Creative Practices to Boost Your Writing Journey

Pondering My Creative Journey

I just completed the first month of The Stafford Challenge, writing a poem a day for a year. Reminiscent of the now defunct NaNoWriMo, this creative challenge requires fewer words in a day, but extends the challenge across 12 months.

Once upon a time, I produced a lot of poetry. Some of it was good; most of it was trite. I can’t say that it has gotten any better, but I am enjoying the challenge and surprising myself with some progress. I may not be winning the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, but I look forward to my mid-afternoon cup of tea and a sheet of paper to see what jumps out of my fancy fountain pen. If nothing else, this challenge has given me an opportunity to ponder my world and I’m grateful for the experience.

Many years ago, I came across Julia Cameron’s creativity-retreat-in-a-book, The Artist’s Way. It was sometimes hard, sometimes enlightening, and always encouraging as I worked through the exercises and figured out what fed my creative side.

I learned a few things that carry over to this day:

• I need to write a little bit each day. ideally, I write several pages in a journal, but some days look more like several lines, sometimes copied from scripture. The point is that I show up to the page.

• I need to embrace activities that feed my creativity. Over the years I’ve done acrylic and oil painting, photography, needlepoint, jewelry making, mosaic and tile work, puzzles, sketching and watercolor, and my newest hobby, 3D puzzles. I always feel refreshed when I return to the page.

• I go on dates with myself, to see and do new things on my own schedule because I deserve it!

Perhaps these things have helped me be a better writer. I can say with certainty they’ve made me a writer that comes to the page with a joyful heart.

How do you feed your creativity?