Many of my favorite authors, from Julia Cameron to Steven Pressfield, have written about this concept: Don’t wait for the Muse. If you want Her to pay you a visit, you need to designate time and space for this to happen.
I’m finding this to be especially helpful in my life as a new mom. For one, I’m incredibly sleep deprived (actually impressed at my ability to put words together to form sentences rn), which means I need to actively ensure that I’m finding other ways to refill my cup. I’ve also mentioned that I’m having a hard time separating from my daughter.
Enter making space for the Muse.
My goal is to create a small window each day where I force myself to go up to my office/studio and write, or work on other creative projects. Keeping in mind that creativity isn’t just about output; we need to feed ourselves inspiration on a regular basis, too.
How I’m making space for the Muse this fall:
📝 Taking a writing course?
This past spring when I was pregnant I took my first adult writing course. I loved the class itself, and the fact that it kept me writing at a time when I was unable to do much except live horizontally on my couch watching Downton Abbey. I just got the email that enrollment is open for spring, and I thought, maybe I should take another? It may be just thing I need to create more dedicated space for myself. I was thinking to share more about my experience with the course, so let me know if you want to hear more.
📚 Checking a weekly book out of the “library”
Here’s an idea I came up with in an effort to spend less time on my phone. As a person who tremendously values education and learning, I have a stacked book collection. Anytime I become interested in a subject, I buy all.of.the.books. And this has made me quite sad lately, staring at said books – books on writing and creativity and art, Buddhism, Judaism, astrology, and gardening. When will I ever have time to read these books again?! As I mentioned this to my coach, the idea dawned on me: Why not choose a book each week or so to “check out” of my library? Keep the book around as I go about my day, and then read a page or two where I can instead of picking up my phone.
🪴 Herbalism course?
When I was pregnant, I was on a constant quest to live more holistically, which, naturally, led me into the world of herbalism. After my mom died, I purchased this course thinking it would be a healthy distraction from my grieving but never got around to doing it. I heard someone mention a similar course they took the other day and I felt inspired to maybe give it a shot? It’s a little daunting to think about adding this to my schedule ATM – but on the notion that creativity loves constraints, it could also be a welcomed addition.
🎥 YouTube videos
This Friday I am shooting my first YouTube videos post-Violet! Yes, a home tour is coming! 🥳 Exciting but also a bit nerve-racking, thinking about how this will go with a baby in tow.
🍽 Weeknight dinner project
I currently have no brain space to answer the dreaded question [what’s for dinner?] and this is beginning to steal the joy from cooking. I’ve got so many ideas and notes and recipes saved and jotted down in different places, and what I’d like to do is consolidate this into one place – a list I can glance at and feel inspired by each week. This has been on my to-do list for a very long time so I’m writing it here for some accountability.
What are you doing to keep your own well full? Hit reply and let me know. 💌