of
‘things to do’ threatening to push it out. My writing has
only survived because I’ve learnt to fiercely protect
it.
If you also
struggle with dedicating time to your creativity, whether
you paint, write songs or make pots, then the following
ideas might help you to look at your own techniques for
clearing space and how you might be able to improve on
them.
One: Make a
commitment
Before you go any
further, I’d like you to think hard about why you want to
clear space in the first place. How serious are you about
your art? What does it give you? What are your goals? How
much energy are you willing to invest?
If you decide that
you’d rather keep your creativity as a ‘hobby’ then
that’s great - you can stop feeling guilty about not
spending more time on it and get on with enjoying
it.
If decide that it
IS centrally important to you then now is the time to
make a formal commitment to it. You might want to have
some fun with this and see it as a marriage – decide that
you’re going to stick with your creativity in sickness
and in health. Make this public if you can – let your
friends and family know how serious you are, start
speaking about your creative work with pride. Honour your
art, and honour the artist in yourself.
Two: Feed
yourself
I see my own muse
as needing plenty of feeding. This is an ongoing process
and it needs different types of food depending on where I
am in the process. Some of this food
is:
immersing
myself in other writer’s work
exploring
different art forms – seeing good films, going to
exhibitions…
spending time
alone with nature
speaking with
writer colleagues
reading
magazines about writing
attending
writing festivals
writing a
regular journal
Maybe you could
write your own list and decide to dedicate some time each
week to feeding your artist.
As you’re feeding
(or afterwards), little ideas will start appearing like
tiny green shoots. Make sure you have a notebook handy at
all times so you can jot/sketch these ideas down and use
them in your work.
Three: Turn up at
the page
You’ve decided
that you’re serious about this, and you’ve collected some
interesting ideas. Now comes the important bit! I’m
borrowing the words of Julia Cameron, who helps artists
to become unblocked in her book The Artists Way and many
others. She exhorts artists to ‘turn up at the page’.
It’s not enough that you work ‘when inspiration strikes’
– you need to be able to sit down and get on with it
whether you’re in the mood or not. You need to turn up at
the page.
I’d recommend that
you practise this by booking time into your diary (start
with ten minutes if this is new and daunting to you) and
spending this time on your art without fail. If you can’t
get into your painting, then read what someone else
thought about painting instead. If you can’t concentrate
on the reading, then go for a walk and think about what
you’re stuck on. Learn to become
disciplined.
Four: Get
supported
Being an artist
can be lonely, especially if your art involves you
working by yourself. I’ve found that a support network is
extremely important to keep me going. I can speak to my
colleagues about bits I’m stuck on, or just have a moan
about how hard it’s been. Having a support network can
also be an important source of feedback. I know that I’m
a better writer for all the feedback I’ve received over
the years – feedback helps me to sharpen my tools. Other
artists who you admire are great people to learn
from.
There are many
different places to look for your support network. There
are often local classes or groups for writing, painting
etc. The internet can be a fantastic resource. Or ask
your friends if they know any artists, get in touch and
ask them out for a coffee. Put time and energy into
building a strong, lasting network. Ask them how you can
help them. Accept help. And have fun!
You can find out
more about Fiona Robyn at
www.fionarobyn.co.uk
. You can sign up for her
‘creative living’ newsletter at www.creative-living.blogspot.com
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