8 Routines & Rituals I’ve Been Cultivating In My Creative Life
There have been times when I've not wanted a schedule. Being 'boxed in' felt constrictive and I found it difficult to imagine being productive within such tight parameters.
‘What if I suddenly felt a flash of inspiration on my days off? What then?'
These days, I’m craving a routine.
After years of living on the boat, battling weather, and adjusting my schedule according to our physical safety and restrictions, I'm now embracing a much more settled, predictable, and stable lifestyle. Currently, we are living back on land, restoring our 1940s Queenslander home and only occasionally using the boat.
I don't have to worry if the wind will pick up on land, and we will have to move anchorage. Or whether or not I'm going to have internet reception for my coaching calls and plan our route and schedule accordingly.
But after close to two years of this lifestyle, I'm only recently realising I have more control over how I spend my time. And I have to say, my nervous system loves how I can make self-care and creative expression a high, much more predictable priority.
Some of the practical ways I've been giving myself a loose routine in my creative life and business these past couple of months have been:
#1. Cultivating Boredom and Space to Create
Two weeks ago I bought a lifetime subscription to the Freedom app. I noticed I've been nostalgic for the 'good old days' when the internet didn't seep into every corner of my creative life. Before smartphones. Before Facebook and social media. Before Netflix.
I noticed myself longing for days long ago spent in my studio painting, undisturbed, sometimes for weeks. This was, admittedly, in the early 2000s. I'd put on my favourite CD, hit repeat, drink copious cups of tea without sugar and make large pots of soup so I could paint without having to stop to cook.
It was heaven. And it was also lonely, in some ways. I didn't have a husband back then, and I desperately wanted to share my life with someone.
Now, I've been married for coming up to nine years, and I adore my husband and our life together. I also wanted to recapture some of that sense of flow, being lost in my process and wholly absorbed in 'making things.'
The trick is, many of the things I feel so passionate about now, involve using a computer.
Instead of only needing a paintbrush and art materials, I'm often on my laptop. Writing, researching, supporting clients, creating content, developing new programs. I love it all. But being on a computer is like working with the cacophony of a circus around you. Distractions are everywhere.
Shops; "Why not order that item that just popped into your head now?" Cinemas, "Want to watch something on Netflix or Youtube?" Libraries, "Need to research another angle for your article on mindfulness?" Banks, "Better log in to check if that invoice has been paid". Not to mention the postal service delivers mail every few minutes (putting the Insta into telegram).
Freedom has allowed me to set up parameters around the times when I'm online, what websites are available and when, and it automatically syncs with my phone, too. I’ve carved out time in the evenings and mornings, and my whole weekend, where I’m free from email and social media. I love it.
Already I feel more in flow and connected to my writing and creative expression. It's like a breath of fresh air in a nostalgic low-tech world - before it was steeped in distractions.
#2. Making Kitchen Duties Easier
I've been ordering my groceries online to make it easy to keep the fridge stocked with healthy food. I love not having to walk the isles and face so many decisions.
Ahhh… Decision fatigue, I've reached mine lately. When I'm creating anything new, I want to cut down on the extraneous decisions I have to make in a day. Whether it's a new coaching program, a collection of paintings or a new series of articles. Like Steve Jobs with his black t-shirt and pants uniform that he wore daily, I want to focus on what I'm creating, not deciding which brand of noodles to buy from the dozens on display.
For years, I loved to shop at Aldi because it was so much cheaper (and often better quality in my experience) than Coles and Woolworths and because they usually only had one or two varieties of a product. We don't have Aldi near us, so I'm limiting my grocery choices by using my online store's 'Bought Before' section. Then I can select the 'direct to boot' option and collect my weekly shop without stepping foot inside the shop. Instead of being faced with thousands of products to sift through, I get to see just my favourites, and the decisions are easy.
#3. Setting Weekly Tasks to Auto Repeat
Clients in Prosper know how much I love Trello. It's my go-to organisation tool of choice. As well as adding new tasks (or what they call ‘cards’), I use it to repeat tasks each week. Take out the bin. Follow up with clients. It's all automated on my weekly board, so I don't have to use up bandwidth in my mind trying to remember what I have to do and can instead focus on making things.
If you're curious about Trello, you can sign up for a free account. I've recently downgraded back to the free version, as I found I didn't need the premium features. If you want to use it for your small business, this affordable and very useful mini-course will help you get set up. My favourite board template from that course is the 'Weekly' tasks list.
#4. Hiring an Assistant & Having a Weekly Meeting Together
I don't think I've ever had a weekly meeting with anyone. Much to my surprise, this is feeling very supportive indeed. About five weeks ago, I started working with Dawn, and on Mondays, we have a Zoom meeting to plan the week. She's been scheduling my social media, helping with my inbox and newsletter, and being a superstar at implementing all my creative ideas.
The thing with being creative is that I tend to get inspired by new projects. And the small details and practices that go into creating graphics, formatting posts and newsletters, and scheduling social media tend to drain my energy and momentum.
This year I'm making an effort to let go of more of those tasks, so I can create more. It's a learning curve, and it doesn't come naturally to me. Still, it's been exciting to have more space in my schedule to do the things I love - like writing, painting, swimming, walking, meditating and reading.
I spent two solid days Gelli Printing in my studio on Monday and Tuesday last week, and it was bliss. I wasn't checking my phone or computer. I was absorbed in the painting process. Delighted with some of the surprising results, I felt fulfilled by the outcome of what I created. I've been moving the dozens of paintings around the floor of my studio and using a mat board to crop areas to form small series. I love seeing the new compositions and imagining them framed on the wall.
On a practical note: I highly recommend spending time to display your creations in a clean and orderly fashion after a big studio session. It makes things that may otherwise have looked ordinary while surrounded by the detritus of your art materials look so much more finished. They have the space to breathe and often look 100% better than lying on your studio table next to the dried up paint palette. When we take the time to display our artwork beautifully, we allow ourselves to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of some of what we've created. (It's ok if we don't love everything, but giving our creations some space helps us see and love the gems that are there).
#5. Servicing My Laptop After it’s Adventurous Life
One of the things I absolutely love to do is sit in the garden and write. But my dear MacBook Pro has had an adventurous, hard-working life. The battery had worn itself out after travelling the country in my van and living on a sailboat for three and a half years.
Instead of replacing the computer, I decided to take a chance and replace the battery to see if that might get some more life out of my workhorse. Thankfully, it's worked!
The next step is to make a little paved area in the back-yard with an outdoor setting. A secluded spot where I can rest my teapot with dandelion tea and honey, watch the birds and notice all the shapes of the different leaves, feel the wind on my skin and write my heart out.
#6. Going to Bed Earlier
This is a work in progress. Since the winter Olympics, I've been staying up much later than usual. Sleep is one of the most essential elements that affect my ability to be creative, feel balanced, and function. If I don’t have enough sleep, since I’m high on the scale of sensory processing sensitivity (you can take the sensitivity quiz here if you’re curious to see your sensitivity too) life tends to feel completely overwhelming.
So I'm making it a priority to shift my routine to go to bed a bit earlier. Then I can get up earlier and focus on doing the writing I love so much.
#7. Creating a Spa Experience at Home
My husband recently finished installing our new clawfoot bath in the bathroom he's renovated for us (oh my goodness, I love it so much!). Having a bath has become a soothing, nurturing and fulfilling daily routine. I often light a candle, listen to Deva Premal’s Love is Space album and use the time to meditate and relax.
After barely having a shower on the boat (carrying your own water inside water tanks in the hull means you have to conserve freshwater, so it was often a saltwater shower on deck or a swim off the back of the boat), this feels indulgent and, in a good way, frugal. I'm relishing this simple routine each evening and making time for a long soak. Having a bath at home feels like total luxury.
#8. Making a New Nook in the Garden to Sit and Write in the Mornings
Recently I was pondering what some of the most fulfilling moments in my life have been. Surprisingly, many of my happiest memories and most fulfilling moments have been spent writing stories while sitting in the garden surrounded by plants and birds. Such a simple thing! I was quietly relieved to realise it wasn’t travelling to distant lands (although that’s been great, too), but in fact, it was an activity literally on my back-door step. And one that doesn’t cost a plane ticket.
Sometimes my old self takes a while to catch up to my present self and I have to intentionally update my current operating system. It seems as I’ve gotten older, I’m realising more clearly that I don’t need to fly overseas to feel in flow, present or alive. I can achieve it with an outdoor chair and a cup of tea.
I suppose that's because this particular creative practice combines my love of nature with my love of writing. I'm an INFJ and an HSP, and we tend to love writing to explore our inner worlds, discover what we think, and deeply process ideas. And nature is something that brings us into the present moment, restores our nervous system and feeds our soul.
Nurturing Ourselves & Our Inspiration
I'm letting myself slowly develop some of these new habits, routines, and rituals. As my nervous system settles more and more into a state of calm, ‘rest and digest’ (activated by the parasympathetic branch of our nervous system), instead of the ‘flight and flight’ response (activated by the sympathetic nervous system) I notice my inspiration bubbles over.
I'm also intentionally asking myself questions about what supports me. Reflecting on when I've thrived in the past and the circumstances surrounding those times. How I can bring those elements into my world again. What I'm longing for now, in this season of my life. So I can follow my inner compass to navigate how I want to spend the precious minutes of what poet Mary Oliver calls 'this one wild and precious life'.
If you want to pause and consider, “What am I feeling a longing for in my life?” And then see what practical ways might you be able to set up space or develop routines and rituals to bring those desires to life. Spending time considering what is important to us and how we can make that a priority in our days isn’t always at the top of our to do list, but it is so worthwhile. I’d love you to share your ideas in the comments on the blog. Together, we can inspire each other to live intentional, fulfilling and meaningful lives.
I also recorded a little meditation to help anchor your intention into your heart, which you may like to listen to here.
I hope you have a beautiful, nurturing and fulfilling week ahead!
Be kind to yourself and nurture your creativity.
Nicola xx
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