The final post of the three post catch up series is here! Procrastination and other creative endeavours have stolen my attention and focus away from the blog these past few weeks, though I have been working on them to get them back on track. Saying other endeavours distracted me or took priority sounds like an excuse. However, it is the truth and I did admit my procrastination in there too.
Too often I think we base our productivity in our creative life on the output that other people see as a way to validate our time as being well spent. Going back to our five pillars of building a creative life, I want to emphasise that although productivity and output are exciting to see, engagement in the process is more important when building a sustainable practice integrated into our lives. It is the quiet consistency of those smaller moments, those unseen creative efforts that don’t result in something to immediately share to validate our time. It is in the doing that validates our effort. It is the doing that validates our drive and experience. The engagement we have doing the thing rather than overworking or rushing through with little appreciation for the act of creating just to have something to show off to others is the important piece here.
I call this process quiet consistency. Although I have not been sharing on socials, or posting the blogs, I have been engaged in more creativity over the past three weeks than I would have been in writing these on time to the deadline.
There are two parts to this: the unseen quiet consistency of creating without sharing, and then there is the fact that by being consistent in the creativity you do share, when there is a fading of it you have the confidence, pattern, and reassurance that you are capable to maintaining it and coming back to it when it serves you to do so. The key to both parts lies in the doing.
Part One - Creating Without Sharing
During my brief procrastination storm of a hiatus from the blog these past few weeks I have dove, dived, dug back into other creative projects that have been either stewing on the back burner or take immediate priority as a necessity for functionality in daily life. Let me explain: my husband and I are finishing renovations, re-hacking storage solutions, and generally trying different arrangements and creative solutions in preparation for our first child; I have also been using my sit down and write moments to bang out some scenes in various WIPs that are not actually fully manifested projects, but have been on my mind for several months, some up to a year, and I am getting those nuggets of inspiration down on paper to capture said inspiration and keep the flame alive. All of this has been going on without being visible. The doing of creativity has been consistent, the outlet, the mode, and the visibility of that creativity has not.
Part Two - Falling back into Step with Consistent Creative Practice
The beauty of this blog and the instagram page is that I feel so secure in those spaces so when I do step away from them I know that I can confidently come back to them at any time. The blog has been going steady for almost two years now and every time I post I still feel the joy. The reason I can fall back into sync with this practice is because I spent an entire year rigorously ensuring consistency in planning, posts, and content. Knowing I can maintain a certain level of output makes me feel secure when I do falter and need to employ grace. Had I not built this expectation of myself and my consistency, had I not proved I could be consistent I would not have the confidence to come back to this space time and again no matter how long I’ve been away with or without warning. Again, the doing of the practice to build that consistency has been the key to maintaining an integrated approach to this quiet consistency of creativity in my life.
Whether you want to share your journey at all stages or create away from the spotlight, being consistent, even quietly is a courageous act.
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